24/04/13 Ali Williams and her sister Dani Williams shared a story with coach Mark Moschella after dinner. Photo credit: JD Cavrich
2024 Hall of Famers Mark Moschella, Ali Williams, Rachel Gehret, Artie Fink Jr. and Tom at the Blair County Sports Hall of Fame's 20th Annual Induction Dinner Saturday night at the Blair County Convention Center. -Each of the five members of Turcetta passionately praised their family. The friends, teammates, and coaches who helped them reach the pinnacle of their athletics careers.
Another common theme expressed by each inductee was the great relationship and appreciation each inductee has with the community that honors them.
“There's no place like home,” said Gehret, a mother of three and former three-sport athlete at Altoona Area High School who was an All-American in track and field at the University of Louisville.
“It is my greatest blessing to be able to raise my children in the same positive atmosphere that I grew up in,” Gehret added.
Turchetta, a former Bishop Guilfoyle High School player who played football at the University of Miami and went on to a long and distinguished coaching career with several major college football programs, also paid tribute to his hometown.
“This is a great honor,” Turchetta said. “this is
It's a great community that has embraced this great event for many years. I was lucky enough to grow up in Altoona during the glory days of athletics, when many athletes were heavily scouted from college sports programs and many went on to professional sports.
“All of the lessons I learned growing up in Altoona were related to hard work and teamwork, and I have tried to emulate those two things during my coaching career,” said the coach, who now lives in Tennessee. added Turchetta. “I am proud to be a member of the Blair County Sports Hall of Fame and will continue to be a proud Altoonian.”
There was a lot of emotion expressed by the inductees during Saturday's ceremony, and Fink, who earned his selection by excelling in both bowling and golf, expressed his gratitude to all the special people who helped him along the way. It was the most emotional and the most emotional.
“I'm very honored to be inducted into the Hall of Fame along with so many other athletes,” said Fink, a former member of the Professional Bowlers Association and inductee into the Pennsylvania Bowlers Hall of Fame. Mr. Fink started bowling at the age of 7 and has been rolling with it. An eye-opening 90 perfect 300 games. “None of this would have been possible without the love and support of my family and friends.
“Later in my life, I started playing golf. It was completely new to me, but I couldn't get enough of it,” Fink added. He learned golf with the help of his grandfather, father, and uncle, and under the tutelage of local golf legends such as Greg Ferguson, the late Bob Sweitzer, and Jimmy Gilliam. “I got my competitiveness from my father, but my mother was always my rock, the one and only person who always had the ability to say the right thing at the right time. It's a blessing to see Derek doing what I'm doing now. He's my world.”
Bob Pompeani, a veteran Pittsburgh sports television personality who was Blair Hall's first host, was replaced by his friend and colleague Stan Sablan, who passed away last June after hosting Blair Hall since its inception. He took over the chairmanship of Mr. The first commencement banquet back in 1987.
Pomepani ably carried Sablan's torch and expressed his deep emotion in a video tribute to Sablan that was played at Saturday's ceremony.
Pompeani also provided some levity after Fink struggled to keep his composure.
“There's nothing wrong with emotions,” Mr. Pompeani said, comforting Mr. Fink after he finished speaking. “Emotions are a part of life, and it's good to show them. In fact, I even cry when a new Walmart opens.”
Bishop Guilfoyle Catholic High School's influence was very evident at Saturday's induction dinner.
In addition to Turchetta, Moschella, who coached the BG Lady Marauders girls basketball program to four PIAA state championships and a total of 603 wins in 27 seasons with Blair County basketball, BG and St. Francis College Williams, a former basketball star who later went on to college, will also be in attendance. He played professional basketball overseas and graced the stage with his presence.
“So many great people have had a huge impact on my life,” said Moschella, who coached three PIAA Class 1A championship teams led by Williams. “Bishop Guilfoyle has given me the opportunity to coach for 27 years. The school has always supported the basketball program and I was happy to be there.”
Williams thought it was very fitting that she would be inducted into the Blair County Sports Hall of Fame on the same night that Moschella was inducted.
“Being inducted into the Blair County Sports Hall of Fame is a great thing. I couldn't think of a better way to be inducted than to be here with my coach,” Williams said, alluding to Moschella. He's more than just a coach to us. ”
Williams also said that participating in basketball has taught him many valuable lifelong lessons.
“Through basketball, I learned important life lessons such as the importance of teamwork and how to overcome both successes and failures,” Williams said.
The five video presenters inducted into the Hall of Fame included: Fink's Ken Love. Jake Jacoby of Gehret; Mary (Fall) Zoch as Mosquera and Tom Fox as Williams.
Members of the 2022 Hollidaysburg Little League team, which won three Little League World Series games, were recognized individually, with local soccer icon Jim Fee receiving the Hall's Community Service Award.
Tyrone's Braden Ewing and Altoona's Haley Kravetz received $2,000 scholarships.
