LAR Guidelines
How nominations, voting, and induction work — please read before participating.
What is the Local Area Recognition?
The Local Area Recognition (LAR) is a community-driven honor roll for each county in the United States. It exists to recognize coaches, athletes, volunteers, local businesses, and anyone else who made a meaningful impact on local sports history — whether they are living or not. Every county has its own LAR, and the community itself decides who gets in.
The spirit of this feature is to honor people — from the moment they are first nominated, through induction, and beyond. Being nominated is itself a form of recognition, even if a candidate never reaches the induction threshold.
Who can be nominated?
Anyone who had a positive connection to local sports in that county — broadly defined. This includes (but is not limited to):
- Coaches, athletes, referees, trainers
- Band directors, cheer coaches, announcers
- Booster club organizers and parent volunteers
- Local businesses that supported teams (e.g., the ice cream shop that celebrated every win)
- Community figures who created the environment for sports to thrive
Nominees do not need to be currently living. Historical figures from any era are welcome. Nominees do not need to be from the county — they just need to have made their impact there.
The two-phase process
Any member with a free account can nominate someone. The first person to nominate creates the candidate's record. Subsequent supporters find that record on the county LAR page and click “I also nominate this person.”
Your nomination automatically counts as your vote. No separate vote is required from nominators.
Once a candidate receives 3 nominations from 3 different members, they advance to the ballot — visible to the whole community for voting.
Once on the ballot, any member can cast a vote. The 3 nomination-votes already count toward the total, so a ballot candidate starts with 3 votes and needs 7 more to reach induction.
At 10 total votes, the candidate is automatically inducted into the county's Local Area Recognition — permanently part of the local sports history record.
Your nomination and vote slots
Each member gets 3 nomination slots and 3 vote slots, site-wide. These are not per-county — they are your total across the entire platform. Choose wisely. You do not have to use all of them at once; unused slots remain available indefinitely.
You cannot nominate or vote for the same person more than once. If you have already nominated someone, that counts as your vote — you do not need to vote separately.
No deadlines — nominations accumulate indefinitely
There are no expiration dates on nominations or votes. A candidate may sit on the nominee list for years before reaching the ballot. That is perfectly fine — remaining on the list is itself an honor. The community determines the pace.
Self-nominations are welcome
If you believe you have made a meaningful contribution to local sports in your county, you are encouraged to nominate yourself. This is not considered “ballot stuffing” — it simply starts the process. The community still needs to reach 10 total votes for induction, so no individual can put themselves in through self-nomination alone.
Comments and community memories
Any member can add a comment or memory to a candidate's record at any stage — before nomination, on the ballot, or after induction. This is where the community builds the historical narrative around the honoree. Share a story, a stat, a memory, or anything else that helps paint a picture of who this person is and what they meant to local sports.
Reporting a concern
Every nominee record has a “Report a concern” link. Use it if something seems wrong — a duplicate entry, inaccurate information, or a nomination that appears to violate the spirit of this feature. The site administrator will review the concern and may hide or remove the record if necessary.
The community is the primary safeguard here. We trust you to use this feature responsibly and to speak up when something doesn't look right.