West Springfield Athletic Hall of Fame inductee Brenda Marti, center, stands with her longtime assistant soccer coaches, Erin Cawley, left, and Sean Seifert.
Reminder Publishing submitted photo
WEST SPRINGFIELD — When Emily Taylor netted the last of the 720 points she scored on the Terriers girls varsity basketball team at West Springfield High School, she never imagined she would one day be in the school’s Athletic Hall of Fame.
Taylor will be among six former athletes, three coaches, three teams and three special contributors inducted in the hall on Nov. 15.
“It’s an honor to be among the other very talented athletes, coaches and contributors to the West Side athletic legacy and to be part of that group,” she told Reminder Publishing.
Reminder Publishing submitted photo
Taylor ran cross-country and played basketball and softball during her high school career, which ended when she graduated in 2012. She played on six all-star teams across three sports, helped her cross-country teams with two league championships and a championship for the basketball team.
She is now living in southern California, where she is a supervisor in San Diego State University’s campus recreation department.
Brenda Marti is also entering the hallowed halls of the athletic shrine, inducted for what she accomplished during her 20 years as coach of the girls varsity soccer team: four Western Massachusetts championships and one state championship.
Marti no longer coaches, but she has been a physical education teacher at the high school for 27 years.
“It’s kind of surreal to be inducted into the Hall of Fame. I was blessed to get this job, and for me, it’s all about having great athletes and great people on your team,” she said. “It is so nice when you can teach where you coach. You’re in the building. You know your kids. Your kids know you’re there.”
The Hall of Fame welcomed its first members in 2018. Over the years, an eight-member committee has pored through everything from archives and old records to what they see on the playing fields and in the classroom, recognizing West Springfield coaches, teams and students who have excelled in sports and academics.
There are about 15 inductees, including teams, each year, according to Brian Griffin, who co-founded the hall and chairs the selection committee.
“You want to recognize the best of the best athletically, and there’s so many of them. We’re learning that as we go along,” he said.
The selection committee accepts nominations from the public, but also looks back decades to when the high school sports program was established.
“We’re sitting in rooms and talking about different things. You learn the stories behind the athletes, coaches or teams, and you’re saying, ‘Wow! They should be recognized,’” said Griffin.
“It’s so cool to learn and understand. Once everything’s submitted, you hear these stories. Some of them are remarkable and you would never know unless you’re doing this due diligence,” said Griffin.
If individuals or teams aren’t selected one year, their names stay on the list for future consideration. There were more than 70 nominees for a dozen spots in the hall this year. Deciding who would be honored was tough.
“It’s very hard because they’re so deserving. We honor the best of the best athletes. The significance of being selected for your high school Hall of Fame is sometimes second to none, because it is your hometown, and all the memories start coming back. Your best experiences in sports sometimes come at the high school level,” said Griffin.
Marti remembers the names and faces of every player she coached over two decades, because she has posted every team picture from those years in her office at the high school.
“When you’re in the thick of it, when you’re in the middle of your season, you don’t appreciate it as much, until you step back. I’ve been out of coaching for four years and now, I look back at the pictures, and say, ‘Wow! That was fun,” said Marti.
The ex-soccer coached said she’s kept in touch with many of her players. Some even became her assistant coaches.
Taylor will be traveling from sunny southern California to attend the induction ceremonies. On the way back home, she’ll be thinking about what being a three-sport athlete meant to her.
“It was a way for me to challenge myself and push my physical and mental limits. It was great for my self-confidence and a way for me to learn what it means to be part of a team and to support people around me — and to take wins and losses humbly,” she said.
Other honorees in this year’s class are student-athletes Thomas Allen, Gary Gasperack, Dan Jonah, Kelly Hutcheons and Nicole Longey; coaches Edgar “Pop” Fielding and Ed Mason; the West Springfield High School 1956 football team, 1980 gymnastics team and 1980 softball team; and special contributors Al Howard, Billy May, and the Eastern States Exposition in recognition of its Coliseum, the “Home of Hockey.”
Induction ceremonies begin at 6 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 15, at the Storrowton Carriage House on the Big E grounds. Tickets can be purchased for $35 at tinyurl.com/a34vnn. For more information, email Griffin at bgriffin@townofwestspringfield.org.
