The CMSA Hall of Fame Mission Statement
"To foster an appreciation of the historical development of Chicago Metropolitan Sports Association (CMSA) and its subsidiaries by honoring those individuals and organizations that have made a significant contribution to its success and development."
1. What are the Goals of the CMSA Hall of Fame?
The goals of the CMSA Hall of Fame are to provide a historical perspective on and to perpetuate the history of CMSA as a sports organization since 1978. The Hall of Fame was created to recognize those who have given that extra effort, exhibited great sportsmanship and provided service to their team, sport and/or CMSA, the parent organization. The Hall of Fame vision is to recognize the efforts, contributions and achievements of its members and to encourage all members of CMSA to display similar qualities of leadership. Established in 2005 by the CMSA Board of Officers and Directors with a creed to Honor Dedication, Preserve its History, promote Pride in Sports and Building Bridges (which seeks to promote good relations between the various sports leagues; between sports leagues and CMSA and between CMSA as an organization and the surrounding LGBT community.
2. What are the responsibilities of the CMSA Hall of Fame Committee?
The Hall of Fame Committee is made up of member volunteers and any living CMSA Hall of Fame inductee. The Hall of Fame Committee is responsible for:
-communicating when nomination ballots may be submitted and closed to the membership.
-promoting the values of fairness and enhancing the credibility of the CMSA Hall of Fame.
-promoting and preparing for the Hall of Fame Induction ceremony.
-receiving and confidentially handling the nomination ballots.
-assessing the credentials of each nominee.
-within committee sessions, establishing the?threshold level? that determines the induction class.
-communicating the newly selected induction class to the membership.
-meeting regularly to review and improve the nomination/selection process to remain current and credible.
3. Who and how can someone be nominated for the CMSA Hall of Fame?
Nominations can be made by CMSA active members who submit a nomination ballot. A member may nominate a current or past member or a Fan/Supporter/Sponsor that has contributed to the success of CMS All members are notified via email when ballots are available for submission and date closed. During Open Nominations, the ballots are available at the CMSA website by clicking on the Hall of Fame icon. The ballot is completed on line and directly sent to the committee chairperson (a non-voting member) for confidential handling.
4. How is someone elected into the Hall of Fame?
Eligibility includes: an individual who has been a past or currently active member within the organization for at least 5 years.
-individual's must have been, at the time of their membership, or currently be in good standing with CMSA.
-a Fan/Supporter/Sponsor of a CMSA team or league for at least 5 years.
-nominees may be living or deceased
-both Individual member or Fan/Supporter/Sponsor must have contributed to the success of a CMSA team, a CMSA sports league or CMSA as an organization.
The members of the CMSA Hall of Fame Committee will vote on the eligible nominees each year. The nomination period will run from mid May to mid November each year. The Hall of Fame Committee will advise all members by email when nominations open and close each year. The chairperson (a non voting member) will remove the names of the nominee to make anonymous, before distributing to the committee for review. A point system is used to summarize two categories, (1) the number of activities and longevity that the individual participated within CMSA and (2) the merits of the essay as judged by each committee member. Points are tallied up and the committee determines a threshold point level. Only those nominees earning the most points are selected as inductee candidates for that class year. The ballots of those that are "just below" (not all) the threshold will automatically be reconsidered for three consecutive years at which point, a new ballot must be resubmitted for consideration.
5. Will there be a special ceremony for those inducted?
The CMSA Hall of Fame Committee holds a Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony each year to recognize and honor those who have been elected into the CMSA Hall of Fame. Currently the ceremony is held on the last Saturday of the month of March.
6. Can I join the CMSA Hall of Fame Committee?
You are encouraged to get involved by joining the CMSA Hall of Fame Committee! You may email the CMSA Hall of Fame Chair at halloffame@chicagomsa.org. You do not need to be an inducted member of the Hall of Fame to serve on the Hall of Fame Committee. The committee meets two to three times a year but has an on-going dialogue via email as needed.