Brampton adds six more people into sports hall of fame

There are five new inductees into the Brampton Sports Hall of Fame.

The new honourees were announced today and were selected because they have all made outstanding contributions to the development of sport in Brampton. They will be enshrined at the hall of fame located in the CAA Centre on Kennedy Rd. S.

Induction ceremonies will take place on May 3 at the Rose Theatre.

Here is the list of 2022 inductees:

Frank Fascia will be inducted into the Builder category for his dedication to baseball. He began playing minor baseball in Brampton in 1983, and went on to play in the NCAA. He was a founding member of the Brampton Senior Twins in 1991, coached Brampton Minor Baseball Inc. in 2007 and has served in a variety of positions with COBA and Baseball Ontario. In 2022, he was named the head coach of the inaugural baseball team at Sheridan College.

Praimnauth (Praim) Persaud will be inducted into the Builder category for his dedication to cricket. This former cricket player and administrator was inducted in the United States of America Cricket Hall of Fame in 2020 for his 45 years of service to the growth and development in Quebec for 10 years before his involvement in Ontario for the past 35 years. He has played a major role in cricket’s growth in Brampton, wherein cricket has expanded from 15 clubs to 62 in just five years.

Pat O’Toole will be inducted into the Athlete category for his dedication to lacrosse. He has lived in Brampton since 1998, and has been honoured for his accomplishments as a player and coach at both box and field lacrosse at the minor, major and international levels. He played 12 of his 16 seasons with the Rochester Knighthawks, with which he is still active as an assistant coach. He is also a former President of the Brampton Minor Lacrosse Association.

Tamara Tatham will be inducted into the Athlete category for her dedication to basketball. Her international playing career includes 164 games representing Canada, 157 at the senior level beginning in 2007. She won gold at the 2015 FIBA America’s qualifying tournament and the 2015 Pan Am Games. She has also played in the 2012 and 2016 Olympics, and has garnered many titles abroad. After she retired, she served as a coach for several teams.

Dev Sharma will be inducted into the Veteran category for his dedication to track and field. He has garnered many medals, even after he turned 80 in 2015. From 1988 to 2016, he collected 203 medals, including medals at the Canadian Masters Athletics Indoor and Outdoor Championships and the Ontario Masters Athletics Indoors and Outdoor Championships. He has also competed and won medals at the 2016 Canada 55+ Games in Brampton and the Brampton District 55+ Games.

Wally Slocki will be inducted into the Veteran category for his dedication to martial arts. He is a black belt who has won many trophies as a contestant and was recognized as “the Legendary Canadian” at tournaments all over the United States. He won the Canadian championship in 1967, 1968 and 1970, and the Ontario championship in 1972, 1973 and 1974. Slocki has a passion to teach and in the late 1960’s opened Eastern Karate in downtown Brampton, which later expanded to be known as the Canadian School of Health and Self Defense. He continues to train and teach customized corporate management seminars.

The Brampton Sports Hall of Fame was founded in 1979 by a group of dedicated sport enthusiasts in conjunction with the City of Brampton. To learn more about the Brampton Sports Hall of Fame and its inductees, visit www.brampton.ca/bshf.

Tickets are for the induction ceremony are $55 and can be purchased at www.rosetheatre.ca.