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President,
Wetaskiwin Curling Club 1969-1980
Founder Wetaskiwin Horseshoe Club 1977
President, Wetaskiwin Horseshoe Club 1977-1990
 Albert
Hoffman was a true Builder and supporter of sports in the
Wetaskiwin Area. He is being inducted into the Wetaskiwin
and County Sports Hall of Fame for the many volunteer hours
he invested into the Wetaskiwin Curling Club and the
Wetaskiwin Horseshoe Club. His unselfish dedication, his
enthusiasm and his foresight were exemplary and are
deserving of recognition.
Albert was
President of the Wetaskiwin Curling Club from 1969 to 1980.
He was literally the face and name behind curling in
Wetaskiwin for those years. His position would definitely
include volunteer manager as he booked rentals, organized
leagues and bonspiels and generally gave freely of his time
to keep the facility running smoothly. He even had to
install a second telephone line at his real estate office to
help accommodate the heavy curling club workload.
Foresight Established Top Class
Facility
After Curling Rink Crippled by Fire
Albert guided
the Wetaskiwin Curling Club through difficult years after
the old curling rink building had a crippling fire in the
early sevenites and he oversaw the completion of the new
curling rink in 1978. Albert had the foresight to lobby the
City for an eight sheet rink rather than the previous six
sheeter thus enabling Wetaskiwin to hold Provincial and
other major curling events. He argued aggressively for the
architects to change and increase their specs with regards
to the ice surfaces and playing areas, thus providing a top
class facility. He also debated with the Alberta Liquor
Control Board over how much glassed viewer area was
allowed. Their building code was very restricted and
looking at the viewing area in the Curling Rink one can see
how his hard work paid off.
At a time when
new curling rocks were very expensive and used ones almost
impossible to find, Albert, at his own expense, purchased
two sheets of curling rocks (32) from the closing Calgary
Curling Club two years before the completion of our new
rink. He was anticipating that we would get the new eight
rather than six sheet curling rink and wanted to be
prepared. He was paid back monetarily and with gratitude by
the curling club when they realized his forethought.
Reorganizes Curling Society to
Benefit Future of Sport in Wetaskiwin
One of
Albert’s most difficult and unenviable tasks was to contact
and convince all of the shareholders of the Wetaskiwin
Curling Association to relinquish their shares, turn all the
assets of the Association over to the City of Wetaskiwin
including the $68,000 sale of the old curling rink land and
organize a new Society. As arduous a task as it was, the
Wetaskiwin Curling Society and City of Wetaskiwin still
benefit from this reorganization by way of grant funds and
other benefits today.
 Albert was
also founder of the Wetaskiwin Horseshoe Club. The
organization was formed in 1977 with thirty-four members and
he was President from that date until 1990. He received
approval from the City of Wetaskiwin and built six horseshoe
pits at the recreation grounds at his own expense. Members
from both the City and the County of Wetaskiwin played
weekly. He was pivotal in Wetaskiwin hosting it’s first and
only Provincial Horseshoe Championships in 1984.
Accomplished Competitor
Establishes Horseshoe Club
Not only was
Albert a promoter of the of the Horseshoe Club and
Tournaments in the Wetaskiwin area, Albert was an
accomplished competitor. He proudly won Bronze at the 1979
Alberta Summer Games in St. Albert, Gold at the 1981 Alberta
Senior Games in Camrose and Silver at the 1985 Alberta
Summer Games in Fort McMurray. His tournament wins
throughout Alberta and winter home in Arizona were
countless. Though not considered a “top” curler, Albert did
accomplish and receive a rare and coveted Eight Ender Award
in 1961.
Albert
Hoffman’s legacy enriches Wetaskiwin’s sporting community
today and in the future. We applaud his efforts and his
contributions and are pleased to induct him into Wetaskiwin
and County Sports Hall of Fame.
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