Olympian, fastball legend, standout gymnast enter NWT Sport Hall of Fame

Three athletes from different eras and disciplines will be given one of the N.W.T.'s highest sport honours next month, as Sport North has announced the latest three inductees into the territory's sport hall of fame.

Roseanne Allen, Floyd Daniels, and John Tram will be honoured this year. The hall of fame, established in 2012, was created "to celebrate NWT athletes and sport builders who attained a high level of excellence and brought recognition and honour to the Northwest Territories."

Allen, Daniels, and Tram join nine athletes, seven builders, and six teams already in the hall of fame.

The three new inductees will be celebrated at a banquet at the Yellowknife Elks Lodge on Nov. 22.

Roseanne Allen

The late Roseanne Allen, who died in 2009 at the age of 55, was one of the first Indigenous women to represent Canada at the Winter Olympics, competing in Nordic skiing along with twin sisters Shirley and Sharon Firth.

Born in Aklavik, Allen was a member of the Gwich'in First Nation. She began skiing at 10 years old while attending Grollier Hall residential school in Inuvik.

Allen immediately took to the sport, becoming the youngest Canadian to win gold in the five-kilometre nordic skiing category at the Canadian Junior Championships in 1968, at the age of 13. That same year, she was nominated to the national junior cross-country team.

Four years later, Allen competed for Canada at the 1972 Winter Olympics in Sapporo, Japan, anchoring Canada's women's relay team to 10th place. Roseanne's brother, Roger, also competed for Team Canada at the 1972 Olympics.

She quit racing in 1974 and moved to Sault Ste. Marie, Ont., in 1988, where she worked at the Indian Friendship Centre.

Floyd Daniels

Originally from Fort Smith, Floyd Daniels travelled across the territory — and the world — playing fastball until his death this summer at the age of 62. 

Daniels won territorial championships with teams from Fort Smith, Hay River, Inuvik, and Fort Simpson, and played fastball in tournaments as far away as Australia.

Known as a fierce competitor and unstoppable pitcher, Daniels was also known for his passion for organizing and coaching, bringing teams of younger players to the Western Canadian Championships and North American Indigenous Games. 

His passion stayed with him until the end of his life: Daniels pitched in his last territorial championships at the age of 60, and when he found out earlier this summer that he had the lung cancer that would ultimately lead to his death, his first words were "but I just want to play ball."

John Tram

Raised in Yellowknife, John Tram is known as one of the territory's best-ever gymnasts, currently working as the program director and head coach of the N.W.T.'s gymnastics program. 

Tram is known for mentoring the territory's best young gymnasts, including Maggie Carson, who recently returned to competition at the 2019 Canada Winter Games, serving as team N.W.T.'s flag bearer just two years after emergency brain surgery.

As an athlete, Tram competed at the 1996 and 1998 Arctic Winter Games, winning a total of six ulus.

He won five medals at Western Canadian Gymnastics Championships over his career, and picked up a bronze medal in the rings event at the 2006 Canadian Gymnastics Championships.

Tram was also honoured as the territory's official of the year in 2011.