I am sometimes asked, “Why isn’t so and so in the Hall of Fame? He/she was a better athlete than some of the people that you have in there.”

My response might be, “I think that you could be right. Has anyone filled out a nomination form for him/her?” Their answer might be “I don’t know.”

The nomination form is the first step for an individual to be considered for induction. If we do not have the sports/other biographical information about an individual, we can’t consider or compare them to people who have had that information submitted. Nomination forms are available on our website www.midcoastsportshalloffame, at the hall, or from any director. They must be submitted by June 1 to be considered for that year and remain active for five years. All candidates must be at least 30 years old.

Once a nomination form is submitted, the Nomination Committee (five members of our Board of Directors appointed by our president and chaired by our vice president) meets to review all nominations and votes on those they deem worthy of moving on to the full 15-member Board of Directors. The total pool is usually around 30 candidates, with about 15 moving on to the next step. Then, our secretary/treasurer, makes copies of all the nomination forms that made the first cut (usually about 15), and mails them to all members of the Board of Directors. The directors have about a week to review all the candidates’ information before final voting takes place. Eight individuals are inducted each year and two of the eight can be deceased.

Following is our voting procedure:

The Midcoast sports Hall of Fame will be voting to induct up to eight new members (limited to up to two deceased members) each year.

Two thirds of the board must be present for the vote to be valid.

No proxy votes are allowed.

Each board member present must submit a ballot or abstain from voting.

A discussion of any or all candidates can occur before any round of voting, but not during the vote.

After each round of voting, the number of votes each candidate received will be revealed.

1st Round

Each board member can vote for up to eight candidates.

Candidates need to receive 75 percent of the vote to be elected into the Hall of Fame.

Candidates that receive 20 percent or less of the vote will be dropped from consideration for that year.

2nd Round

Each board member can vote for up to as many slots that are still available.

Candidates need to receive 75 percent of the vote to be elected into the Hall of Fame.

Candidates that receive 20 percent or less of the vote will be dropped from consideration for that year.

3rd Round

Each board member can vote for up to as many slots that are still available.

Candidates need to receive 75 percent of the votes to be elected into the Hall of Fame.

If there is a tie for the final slot(s), then the board members will have a vote to break the tie.

The vote to break any tie will be decided by a simple majority of the board members present.

4th Round (if necessary)

If slots are open after the 3rd round of voting, any candidate(s) who received at least 50 percent of the 3rd round votes but is still shy of election will be considered. The candidate(s) will need a simple majority of the vote from the board members present to be elected into the Hall of Fame.

Our mission is to publicly recognize outstanding individuals from all eras of sports history in Midcoast Maine. Inductees will be recognized for their achievements and contributions to athletics whether as an athlete, coach or contributor. The requirements to be considered for induction into the Midcoast Sports Hall of Fame are as follows: Attended one of the schools in the Midcoast Maine area; coached, taught or administered at one of the schools in the Midcoast Maine area; or, made significant contributions to organized sports in the Midcoast Maine area whether it be as an athlete, coach, official, reporter, broadcaster, designer, instructor, or other associated position. We are always looking for new candidates from Knox and Lincoln counties. If you have any questions about the Hall of Fame contact Tom Mellor at 691-2770, or at ttmellor@gmail.com