Sports From the Giant
The Sports from the Giant project uses archival video and audio footage from the 1960s, showcasing various sports that occurred in Northwestern Ontario. From football and hockey to baseball and horse racing, viewers can watch a plethora of exciting historical sports taking place across the region. Individuals can also watch the tremendous sacrifice so many brave athletes made to follow their passions and dreams.
Please enjoy these fun, short clips as they offer a glimpse of the Lakehead’s history and people!
Now Available on Researchtv.ca!
EPISODE ONE: Ice Sports. And… a little bit of basketball
This episode features 1960 High School Men’s Basketball, 1961 Ice Hockey, and the 1960 Macdonald Brier Curling.
EPISODE TWO: ON YOUR MARKS, GET SET, GO
This episode features 1962 Football, and the 10 Mile Road Race of 1965.
EPISODE THREE: THE BATTLES OF THE AGES
This episode features the 1961 Rowing Regatta, 1962 Little Leaguers vs. City Council Baseball Game, and the 1962 Track and Field Meet.
EPISODE FOUR: FRIENDLY COMPETITION?
This episode features 1963 Skiing, Dairy Best Open Golf Tournament in Strathcona, 1964 Five Pin Bowling, and 1962 Soccer between Polonia and Hungaria.
EPISODE FIVE: SPORTS SPORTS… AND MORE SPORTS
This episode features the Finnish National Hockey Team playing in Nipigon in 1961, 1962 Horse Racing, and 1964 Women’s High School Basketball.
EPISODE SIX: ROUGH AND ROWDY
This episode features 1960 Professional Wrestling, 1963 Ice-Yachting, and Tug-Of-War from 1965.
The Reel Memories collection contains roughly 500 film reels, the majority of which are 1,000 to 1,200 ft in length. That’s approximately 200 hours of archival footage that has been never before seen since its initial air date on the nightly news!
This project was funded by the Thunder Bay Community Foundation, Thunder Bay Historical Museum, Friends of the Finnish Labour Temple, and Northern Ontario Heritage Fund Corporation.
CREDITS
Producers – Kelly Saxberg, Ron Harpelle
Animation – Rommel Jay Cayanga
Editing – Bryson Irvine, Tom Peotto
Writing – Bryson Irvine, Tom Peotto
Sound Recording – LIP Media Productions
Narrator – Tom Peotto
Post-Production Supervisor – Adrien Harpelle
Sound Design & Mix – Marlon Legarde
Research – Bryson Irvine, Tom Peotto
Archival – Thunder Bay Museum, Reel Memories Project
Film Restoration – Brandon Cordeiro, Katie Green, Derek Okeese, Tom Peotto
Film Transfer – Brandon Cordeiro, Ron Harpelle, Derek Okeese, Kelly Saxberg
Research Partners – Thunder Bay Historical Museum, Northwestern Ontario Sports Hall of Fame
Consultants – Larry Hebert, Marv Saxberg, Dave Siciliano, Tom Tod, Gary Veneruzzo
Special Thanks – Diane Imrie, Northwestern Ontario Sports Hall of Fame, Thunder Bay Museum Archival Staff, Marlon Legarde, Derek Okeese
Funding by – Thunder Bay Museum, Friends of the Finnish Labour Temple
Funded in part by the Government of Canada’s New Horizons for Seniors Program
Reel Memories of the Lakehead 