The midterm elections may be over, but in the world of Alaska sports, election season is still going.
For the remainder of the month, the public can weigh in on the Alaska Sports Hall of Fame Class of 2019. Every year, a nine-member panel votes on people, moments and events to go in the hall. The cumulative public vote, which can be cast online, is equal to that of one selection panel member.
Established in 2006, the Alaska Sports Hall of Fame now contains 66 people, events and moments, including Juneau’s Carlos Boozer (Class of 2008), Hilary Lindh (Class of 2009) and the Gold Medal Basketball Tournament (Class of 2012). New to the ballot this year is Chad Bentz, the former Montreal Expo and current Juneau-Douglas High School athletic director.
“It was another fun surprise,” said Bentz, who was inducted in the Alaska High School Hall of Fame in 2016.
“Playing Major League Baseball was every normal teenage American boy’s dream,” he added. “Was it everything I thought it was going to be? Yes, it was, and then some. And I’m very lucky to have that opportunity.”
Returning to the ballot are Geoff Roes of Juneau, a nationally-acclaimed ultramarathoner, and George Nix of Sitka, Alaska’s first professional football player. Bentz, Boozer and Lindh also appear in the moments category. Bentz for his April 7, 2004, Major League Baseball debut against the Florida Marlins, Boozer for his 2001 NCAA national title with Duke and Lindh for her women’s downhill medals at the 1992 Winter Olympics and 1997 World Championships.
To cast your ballot, go to www.alaskasportshall.org/election/candidates. To learn more about the selection criteria and process, go to www.alaskasportshall.org/selection-process.
