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Sports Pe rsonalities |
  
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
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In a category of their own...
Rachelle Halpenny
sports
Born November 9, 1950, Ironside, Quebec. Died January 10, 2012,
Ottawa, Ontario. When she was 9 months old she suffered high
fevers and she became severely handicapped with Cerebral Palsy.
Her parents were told she would never walk nor talk. The family
moved to Ottawa and Rachelle underwent numerous operations, post
operative physiotherapy and speech therapy. She was totally
bilingual and loved to participate in good conversation. She
graduated from Algonquin College with a diploma in Recreation.
She walked with crutches and later enjoyed a motorized scooter
to get out and about. In 1973 she married Jim Halpenny. The
doctors told her not to have children but Rachelle wanted a
family and the couple had two sons. In 1976 she began to
participate in handicapped games. She was often the only woman
in the field competing against men. In 1978 she participated in
the 4th international Cerebral Palsy Games winning 3
gold and 2 bronze medals for Canada. At the next Games in 1982
she returned home with 2 gold, a silver and a bronze. During her
sports career she participated in archery, club throw, rifle and
pistol shooting, Table tennis, weight lifting, track events,
sailing and soccer. In 1987 a thanks to a neighbour Rachelle
met Rick Hanson on his Man in Motion Tour. Rachelle worked at
many jobs, often of her own making. She ran a swim program for
the YM /YWCA, worked with Canadian Veterans Affairs and coached
at the University of Ottawa. She also served as Vice Chair for
Cerebral Palsy Sports. In 2006 at the Ottawa annual sports
award dinner she received an individual award for sailing. She
was an advocate for disabled accessibility to buildings and a
modest pioneer for all who desired to achieve as individuals
because they can.
Sources: “Life Story” by Joanne Lovett Potter, Ottawa Citizen
February 2, 2013. ; “Rachelle Halpenny: A woman first, an
athlete second and way at the other end of the scale, disabled”
by Lyse Blanchard in Canadian Woman Studies Spring 1983;
Personal friendship.
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Ivy Eastwood Granstrom
Born September 28, 1911 Glace Bay, Nova Scotia. Died April
14,2004 Vancouver, British Columbia. Ivy moved with her family
to British Columbia in 1917. At 12 years of age she was working
at cooking, cleaning and waitressing. She began training as a
nurse when her weak eyesight was noticed. She had been born with
extremely limited vision which worsened in the 1950’s. She was
in a car accident in the 1960’s and doctors told her she would
have to live life in a wheelchair. Ivy would have none of this
and she started on her own rehabilitation and was soon walking ,
then jogging and running. She participated in Blind Sports
competitions and enjoyed herself. In the 1980’s she was
competing in the Canadian Master’s Association events and
entering in North American and international races. In 1982 she
was British Columbia’s Sports Athlete of the year and in 1989
she was inducted into the Order of Canada. She often set
records up to 2001. She was a top world –class master (over 50
years old) runner who competed in open competitions with sighted
competitors. She held 12 unchallenged world records when she
retired. She earned many awards including the British Columbia
Eugene Reimer Award for disabled Athletes. She was also inducted
into the Terry Fox Hall of Fame. She earned the title “Queen of
the Polar Bears” for her love of participating in the annual
Polar Bear Dip. On January 1, 2004 at 92 years of age she took
her 76th annual Polar Bear swim!
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Archery
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Lisa Bertoncini |
She has been on target with her sport of archery since she
competed for her school, Mohawk College, Hamilton, Ontario, winning gold
medals at the provincial level in both the individual and team competitions
in 1977 and 1978. She was Female Athlete of the year twice and won the
outstanding Dr. Mitminger Award from Mohawk College in 1978. She is also a
member of The Mohawk College Sports Hall of Fame. At the Ontario Association
of Archers she won four womens ladies Ontario Championship titles in 1977,
1983, 1984 and 1985. She competed at the national level for nine years and
won the women’s Canadian Championship title in 1984 and 1985. Representing
Canada at the World field Championships Lisa took the Women’s World Champion
title in both 1984 and the World Games title in 1985. She was named to the
Canadian Amateur Sports Hall of Fame in 1985. She has done some coaching at
the national level of the sport since leaving the competative field.. |
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Lucille Lessard. |
Born 1957. Introduced to the sport of archery by
her schoolteachers she became a devoted competitor. She won her first
national championship in 1974 and successfully defended her title five
times. In 1974 she became the first Canadian to wing the World Field Archery
Championship, she was the youngest world Champion up to this point in time. |
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Dorothy Lidstone. |
Born August 16, 1938. She enjoyed learning
her sport of archery. She excelled and became the first Canadian World
Champion in Archery in 1969. Her winning score broke the previous record set
in 1963 by 100 points. Dorothy has retired from competitive archery but was
an active support in setting up the family archery business that included
designing, developing, and manufacturing Canadian made archery equipment.
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Badminton back |
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Milaine Clouthier. |
Born February 16,1972. Her
brother brought her to a badminton game when she was 9. She was told that
girls couldn't beat guys. That did it! She was hooked! She outplayed them
all! By 1995 she had won a bronze medal in the Pan American Games, and in
1997 she won Pan Am gold in the doubles event. |
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Robbyn Hermitage |
Born Montreal, Quebec April 22, 1970. A badminton player of
talent, Robbyn has 10 national badminton championship titles to her credit.
She has twice represented Canada on teams at both the Commonwealth Games and
the Pan American Games. She was also a part of team Canada at the 2000
Sydney Olympic Games. Currently she lives in London , Ontario where she is
caring for her family of two toddlers. Watch for her in the future on the
courts though, for she intends to get re-involved once again in the sport
that has given her so much!. |
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Denyse Julien. |
Born June 22, 1960. Her
passion is badminton. She has been enthusiastic about her sport since she
was 12 years old. She represented Canada on the Olympic team in 1992 and
1996. She was National singles Champion in 1993, Badminton's Athlete of the
year in 1995 when she won 3 gold medals in the Pan American games. She has
held several Canadian National title over the years but feels her biggest
accomplishment is still being enthusiastic about her sport. |
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Marjory Shedd. |
Born March 17, 1926. Marjory
won her first Canadian Badminton Championship in 1953. In total she has won
6 national singles titles, 5 mixed and 14 ladies doubles titles. She also
excels in volleyball and basketball. She flexed her coaching skills when she
was coach to the University of Toronto volleyball team. |
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Dorothy Louise Walton. |
(née McKenzie) Born
Swift Current, Saskatchewan August 7, 1909. Died October 17, 1981. Prior to 1932 she
was a top ranked tennis player in Canada. After 1932 she switched to Badminton
and became one of Canada’s best. After conquering the provincial and national
titles in Canada she captured the All-England title that is equivalent to the
world amateur championship. In 1950 she was voted one of the top 6 women athletes
in Canada in the Canadian Press Poll. She is a member of the Canadian Sports Hall
of Fame. In the 1950's she was a well known member of the Consumers Association
of Canada. |
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Margaret Eileen Stuart Underhill
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née George. Born April 1,
1889, Moosomin, Saskatchewan. Died July 31, 1988, Vancouver, British
Columbia She moved to Vancouver in 1910. She dominated her sport of
badminton from 1927-36. With her husband, Jack Underhill (1902 – 1974) she
won National Doubles Championship for three consecutive years. They were
five times B.C. mixed doubles champions 1928-31, 1935. The couple were the
first husband-and-wife team in the B.C. Sports Hall of Fame in 1970.Sources:
British Columbia Sports Hall of Fame: Vancouver Hall of Fame online
(accessed November 2012) |
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Jane Marie Youngberg |
Born Alysbury, England. December 25, 1948.She
studied for her Bachelor of Education at the University of British Columbia
and followed her heart to become a teacher. As a teen she loved badminton
and at 15, with her partner Sue Latournier won the 1965 Doubles title. In
1967-8 she and Barbara Nash won the Canadian Ladies Junior Doubles
championship. And she and Barb Welsh took Canadian Ladies open and closed
doubles championships in 1974 & 1975. On the international scene there were
wins at the Canadian Uber Cup, Jakarta Indonesia 1972, 1975 and won at the
Commonwealth Games , the all-England singles in 1977. She continues to love
teaching. She and her husband Ed spent three months in 2005 in Africa with
the African Canadian Continuing Education Society ( acceskenya.org) training
staff to better education of children of Kenya. |
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Baseball |
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Mary "Bonnie" Baker |
née Mary Geraldine George. Born 1919 (?) died December 2003. As a
youth she enjoyed sports. In the Second World War with many of the American
Professional Baseball players serving at the front lines, Wrigley of the
famous chewing Gum company came up with the idea of having a girls league in
baseball to fill the stadiums with fans. “Bonnie” was soon scouted for the
All American Girls Baseball League. A popular player with the press she
appeared on the TV Show What’s My Line and was photographed for Life
magazine. The press dubbed her “Pretty Bonnie Baker”. In 1950 she was with
the Kalamazoo Lassies as the first player/manager in the League. In 1951
she took off the season to give birth to her daughter, Maureen. She returned
to the sport in 1952 but soon retired to spend more time with her family.
The League itself folded in 1954. She returned home to Regina and continued
to play softball and helped take the local team to the 1953 Ladies World
Softball Championships in Toronto. She became involved in the Wheat City
Curling Club where she would become club manager. In 1964-1965 she became
the first female sports caster on CKRM Radio in Regina. Mourners at her
funeral celebrated her life and career by singing “Take me out to the
ball game.”!
Suggested sources: Baker, Mary “Bonnie” City of Regina: 2008.
www.Regina.ca (Accessed September 2008) ; All American Girls Baseball
League online. |
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Mary Doris "Dodie" Barr |
Born August 26,1921 Starbuck, Manitoba. Died July 12, 2009 Winnipeg,
Manitoba., she started her baseball career in 1937 when she was discovered
by scouts while playing catch with her sister. This led to positions as a
powerful, left-handed pitcher with the Winnipeg Ramblers (1938-1939) and the
Regina Army and Navy Bombers (1940-1942). She went on to a nine-year career
with six teams in the American Girls Professional Baseball League (AAGBL),
from 1943 to 1950. She was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame
,Cooperstown, New York, U.S.A., the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame, and the
Manitoba Softball Hall of Fame. She retired in 1950 and became an accountant
at Grace Hospital in Winnipeg, later working in the accounting department at
the Health Sciences Centre.
Sources: “Baseball pitcher captivated league while men fought war”
Winnipeg
Free Press, 17 July 2009; Memorable Manitobans, Profile
by Gordon Goldsborough (Accessed December 2011). |
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Helen Callaghan |
Married names 1. Candaele 2. St Aubin. Born Vancouver, British Columbia
March 13, 1923. Died Santa Barbara, California, U.S.A. December 8, 1992.
Coming from an avid and supportive sports loving family she left home to
join the All American Girls Professional Baseball League. Within a few
months her concerned father sent her older sister Margaret to join the
league and look after the younger Helen. The girls played successfully in
the league for several years from 1944. The left handed out fielder did not
play in 1947 due to illness but returned after a marriage and the birth of a
child to play in 1948 retiring in 1949. The original “boys of summer” had
left the playing fields to join the fighting in World War ll were now coming
home and reclaiming the baseball fans back to the all male games. The
sisters never spoke of their life on the road with the league with family.
However when son Kelly found his aunt’s old scrapbook he used it to produce
a Public Broadcasting Service documentary on the girls. Hollywood director
Penny Marshall was taken with the documentary and the well-known movie A
League of Their Own was released in 1992. In 1998 all 64 Canadian Women
who had played in the All American League Girl’s Baseball League were
inducted into the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame.
Helen’s Grandson Casey Candaele has
played for the Montreal Expos, the Houston Astros and Cleveland Indians.
Sources: British Columbia Sports Hall
of Fame website (Accessed May 2009) ; W. C. Madden; The women of the All
American Girls Professional Baseball League: a Biographical Dictionary ,
McFarland & Co., 2005 . |
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Margaret Callaghan |
Married name Maxwell. Born Vancouver, British Columbia December 23, 1921. A
youngster whose family embraced sports and who enjoyed track and field, file
hockey, lacrosse, basketball but mainly baseball. Her younger sister joined
the women’s baseball league and Margaret’s father asked her to join the All
American League Girls Professional Baseball league to look after her sister.
Margaret would play seven seasons in the popular “girl’s league” a welcome
addition to the Minneapolis Millerettes, the Fort Wayne Daisies, the South
Bend Blue Sox, the Peoria Redwings and in 1951 the Battle Creek Belles.
Girls baseball took on popularity when the “Boys of summer” went off to
fight in World War ll. Once the men returned from war the girl’s teams were
not as popular and not needed to entertain the home fields. Returning home
to regular life the two sisters never talked much about their life on the
road for baseball. An old scrapbook aroused interest of a nephew and a
Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) documentary by Margaret’s nephew Kelly
Candaele caught the eye of movie director Penny Marshall. Margaret and
Helen’s story became the base for the well known Hollywood movie A league
of their own, 1992. In June 1988 64 Canadian women who played in the All
American League Girls Professional Baseball were inducted into the Canadian
Baseball Hall of Fame.
Sources: Famous, should be famous, and Infamous Canadians
http://wwwfamouscanadian.net/name/c/callgh... (accessed May 2011.) : W.
C. Madden ; The women of the All American League: a Biographical
Dictionary. (Mcfarland & Co., 2005. : British Columbia Sports Hall of
Fame website (Accessed may 2009) |
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Daisy Juror |
née
Knezovich. Born October 7, 1920, Regina Saskatchewan. Died April 29, 2012.
As a child she loved and excelled in sports. In 1935 she played fast ball
with the Regina Caps. The team sown the Western Canada Championships in 1945
with her as all-star left field and power hitter. In order to live one had
to have a paying job so she worked as a packer at the Burns Meat Company. In
1942 she married Dave Juror, foreman of the meat plant. In 1943, with men
becoming involved in the impending war a four-team league of women’s
baseball was formed to keep the fans interest. She refused their first offer
but her sister Ruby signed on. When the league was revived and expanded in
1946 Daisy join in on the fun. This was the All-American Girls Professional
Baseball League, brought to modern attention through the movie a League of
their own. Daisy was interviewed for the movie. She had played for the South
Bend Indiana Blue Sox, the Springfield Sallies and the Fort Wayne Daisies.
The teams played seven nights a week and double headers on Sundays and
Holidays! Daisy returned home in 1949 and enjoyed the bowling where by the
late 1950’s she was a team member of the Ladies Western Canadian
Championships. She also enjoyed golf and in 1967 was the Regina City Ladies
Golf Champion. In the 1970’s she was Senior Ladies Golf Champion and a
member of the five teams playing in the Canadian Championships. She has been
inducted into the Saskatchewan Baseball Sports Hall of Fame, the
Saskatchewan Sports Hall of Fame and as part of the AAGPBL the Baseball
Sports Hall of Fame , Cooperstown, New York, U.S.A.
Source: “Pro
Baseball player in league of her own, went on to excel in bowling, golf” by
Chris Ewing-Weisz. The Globe and Mail May 19, 2012. |
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Basketball |
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Ruth Wilson |
Born Calgary, Alberta. April 27, 1919. Died 2001. Her family moved to
British Columbia where the youth was encouraged by her mother to play
tennis. Winning the provincial doubles, mixed doubles and Pacific Northwest
Doubles championships did not however keep her interest in the sport. She
attended the University of British Columbia and went on to earn her Masters
in education at Western Washington State College. She enjoyed varsity
basketball and went on to play on 5 national championship basketball teams
in the 1940”s. As a coach in the sport she founded the Eilers and the team
won the 1950-51 senior “A” title. In 1967 she was the coach of the Pan Am
Games Team that won Canada’s first medal, a bronze. In 1973 her Buzz Bomb
team were also national title holders. In total her basketball coaching
career spanned 35 years. She also enjoyed softball and played in two women’s
world series. As a golfer she played on eight Interprovincial teams and won
the Canadian title four times as well as playing internationally. She has
been inducted into the UBC and the British Columbia Sports halls of Fame.
She is considered British Columbia’s greatest all round female athelete.
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Sherry Ann Boudreau |
Born Victoria British Columbia March 25.
Growing up in Richmond, British Columbia she enjoyed being both a Brownie
and a Girl Guide. Sherry Ann completed her studies in cosmetology and is also certified in
aerobics and weight training. After the birth of her second child she
decided to become competitive in fitness events. She has worked her way to
first place in international events. In 2004 she was competing successfully
in body building events at the international levels!!! She is in the
process of writing a book called : Start Today, Tomorrow Never Comes. She
hopes it will inspire all who will read it. Sherry Ann loves a challenge and
feels it is so much fun staying health, find and positive. If you search for
her name on the internet you will find her personal web page. |
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Bowling
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Cathy Townsend. |
Born June 8, 1937. In 1975 she was the first
Canadian woman to win the Bowling Cup. During her trip to these world games
her equipment and clothing were lost in transit and she had to obtain a new
bowling ball and special shoes required for a left handed bowler! She is a
member of the Canadian Sports Hall of Fame. |
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Jessica Rakoczy |
Born Hamilton Ontario April 14, 1977. In high school she was
active in many competitive sports including hockey, baseball, soccer, track
and swimming and was twice elected athlete of the year. At 20 she too up
amateur boxing and went on to take the Ontario provincial bantamweight
title. Her tryouts for the Canadian national team seemed prone to misfortune
as a serious accident and broken bones kept her from the team. She made her
professional debut on October 21, 2000 in Philadelphia, Mississippi, U.S.A.
By spring 2005 she has had 20 professional fights with a 19-1 win record and
holds the world lightweight championship. |
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Curling
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Jan Betker |
Born Regina, Saskatchewan July 19, 1960. She and her good friend
Sandra Schmerler (1963-2000) enjoyed curling. In 1998 Jan was a member of
Team Schmerler at the Nagano Olympics. The Team won the first gold medal for
Olympic Curling. The Team also won three World Curling titles in 1993, 1994
and 1997. The women were entered into the Curling Hall of Fame in 1999 and
made members of the Canadian Sports Hall of Fame in 2000.
Source: Canada’s Sports Hall of Fame online accessed July 2011.
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Marilyn C. Bodough. |
Born March 9, 1955. A business woman who
managers her own lumber yard and has owned several businesses including a
funeral home and flower business. She is a well known motivational speaker.
In her spare time she found time to be a member of the 1996 Canadian and
World Championship Curling teams. She has also co-authored a book on the
sport of curling. She is a member of the St Catherines Ontario Hall of
Fame. |
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Marcia Gudereit |
née Schiml Born Moose jaw, Saskatchewan September 8, 1965. She
enjoyed the sport of curling and in the 1990’s she joined Team Schmerler led
by Sandra Schmerler (1963-200). The team would not only lead local rinks,
provincial rinks and National rinks but would take three world championships
in the sport in 1993, 1994 and 1997. In 1998 they would win the first gold
medal ever presented for Curling in the Nagano Winter Olympic Games. The
Team was inducted into the Curling Hall of Fame in 1999 and into the
Canadian Sports Hall of Fame in 2000. Marcia continued curling when Jan took
over the lead of the team after the death of Sandra in 2000.
Sources:
Canada’s Sports Hall of Fame online accessed July 2011. |
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Jennifer Jones |
Born Winnipeg, Manitoba July 7, 1974. As a youth she enjoyed the
sport of curling. She continued in her sport while obtaining a degree as a
lawyer and working as a Corporate lawyer. In 1991 she won the provincial
Games Silver medal. By 1994 she was the Canadian Junior Champion. In 2002
she won the Manitoba Women’s Provincial Championships and went on to win the
Canadian National Tournament of Hearts in 2002 and 2005. In 2006 she won
the inaugural World Curling Tour Players Championship. She was also busy in
2008 winning the Tournament of Hearst and once again the World Championship
as skip of her team. A sports master Athelete to watch!!! To keep up to
date check out the Jennifer Jones team website. |
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Joan Elizabeth McCusker |
née Inglis Born Yorkton, Saskatchewan June 8, 1965. In the early
1990’s she joined Sandra Schmirler (1963-2000) on the curling rink and they
became one of the powerhouse teams in Canadian curling history. The Team
would not only win Canadian Championships but went on to win three World
Curling Championships in 1993, 1994 and 1997. In 1998 at the Nagano Olympic
Winter Games they won the first Olympic Gold medal presented for the sport
of Curling. Team Schmerler was the Canadian Press choice for Team of the
Year. In 1999 they were inducted into the Curling Hall of Fame and the next
year into the Canadian Sports Hall of fame. Joan became a commentator for
the CBC events in curling. Married to Brian McCusker the couple have three
children. Joan has become a motivational speaker and performance consultant
and still enjoys curling.
Sources: Canada’s Sports Hall of Fame online accessed July 2011.
JoanMccusker.com accessed July 2011. |
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Sandra Schmirler |
Born
Biggar, Saskatchewan June 11, 1963. Died March 2, 2000. Curling was her
passion. She was a three time Canadian and World Champion. The
Schmirler team worked as a real sisterhood and dominated their sport for 6
years. As well as winning Canadian championships in their sport the Team
won three World Curling championships in 1993, 1994 and 1997. In 1998 Schmirler led her foursome, Joan McCuster, Jan
Betker, Marcia Gudereit and Atina Ford to
the first ever Olympic gold medal in women's curling. She and
her team are members of the Saskatchewan Sports Hall of Fame and she is a
member of the Canadian Sports Hall of Fame. |
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Cycling
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Tanya Dubincoff |
Born Winnipeg, Manitoba November 7, 1969. At four years of
age she took the training wheels from her bicycle. She has won the Canadian
National track cycling championship 16 times! She has won four gold medals
at the Pan Am Games and has represented Canada in 3 Olympics. She was
personally disappointed in her effort placement in Sydney's Olympics but she
knew that retirement from competition was her future. In 1993 she was the
first Canadian woman to win a cycling world championship and in that same
year was first in World Cup standings. Tanya has since opened her own café,
the Sugar Gallery Café and she has taken a position with The Olympic Oval in
Calgary. She uses her communications skills and acts as a bridge between
athletes and the media. What she gets most satisfaction from, however, is
training young cyclists. |
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Clara Hughes. |
Born
September 27, 1972. Clara is a dynamo on wheels. This cyclist holds 13 Canadian National titles.
She as silver and bronze medals from the 1991 and 1995 Pan American Games; a silver
medal from the 1994 Commonwealth Games; a silver medal from the 1995 World Championships.
In the 1996 Olympics she won 2 bronze medals which were Canada's first cycling
medals in 100 years! |
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Linda Jackson. |
Born Winnipeg, Manitoba
November 13, 1961. She enjoyed music as a child
and studied music and theatre at the Banff School of Fine Art and
after making her opera debut in 1982 transferred to the schools opera
program. She launched her career at the San Francisco Opera, made
her European debut in 1987and appeared at the Metropolitan Opera in
1991. She has made several recordings. |
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Genevieve Jeanson |
Born Lachine, Quebec August 29, 1981. She
began an interest in cycling in 1993. In 199 she became the first Canadian
to win the Junior World Championship time trial and then won the road race
itself. She has over 14 top titles to her credit. In her mid twenties she
has the courage and determination to continue appearing in the winners
circle in the future. |
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Lori-Ann Munenzer |
Born Toronto, Ontario May 21, 1966.
Although at 5’10” she is the shortest in her family it was
never a drawback. It seems she was always on her bicycle. In 1987 she began
Road Racing at the Toronto Cycling Club. In 1994 she embraced Veledrome
Racing and became a member of the National Cycling Team. She has accumulated
13 National titles and 11 World Cup medals during her career. She has also
earned medal at the Commonwealth Games in 1998 & 2002. She made her debut at
the Olympics in 200. At the Olympic Games in Athens in 2004 she became the
first Canadian to win a gold medal in Cycling. Selected as the Canada’s
Female Athelete of the year in 2004 she was also the 2005 winner of the Lois
E. Hole Lifetime Achievement Award from the YWCA. After the 2004 Games she
began her own business called Pure Momentum which seeks to find and promote
a community of female speakers. She has published her own biography and a
documentary both called One Gear, No Breaks. Nomination and
Information submitted by Wayne Mackenzie. |
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Diving
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Sylvie Bernier |
Born
Quebec City, Quebec January 31, 1964. Sylvie was the first Canadian to win a
medal in Olympic Diving. She won the gold in the 3-meter springboard diving
in the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles. She is a member of the Canadian Sports
Hall of Fame. |
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Beverly Boys. |
Born July 4, 1951. For 10
years (1966-77) this diver won 34 Canadian championships in springboard and
platform competition. She holds gold medals from Commonwealth Games and was
a member of three Canadian Olympic teams. She is a member of the Canadian
Sports Hall of Fame. |
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Anne-Josée Dionne. |
Born
October 26, 1975. A member of the Canadian National Diving Team, Anne-Josée has been 9 times
National Champion (in various age groups). She has also won medals at international
events. In 1993 she earned 3 gold medals at the Canada Games. In her
spare time she enjoys photography, movies, and camping. |
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Irene Margaret MacDonald. |
Born November 22, 1933. Brought up in an
orphanage in Hamilton, Ontario she reigned as Canada’s champion diver from
1951-1961. She won medals at the 1954 and 1958 Commonwealth Games and in
1956 she won Canada’s first Olympic diving medal, a bronze. She became a
dedicated administrative supporter to the Canadian Diving fraternity. She is
a member of the Canadian Sports Hall of Fame, 1981, received the Order of
British Columbia in 1991, was Female Athlete of the Year 1958, and won the
YWCA Woman of Distinction for sport in 1998. The Irene MacDonald Fund was
established for the support of children in diving. |
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Anne Montminy |
Born January 28, 1975. A member
of the national Canadian Diving Team, Anne has won 19 international medals
to date. She won the gold medal in the Junior World Championships and she
is the Canadian record holder in Women's Platform Diving. |
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Peggy Seller |
Born
January 22, 1904. This Montreal athlete began her interest in sport by
competing in track and hold provincial titles in javelin, broad jump and
running relays. She also excelled in swimming and diving, holding the
national record for the 3 meter diving championship. Perhaps her legacy is
better shown in her writings of the rules of synchronized swimming. |
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Cinderella "Cindy" Shatto |
Born Toronto, Ontario June 16, 1957*. Died Florida, U.S.A. October
2, 2011. Cindy always enjoyed sports. At 2 she was roller skating! She took
up playing the violin but continued in aerobatics and modern dance. It was
diving, however that had her heart. From the age of 9 she had her sights on
the Olympics. There were no pools with diving boards in Toronto, so she
lived in a train caboose in Peterborough in order to practice diving. She
followed her coach from western Canada to Quebec for her sport training. She
participated and won gold at numerous winter and summer national diving
events. At 15 in 1973 she represented Canada at the world’s in Yugoslavia.
In 1974 she took gold at the Commonwealth games. Bev Bays and Teri York took
silver and bronze at the same event. In the 1976 Olympics in Canada she
placed 5th but many contended that the judging was not impartial
with the Soviet Union judge supporting the gold for her home contender.
Judging rules changed after this event. Cindy married Bill Weingostner and
the couple raised to sons. She is considered a true pioneer in her sport
setting the stage for those who followed.
Sources: Who’s Who in
Canadian Sport by Bob Ferguson (Prentice Hall 1977):
Olympic Diver felt cheated out of medal by James Christie The Globe
and Mail, October 5, 2011 page R 5 (Photograph included in article) *
Some Sources report her birthday as May 16. |
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Equestrian
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Gail Greenough. |
Born Edmonton, Alberta July 13, 1960. She took
up equestrian sports at age 11. She joined the Canadian Equestrian Team in
1983 and in 1986 became the first Canadian and first woman to win the world
show jumping championships. She is a member of the Order of Canada. |
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Beth Underhill. |
Born Guelph, Ontario September5, 1962. In 1991
this equestrian jumper won a double sliver medal at the Pan American Game.
She also rode for the Canadian team which won an Olympic Silver Medal at
Barcelona, Spain. In 1993 she was the first woman to win the Canadian World
League. Her favourite jumping horse partner was named Monopoly, with who she
won over one million in prize money!! |
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Figure Skating
back |
|
Patricia Kim Alletson |
Born Brockville, Ontario January 30 1953. She loved to skate from
when she was little. She joined the Minto Skating Club in Ottawa and after
hours of hard practice she became a goad medalist in her club and in Eastern
Ontario Championships. She skated on the national and international scene
with the peal of her career being in the 1970’s when she was Canadian
Champion in 1975 and 1976. She was a member of the Canadian Olympic Team in
1976 and she won the Skate Canada International Championships that same
year.
Suggested sources: Ferguson, Bob Who’s Who in Canadian Sport (Scarborough;
Prentice Hall, 1977 |
|
Sandra Bezic |
Born Toronto, Ontario April 6, 1956. She and her brother Val loved to skate.
So much so that they became involved in Canadian pairs skating. They were
coached by renewed coach Ellen Burka. In 1967 they won the Canadian novice
title. In 1969 they joined Canada’s international skate tem a position they
showed they deserved when from 197- through 1974 they won the Canadian
Seniors pairs titles. They represented Canada in the 1972 Olympics and
placed a respectable 9th place. In 1973 they won the Zagreb
international Skate for pairs. Then just prior to the 1976 Olympics a torn
ankle ligament kept Sandra at home watching the Games. She and Val turned
pro as one of the World’s pair skaters and skated in every major city in the
world including Paris, New York, Paris, Moscow and Tokyo. Sandra continued
her interest in skating by becoming a skate choreographer to such Canadian
and international skaters as Barbara Underhill and Paul Martini, Brian
Boitano and Kristi Yamaguchi and Kurt Browning. She also was choreographer
for the traveling show Stars On Ice. Also over the years she has also
enjoyed benign a specialist sports commentator at international events for
NBC, ( a major U.S.A. Broadcasting company). She has written of her
experiences in a book : Passion to Skate. |
|
Isabelle Brasseur. |
Born July 28, 1970. Isabelle
and her partner Lloyd Eisler are one of Canada’s finest pairs figure skating
teams. . They hold 5 Canadian Championships, 5 World Championship medals,
and 2 Olympic Bronze medals. She is a member of the Canadian Sports Hall of
Fame. |
|
Ellen Burka. |
Born August 11, 1921. A coach of renown
she has seen her efforts crowned at 26 Canadian Olympic and World Championships
when her pupils have received medals. Her
own daughter Petra Burka was one of her winners. Both family members are members
of the Canadian Sports Hall of Fame. |
|
Petra Burka. |
Born Amsterdam, The Netherlands November 17,
1946. At the age of 15 she became the first Canadian to complete the triple
salchow jump in competition. .1965 she won the Canadian, North American and
world championships and was the Canadian athlete of the year. |
|
Josée Chouinard. |
Born
August 21, 1969. She was 3 times Canadian figure
skating champion. She turned professional
n 1994 and won the Canadian Professional Championships that same year and again
in 1997. She is an ambassador for
the Heart & Stroke Foundation. She married Jean-Michel Bombardier in 1997. |
|
Frances Dafoe. |
Born
December 17, 1929 This 1948 Canadian Junior ladies figure skating champion
became paired with Norris Bowden the 1947 men’s singles champion to
compete in the 1952 Olympics. By 1954 they were the first Canadians
to be World Pairs Champions. At the 1955 Olympics they won the silver
medal. Frances retired to a successful fashion deign career specializing
in figure skating costumes and continues to be an international skating
judge. She is a member
of the Canadian Sports Hall of Fame. |
|
Maria Jelinek. |
Born November 17, 1942. In 1950 the
brother and sister pair of Otto and Maria Jelinek decided to figure
skate seriously. In 1962 they won the World’s Pairs figure skating
title. In 1955 they
won the Canadian Pairs title and came second at the senior level in
1956-57-58 and 1960. In 1961 and 62 they were Canadian Champions and
were silver medalists at the worlds. |
|
Karen Diane
Magnussen. |
Born North Vancouver, British
Columbia April 4,1952. A accomplished free-skating performer, Karen was
Canadian champion in 1968. She withdrew from 1969 world championships
because of stress fractures in both legs but returned to become Canadian
champion 1970-1973 and world champion in 1973. The doll that was made and
sold as the Karen Magnussen doll did not have any of the characteristics of
the determined young athlete.
|
|
Elizabeth Manley. |
Born Belleville, Ontario August 7, 1965. Canada's top female skater in
1987 and 1988 she would win the hearts of her home country at the 1988
Olympics in Calgary with a silver medal. Her home is Gloucester (Ottawa)
Ontario where they have named an arena after her. She continues to
skate professionally and packs the arenas wherever she goes in Canada. She
is known as the tiny skater with the big heart. (Check out the paper
dolls in the Famous Canadian Women pages). |
|
Jennifer Lee Robinson. |
Born Goderich, Ontario
December 2, 1976. Figure
skating is her first love. Her heroine was skater Elizabeth Manly.
She won the Canadian Junior Championship in 1994. In 1996 she won
her first Canadian Senior Championship title. She has been Canadian
ladies figure skating champion 6 times. Check out her official web
site: http://skatinginc.com/Skaters/Robinson/ |
|
Barbara Ann Scott. |
Born Ottawa, Ontario 1928.Died
Amelia Island, Florida, U.S.A. September 29, 2012. One of Canada’s best remembered
sports personalities,
Barbara Ann
won the Canada's first gold medal in figure skating in the Olympic Games
of 1948 on an outdoor rink in St Moritz, Switzerland. She
won the Lou Marsh Trophy in 1945, 1948, 1948 as Canada's top athlete.
She married Thomas Van Dyke King and lived in the U.S.A.. She remained
involved in figure skating as a judge promoting her sport and encouraging
many others to partake in the sport.
The Barbara Ann Scott doll that came out shortly after the
games did not really look too much like the young skater but it is
today a very highly prized collectors item. |
|
Sandra Tewksbury |
Born
Chatham,
Ontario
1942 (?) Died June 1962. At nine years of age she joined the Chatham Figure
Skating Club and was recognized as a talent. At 11, she was the youngest
skater to win the Canadian Figure Skating Silver Dance Medal. In 1959 she
was very busy, placing third in the Canadian Figure Skating Championships
and 5th in the North American Championships and then being first
in the trial for the Olympic Games. She placed 10th overall in
the women’s figure skate at the Squaw Valley Olympics. Shortly after she was
married, Sandra Tewksbury Ritchie died in an automobile accident when she
was 20 years old.
|
|
Barbara Ann Underhill. |
Born
Pembroke, Ontario June 24, 1963. With her skating partner, Paul Martini she
would win five consecutive Canadian Pairs Championships. In 1984 they won
the World Championships on home ice in Ottawa. They turned professional and
worked with Ice Capades after their amateur successes. They are both members
of the Canadian Sports Hall of Fame. |
|
Barbara Aileen
Wagner. |
Born Toronto,
Ontario May 5, 1938. She and Robert Wagner formed one of Canada’s most
successful figure skating pairs. They began skating in 1952 and in 1957 won
the Canadian, American and World Championships. So spectacular was their
gold medal routine at the 1960 Olympics that 7 judges ranked them first
place. This was the first time that the gold had gone to non-European pair
skaters. They are both members of the Canadian Sports Hall of Fame. |
|
Golf back |
|
Jocelyn Bourassa |
Born Shawinigan Quebec. May 30, 1947. Jocelyn embraced sports all through
her childhood. She attended the University of Montreal and then the
University of Wisconsin in the U.S.A. She enjoyed an active sports life at
both universities staring in basketball, volleyball, skiing, and track and
field. During her years at Wisconsin she earned the nickname “Frenchy”. Her
interest in golf actually stared in the early1960’s when she was a caddy for
her brother Gilles. She earned the Quebec provincial junior championships in
1963-1965 and she was hooked for life on competitive golf. She would win
provincial amateur championships, the Canadian ladies amateur championships
in 1965, and 1971. She was a member of the Canadian team winning the World
Cup in Spain in 1971 and then on to win the New Zealand amateur title. In
1972 she turned pro and earned the honour of “Rookie of the Year” in the
Ladies Pro Golf Association. She was the first woman to be names as the
Quebec Athelete of the Year and in 1972 was the Canadian Female Athelete of
the year. From 1980 though 200 she was the executive director of the du
Maurier Ltd. Classic which is one of the LPGA’s four major championships.
She holds the Royal Order of Merit of Canada and in 1996 she was inducted
into the Canadian Golf Hall of Fame.
Sources: Who’s who
in Canadian Sport by Bob Ferguson, (Scarborough: Prentice Hall ) : Royal
Canadian Golf Association. Canadian Golf Hall of Fame
www.rcga.org/hall_of_fame (accessed February 2009)
|
|
Florence Harvey |
Born Hamilton, Ontario 1878. Died 1968. She excelled in her
sport of Golf as a competitor and gave back to it her energies to help the
sport evolve for women in Canada. She was Ontario Ladies Amateur Champion
1904, 1906, 1913, and 1914. She was also Canadian Ladies Champion in 1903
and 1904 and placed as runner up in both 1911 and 1913. She was a great
advocate of her sport. She founded and served on the executive of the
Canadian Ladies Golf Union, now known as the Canadian Ladies Golf
Association. During World War I she organized women golfers to raise money
to purchase an ambulance to be used in Serbia. She is a member of Canada's
Golf Hall of Fame. |
|
Dorothy Campbell Hurd Howe |
Born Troon , Scotland 1883. Died 1946. She embraced the sport of golfing in
her home country. Prior to emigrating to Canada in 1910 she held numerous
titles in both Scotland and Britain. In 1910 she was the first person to win
three national titles: The Canadian, The U.S.A., and the British amateur
championships. She went on to win the 1911 and 1912 Canadian Ladies Amateur
Championships. She married in 1912 and moved to the U.S.A. where she took
the Ladies Amateur title again in 1924. She is considered on of the most
successful lady golfers of the first quarter of the the 2oth century. She
was induced into the Canadian Golf Hall of Fame in 1991 and is also a member
of the world Gold Hall of Fame.
Source: Royal Canadian Golf Association
http://www/rcga.org.hall_of_famer (accessed February 2009)
|
|
Angela Kelly |
Born Scotland October 3, 1971. Her hometown was Brantford, Ontario where she
finished high school at North Park Collegiate before attending the
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, North Carolina, U.S.A. She was
an assistant coach for the women’s soccer team while she studied. She
graduated in 1994. From 1989 through 1996 she was a member of the Canadian
women’s national soccer team. Re-establishing herself at the University of
Tennessee in January 2000 she became a popular and winning coach of the
university’s VOLS ladies Soccer team. She was inducted into the Brantford
and Area Sports Hall of Recognition and the Canadian Soccer Hall of Fame in
2004.
Sources: The
Brantford Public Library, Famous local Sportsmen
http://www.brantford.library.on.ca/genealogy/famoussports (accessed
October 2008) : University of Tennessee Women’s Soccer Official website
utladyvols.com (Accessed October 2008) |
|
Ada Mackenzie |
Born
Toronto, Ontario October 31, 1891. Died October 25, 1973. She would win the
Ontario Ladies Amateur Golf title 9 times and the Canadian Ladies Open Amateur
title 5 times. In 1933 she was declared the Canadian Athlete of the Year.
She would open a ladies only golf club in Thornhill, Ontario in May 1925.
This sporting pioneer with her club and her leading titles would make ladies
golf a sport to be taken seriously. |
|
Sandra Post. |
Born Oakville, Ontario June 4, 1948. She became
Canada’s first woman professional golfer in 1968 and won the Ladies
Professional Golf Association Championship at Sutton Massachusetts that same
year. In 1979 she was Canada’s Athlete of the Year. In 2004 Sandra became a
Member of the Order of Canada. |
|
Judy Sams. |
Born Toronto, Ontario October 7, 1947. Canadian
amateur-of-the-year in 1980 this Ontario Athlete is best known on the golf
course. |
|
Cathy Sherk |
Born Bancroft. Ontario June 17,1950. She loved her chosen sport of golf. In
1977 Cathy claimed her first Canadian Women’s golf title. In 1978 she was
the U.S. Amateur and Medalist at the World Amateur. Golf Digest named he the
World’s no. 1 Woman Amateur. She also received the Velma Springstead Trophy
for outstanding Canadian Athelete of the year. She joined the Ladies
Profession Golfing Association Tour and was a key player for many years.
After retiring from the LPGA in 1983 she worked closely with the Canadian
Ladies Golf Association junior program. She still had time to reign as the
1986, 1987 and 1990 CPGA Champion. From 1995 through 1999 she was the
National Coach of the CLGA. In 1995 she was inducted into the Royal Canadian
Golf Hall of Fame. Source:
Canadian Golf Hall of Fame. (Online accessed February 2002. |
|
Marlene Streit. |
(née Stewart) Born Cereal, Alberta March 9,
1934.
A powerful
golfer she would win the Canadian ladies champion title 11 times between
1951 and 1973. She was the Canadian Female Athlete of the Year in 1951 and
1956. In 1967 she was inducted as an officer in the Order of Canada. During
her golfing career she would win 24 Canadian Ladies Golf Association
Championships and by 2003 she had a career total of 30 national or
international championships with at least one championship each decade .
She claimed her third U.S. Senior Women’s Amateur in 2003,
the oldest person to ever triumph in that event.
She is the only person to have won the Australian, British, Canadian and
United States women's’ amateur championships! She is a member of the
Canadian Sports Hall of Fame and in 2004 she became the first Canadian
member of the World Golf Hall of Fame. |
|
Violet Pooley Sweeny |
Born Dec. 18,
1886, Victoria, British Columbia; Died March 19, 1965, West Vancouver,
British Columbia . Violet first played Golf as a child of eight years. .She
would play for more than thirty years. In 1905, she won the first of seven
Pacific Northwest and nine B.C. championships. She moved to Vancouver, and
in 1915 and married “Bimbo” Sedley Campbell Sweeny (1888- 1966), a famed
rugby player and rower. She sold cars for Consolidated Motors, then
demonstrated the basics of the golf swing at McLennan, McFeeley & Prior
sports and hardware store. "It has been said “She didn't hesitate to raise
eye brows and hemlines ... she simply did her own thing." In 1936 she funded
the Sweeny Cup for ladies Golf for those with a 10 and under handicap. From
1933 through 1942 she was president of the Canadian Ladies Golf Association.
She was inducted into the Canadian Golf Hall of Fame in 1998. After having
been honoured by the B.C. Sports Hall of Fame in 1974.
Sources: The Sweeny Cup
http://sweenycup.shawwebspace.ca/pages/view/sweeny_cup_history/
(Accessed November 2012) . Suggested reading: Backspin, 100 Years of
Golf in B.C. by Arv Olson. |
|
Gymnastics |
|
Ernestine Russell Weaver |
née Russell. Born Windsor, Ontario, June 10, 1938.At 16 she won
the Velma Springstead Award as Canada’s Outstanding Woman Athlete of the
Year for 1953. She would win again in 1954 and 1955. At 18 she was the first
Canadian woman to participate in gymnastics in the 1956 Games in Melbourne,
Australia. In 1959 when gymnastics were introduced to the Pan American Games
she dominated the field by winning four gold and two silver medals. She also
held nine Canadian Championship titles. After retiring from competition she
turned to coaching gymnastics at the college level in Pennsylvania and
Florida. She has also written several books on her beloved sport and been
coach to the US world gymnastic team. In 1981 she was inducted into the
Windsor/Essex County Sports Hall of Fame. |
|
Hockey
back |
|
Cassie Campbell |
Born Richmond Hill, Ontario November 22, 1973. It seems as if
Cassie has always loved to play hockey. As a youth she played in Calgary
with the Oval X-Team In 1995 she as Captain of the University of Guelph
team, The Gryphons, which she led to winning the Ontario University
Championships. She earned her honours BA in Sociology in 1997. In 2000 she
was named top forward in the Esso National Women’s Championships. In 2005
she was on the team winning the inaugural Western Women’s Hockey League cup.
She was on the Olympic teams that won silver in 1998, and gold medals in
2002 and 2006. She is the only hockey captain (male or female) to lead her
team to two Olympic Gold medals. She has also played in Seven World
Championships and is the longest serving Hockey team captain to date. On
October 14, 2006 she became the first woman to provide colour commentary on
Hockey Night in Canada. She is the first woman hockey player inducted
into Canada’s Sports Hall of Fame and into the University of Guelph Sports
Hall of Fame in 2007. This was the same year she published her first book,
H.E.A.R.T. which was written for youth showing what success is. As of 2011
she has been a member of 21 National Women’s team medal games that includes
17 gold Medals! No wonder the City of Brampton proudly named their Community
Centre in her honour. In June 2011 she received an honourary degree from the
university of Guelph. Cassie is married to Brad Pascal and the couple have
one daughter.
(c 2011)
Sources: Canada’s Sports Hall of Fame: The Portico, University of
Guelph Fall 2011. |
|
Lori Dupuis |
Born
Cornwall,
Ontario
November 14, 1972. Lori always enjoyed playing hockey and played
Minor hockey in Cornwall She attended the
University of
Toronto and earned an honours BA in French and geography. While studying she
played hockey for the University of Toronto Blues 1991-1997 and was U of T’s
Female Athlete of the Year 1996 and 1997. Considered one of the best women
hockey players in the world she joined Team Canada in the mid 1990’s. She
has played with the team as it won three world championships in 1997, 1999
and 2000. She played on two Olympic teams for Canada , the sliver medal team
in 1998 and the gold medal team of 2000. She runs a hockey school with
teammate Jayna Hefford in
Brantford,
Ontario. She was inducted into the Sports Hall of Fame in both Cornwall and
Brantford. |
|
Gillian Ferrari |
Born June 23,
1980 Thornhill, Ontario. She has played women’s team hockey since she was on
the Team Ontario Under 17. As she aged she gained entry into the provincial
and national women’s teams. In 1997 she won a silver medal with Ontario and
was named top defenseman at the National Midget Championships. She served as
captain in the Canada’s National Women’s team under 22 in 2001. She began
playing hockey with the Brampton Thunder of the National Women’s Hockey
League in 2004/5. She has bee on 9 gold medal winning games with the Canada
National Women’s Hockey team including the 2006 Olympic Games, the 2004 and
2007 II HF World Women’s Championships and 6 times at the 4Nations/3Nations
Cup from 2001through 2009. Canadian international teams won silver in 2008
and 2009 with her defensive plays. During her career she earned the nick
name Ferdawg. In 2006 she was elected to the Brampton (Ontario) Sports Hall
of Fame. She retired from playing internationally hockey in September 2011
but has not given up the game and intends to enjoy playing. She studied
civil engineering as Seneca Collage in and in 2010/11 she played with the
McGill University ladies Team. She is looking forward to continuing play
after graduation from university.
Sources:
SR/Olympic sports online (Accessed January 2012) |
|
Manon Rhéaume. |
Born Lac Beauport, Quebec February 24, 1972.
The daughter of a hockey coach, she began to play at the age of 5 years. She
loved hockey and played well. She was the first girl to play in the Annual
Quebec Peewee Hockey Tournament. She went on to become the first woman to
play professionally. She was goalie with the Tampa Bay Lightening of the
National Hockey League. If you want the whole story read Manon: alone
in front of the net. She is still active in her sport today
teaching young girls how to play the sport she loves. Her web site is
located at; http://manonrheaume.com
|
|
France St Louis. |
Born October 17, 1958. A member of the
Canadian Women’s Hockey team since 1990, she was a member of the silver medal
team at the 1998 Olympic games in Nagano, Japan. |
|
Isabel Constance Mary Stanley
(Lady Stanley) |
Born September 2, 1875. Died December 30 1963. The daughter of Lord Stanley,
Governor General to Canada, the gentleman of the Stanley Cup fame. The
family saw a game of ice hockey in Quebec and Isobel became enthusiastic
about the sport. She helped popularize hockey in Canada. She is one of the
first women to be photographed with a hockey stick and puck in the 1890’s.
The first recorded women’s hockey game was on March 8, 1899,. The game was
reported in the Ottawa Evening Journal as being between the Government House
team and the Rideau Ladies team. The women found their longer skirts handy
in stopping the puck! In 1898 Isobel married Sir John Francis Gathome-Hardy
and the couple had on daughter, Elizabeth (1904-1958) In Hockey the Isobel
Gathome-Hardy Award is presented to an active player whose values,
leadership and personal traits represent the best of the female athletes. At
one time Isobel held the office of Woman of the Bedchamber to Her Majesty
Queen Mary. She was invested as Dame Commander, Royal Victorian Order
(D.C.V.O.).
Sources:
http://collectionscanada.gc.ca/hockey/kids … accessed June 2011; The
peerage.com
http://the peerage.com/p1394. Accessed June 2011; Women in Ottawa:
Mentors and milestones
http://womeninottawa.blogspot.com accessed June 2011. |
|
Haley Wickenheiser. |
Born
Shaunavon, Saskatchewan December 8, 1978. Team sports are her favourite. She
played in competition in the World Junior Softball Championships in 1995.
Then it was hockey. She played with a gold medal team at the 1997-99 World
hockey Championships and the silver medal team at the 1998 Nagano Olympics.
She was invited to play with the Philadelphia Flyers training camp which she
found a great opportunity to learn at the NHL level. She has done studies
science and the University of Calgary and was the first woman to have
accepted a contract to play hockey on a men's team. She played her sport of
hockey in Finland. |
|
Judo
back |
|
Michelle Buckingham |
Born Los Angeles, California, U.S.A. September 1, 1968. She
loves her sport of Judo. She has been Canadian Champion 7 times and competed
with team Canada in three Olympics. The fact that Olympic medals have eluded
her have not dampened her competitive spirit. She has been in the tope
medals , including gold, in both the Pan American Games and the Pan American
Championships since 1997. She has been first in the US Open competition in
2001 and 2002. She shares her love, dedication and knowledge of her sport
with up and coming competitors in and elementary after school Programme when
she is at home. |
|
Kayak and canoe
back |
|
Caroline Brunet. |
Born March 20, 1969. In March
1998, Caroline became the recipient of the Velma Springstead Award to become
Canada's Outstanding Female Athlete of the Year. Her recognition began in
1995 when she won a gold and 2 silver medals at the World Championships. In
Atlanta's Olympic Games in 1997 she claimed the silver medal. She swept the
World Sprint Canoe Championships in 1997 when she won three gold medals
which represented "a best ever" Canadian Kayak team performance. She gold
medal also represented a first for a Canadian woman in a singles event. She
also won a medal in the 2004 Olympics in Athens, Greece. |
|
Lucy Slade |
Born May 16,
1972. Died January 14, 2011, Whistler, British Columbia. Growing up in
Ottawa, Lucy spent many summers at the Rideau Canoe Club doing what she
loved most, sprint racing canoes and kayaks. She would go on to win four
gold, three silver and eight bronze medals at Canadian championships from
1987 through 1996. She also held four gold medals at the 1989 Canada Summer
Games in Saskatoon. . She would wear the championship purple jersey of the
RCC for ten years. In 1991 she was a member of the four – woman kayak
silver medal team at the American Games in Cuba. She retired from the sport
in 1996 and kept in shape by biking, skiing running. She took a coaching
position with the Cascade Canoe Club moving to Chelsea Quebec. In the late
1990’s she completed university and she and her partner Andy Ball became
parents to twins.
Source: Paddler remembered for her zest for life by Carole Hardy-Kavanaugh
and Mike Scott Globe and Mail February 26, 2012.
Suggestion submitted by June Coxon, Ottawa, Ontario.
|
|
Mountain Biking
back |
|
Alison Sydor |
Born Edmonton, Alberta. 1966. A graduate of the University of
Victoria, she has also found time for her love of sport, especially riding
her mountain bike. She is considered one of Canada's most accomplished women
mountain biker and a tough competitive athlete. She has dominated her sport
both at the national and international level with gold medals in World
championships in 1994, 1995 and 2002. She places second at the world level
championships in 1999, 2000, 2001 and 2003. In 1996 she won silver at the
Olympics as was the Canadian Press Female Athlete of the Year and World
Cyclist of the year from the Velo News. In 1998 she ran the last part of a
race with her broken bicycle on her back to cross the finish line! Today she
works for her sport through a kids ride program in North Vancouver. |
|
Mountaineering
back |
|
Phyllis Munday. |
(née Jarnes) Born 1894. Died 1990. This woman
has a mountain named for herself and her husband Don. Mount Munday is the
highest peak in the Waddington Range of the Canadian Rockies. A competent
climber she and Annette Buck in 1924 became the first women to reach the
summit of Mount Robson, the highest peak in the Canadian Rockies. While she
would enjoy climbing more than 100 peaks in the Rockies she was more than a
mountaineer. She was a scientist, cartographer, naturalist, humanitarian and
adventurer. In 1973 she received the Order of Canada for her pioneering
efforts in these fields and for her dedicated service to the Girl Guides,
St. Johns Ambulance and the Alpine Club of Canada. In 1992, Canada Post
issued a stamp with Phyllis Munday on it as part of its Legendary Canadians
series. |
|
Urszula Tokarska |
Born Poland 1963. She emigrated to Canada in 1988 and studied environmental
design at the Ontario College of Art, Toronto, Ontario. In 1998 she visited
the Mount Everest bas camp in Nepal where she was smitten with mountain
climbing. In 2001 she joined an expedition up Mount Aconcagra, the highest
peak in South America. Inspired by fellow climber, Peggy Foster, who was
attempting to be the first Canadian woman to climb to the top of the seven
tallest summits in the world she continued her climbing. In 2002 she climbed
the highest peaks offered in Europe and Africa. She also claimed Mount
Elbrus in Russia and Mount Kilimanjaro in Kenya. In 2004 it was Mount
McKinley in North America and Australia’s mount Kosciuszko and even Vinson
Massif in Antarctica that she conquered. She was turned by from the summit
of Everest by storms. In June 2005 she and Peggy Foster made another attempt
at Everest with Urszula the one to claim the top of the mountain. Urszula
had become the first Canadian Woman to climb all seven of the world’s
tallest peaks.
Sources: Herstory: the Canadian Women’s Calendar 2007 Coteau
Books, 2006 page 80: www.everstnews.com /everst2005/ … accessed June 2011.
|
|
Henrietta "Hettie" Tuzo Wilson |
née Tuzo. Born Victoria, British Columbia May 6, 1873. Died
January 11, 1955. She was the first Canadian born woman mountaineer. A
founding member of the Alpine Club of Canada she had a real passion for
climbing. In 1906 she was the first woman to ascend Peak seven of the Valley
of the Ten Peaks near Moraine Lake and bordering the provinces of
British Columbia and Alberta. . in 1907 Peak Seven was renamed Mount Tuzo
in her honour. She stopped climbing in 1907 when she was 34 years old. She
moved to Ottawa with her husband to raise their family. In 1928 she was
elected president of the National Council of Women, still climbing the
mountains set up in front of women by society. John Tuzo Wilson, her son
became a well known Canadian geologist in the area of continental drift and
plat tectonics. |
|
Sharon Adele Wood. |
Born Halifax, Nova Scotia May 18, 1957. One
might say mountaineering is in her blood. In the spring of 1986 she became
the first woman from the Western hemisphere to stand on top of the world on
Mt. Everest. She was 17 years old!!! On a smaller scale she was part of an
all woman team to navigate to the top of Mt. Logan. She enjoys teacher her
sport to others when she is not working as a helicopter ski guide. |
|
Rhythmic Gymnastics
back |
|
Lori Fung |
Born Vancouver, British Columbia February 21,
1963. She has a passion for her Rhythmic Gymnastics. She started at the
British Columbia Rythmicka Club. She was an able student and a good
listener. These talents paid off when in 1983 she became Canadian Champion
and later that same year the Four Continents Gold medalist . She would
during her competitive career be Grand Champion of Canada seven times. To
the media she was a relative unknown contender, yet she won gold at the 1984
Los Angeles Olympics when the sport was inaugurated into the Olympic Games.
Retired from competition, she remains a valued coach in her
sport. She also works for Canadian charities in such positions as
Chairperson of the Canadian Cancer Society. She is a recipient of the Order
of Canada and a member of Canada's Sport Hall of Fame. |
|
Ringette
back |
|
Agnes Jacks |
Died April 1, 2005. In 1963 her husband introduced the sport
of Ringette in a school in North Bay, Ontario. After his death in 1975,
Agnes poured her heart an soul into the sport. She became a true 'mother of
the sport'. She promoted the sport, often traveling across the country to
tournaments. She took great pride in the sport and the participants as she
handed out the top medals. She also became an overseas ambassador for the
sport. She was recognized with the Order of Canada and the Queen's Golden
Jubilee Medal for her contributions to women's sport. |
|
Rowing
back |
|
Silken Laumann. |
Born
November 14, 1954. At
the age of 19 she had won a bonze medal in the double rowing event
at the Los Angeles Olympics. She would be in the hearts of many
Canadians, when she suffered a severe leg injury in a rowing
accident while practicing for the 1992 Olympics. With little
time remaining until her event, she trained with a special brace on
her leg and, with the perseverance of a real winner, she went
on to win the bronze medal in singles rowing in the 1992 Barcelona
Olympics! She was Canada's Female athlete of the year in 1991 and
1992 and she was also declared Canada's Outstanding Athlete in 1991.
She retired shortly after winning a silver medal in the 1996 Olympics.
She works as a promotional speaker to help people overcome obstacles
in their lives. She is also a devoted mother. |
|
Theresa Anne Luke. |
Born
February 20, 1967. She has completed her studies at the University of
Victoria where she holds a B.Sc. She is a full-time coach and athlete who is
looking into a possible sports-related career. As a member of the Canadian
Olympic Rowing Team she won a silver medal in the 1996 Atlantic City Olympic
Games. |
|
Marnie McBean |
Born Toronto, Ontario January 28, 1968 Although at 5'10" tall she
was not considered tall enough for competitive rowing there is no measure of
the ingrained competitive spirit. As a teen, Marnie became interested in
rowing. She has bee 4 times an Olympic medalist including double gold medal.
She is the first rower to win a medal in every rowing event…Olympic, world
championships while competing in 6 different boats! She is a member of the
Canadian Sports Hall of Fame. She is as passionate about her charity work as
she is about her sport and works hard to help such foundations as the Kids
Help Phone and the Special Olympics. |
|
Anna Van Der Kamp. |
Born Abbotsford, British
Columbia June 20, 1972. This young athlete competed for Canada in the 1996
Atlanta Olympic Games in rowing where she earned a silver medal. She gained
prominence in her sport in 1993 when she was Female Crew of the Year. |
|
Emma Robinson. |
Born
November 26, 1971. This athlete is a member of the Canadian Olympic Rowing
team. In the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta, Georgia, she won a silver medal.
She had worked her way to the Olympics with participation and recognition
in international regattas, U.S. Championships, World University Games
and World Championships. While participating in her beloved sport
she also was a Canada Scholar 1990-1994 and the winner of the Petro
Canada Olympic Torch Scholarship 1995. She won a bronze medal in the
2000 Olympics in Sydney, Australia. She pulls her weight with her
medical studies and her sport! |
|
Shooting
back |
|
Susan Nattrass. |
Born Medicine Hat, Alberta November 5, 1950. She
was taught to shoot by her father when she was 17 and by 19 she defeated
1300 men at an international shoot in Nevada! In the 1976 Olympics in
Montreal she was the only woman entered in the trap shooting event. In the
1990 Commonwealth Games she became the first woman to be entered in a
shotgun event. She has set 4 world records and has been World Champion on 7
occasions. She is a member of the Canadian Sports Hall of Fame. |
|
Linda Thom. |
Born
Hamilton, Ontario December 30, 1943. She is a strong and highly motivated
Olympic medalist. She first became interested in shooting as a child, when
she learned the basics of the sport from her shooting enthusiast father. She
successfully entered pistol competitions in 1969. By the mid 1970's she
concentrated on her career as a chef and on family life. She took up the
challenge of shooting again when it was announced that women would compete
in this event in the Olympic Games. Her pistol individual gold medal in the
1984 Los Angeles games was the first for a Canadian women and the first gold
medal for a Canadian woman since 1928. Linda felt that the Gold Medal
belonged to all the people of Canada, and she carried it with here wherever
she went so that people could see and touch the medal for themselves. Linda
is the first pistol shooter included into the Canadian Sports Hall of Fame.
She is also a member of the Ottawa Sports Hall of Fame and the Canadian
Amateur Sports Hall of Fame. In 1985 she received the Order of Canada. |
|
Skiing Alpine and Cross Country
back |
|
Janet "Jay" Barbara Action |
Born April
10, 1941, Kirkland Lake, Ontario. Died October 18, 2012, Ottawa, Ontario.
Her Aunt Ida introduced her to the sport of skiing when she was a young girl
and she was hooked for life. As a teen she was a top Ontario slalom,
downhill and cross country skier. She was a member of the Canadian Junior
ski championship team and attended the Olympic Training School in Quebec.
She was instrumental in founding the Kirkland Lake Ski Club and served
willingly as it’s Director. She would involve her entire family including
her husband Peter Maheux and her five children. Her niece Brigitte skied for
Canada in 2006 and 2010 Olympics.
Source: Lives
Lived, Globe and Mail, January 16, 2013. Suggestion submitted by June
Coxon, Ottawa, Ontario. |
|
Myriam Bedard. |
Born
December 22, 1969.
While with cadets she took up
biathlon and entered her first competition on rented skis. In 1991 she was
the first Canadian to win a World Cup in Biathlon. She won a bronze medal in
the Olympic games in 1992 when women's biathlon was a demonstration sport
The next year it was a a gold at the World Championship. She went n to win
gold for the 7.5 km inaugural event, and a gold in the 15 km event at the
1994 Lillehammer Olympics. She was the first non-European to win gold in
Biathlon. She received the Lou Marsh Trophy as Canada’s outstanding athlete
in 1994. She is a member of Canada's Sports Hall of Fame. |
|
Betsey Clifford. |
Born Old Chelsea, Quebec October 15, 1953. Betsey began skiing at Camp Fortune at age 5.
At 12 she was Canadian Junior Champion. She became the youngest ever world
ski champion in 1970. How old was
she? |
|
Laurie Graham. |
Born March
30, 1960. Ski racing since the age of 9, Laurie Graham made the national Ski
team in 1978. The 1985-86 season was her most successful. She recorded two
World Cup Downhill victories along with 2 second and 3 third place
finishes. The winner of a total of 6 World Cup races Graham retired after
an eleven-year career. |
|
Nancy Greene. |
Born Ottawa,
Ontario May 11, 1943. A skier of determination, Nancy won the 1967 World Cup
and dominated the racing scene the next year as well winning a gold medal in
the giant slalom and a silver medal in the slalom at the Olympic games as
well as her second World Cup. She was awarded the Order of Canada in 1967
and named Athlete of the year in 1968. She is a member of the Canadian
Sports hall of Fame.
|
|
Anne Heggtveit |
Born
Ottawa, Ontario January 11,1939. A member of a skiing family, Anne, came to
international attention at the age of 15 when she won the 1954 Holmenkollen
Giant Slalom event in Norway, the youngest winner in the events’ 50 year
history. At the 1960 Squaw Valley Olympics she won an Olympic Gold Medal
for Canada. In that same year she won the giant slalom and combined women’s
alpine titles the 1st time ever by a non European. |
|
Sue Holloway . |
Born May 19, 1955. Sue was a four time Olympian
competing in 1976 in Cross Country Skiing and Kayak, 1980 and Kayak again in
1984 where she took Silver and Bronze medals. Although Canada withdrew from
the Moscow Olympics in 1980 she was the appointed Olympic flag bearer. She
was the first Canadian woman to ever compete in both winter and summer
Olympic Games in the same year. She and her husband, former Olympian Greg
Joy, now work together as motivational speakers. |
|
Claudia Kerckhoff-van Wijk |
She proved herself a
worthy competitor in a male dominated sport. She held the Canadian Women’s
Whitewater Kayaking Championship position for an entire decade from
1974-1984. She was the first woman and the youngest competitor to
participate in the grueling ten sections of the Coureurs des bois gold
category in the Canadian Ski
Marathon.
She now owns and operates
Madawaska Kanu Centre which is the first kayak and canoe school in North
America. |
|
Kathy Kreiner. |
Born Timmins,
Ontario May 4, 1957. In 1974 she won the gold medal in the Skiing World Cup
giant slalom and two years later at her second Olympics she captured the
gold medal in the giant slalom event. In 1976 she was named Canada’s
outstanding female athlete of the year and was inducted into the Canadian
Sports Hall of Fame. |
|
Lucie Laroche. |
Born
October 23, 1968. Her youthful love of skiing led her to become a member of a group
of freestyle skiers known as the "Quebec Air Force". |
|
Kerrin Lee-Gartner. |
Born Rossland, British Columbia September 21,
1966. She grew up in Rossland B.C. and became a member of the elite group of
skiers to hold an Olympic Gold medal. This medal was the first in history
for a Canadian (male or female) on the downhill event in an Olympic games. |
|
Karen Percy. |
Born October 10, 1966. At the 1988 Calgary
Olympic Games she became the first skier in 20 years to win two Olympic medals
in the same games. She is a member of the Canadian Sports Hall of Fame. |
|
Lisa Savigarvi. |
Born
December 29, 1963. She first learned to ski at 14 months! She was a national
competitor at 14 years. In 1985 she was overall alpine Canadian Champion.
She was forced out of competition in 1987-88 season after shattering
her knee and injuring her back while in World Cup training. |
|
Beckie Scott |
Born Vegreville,
Alberta August 1, 1974. She began cross country skiing at the age of five
and her passion for competition was stirred when she won her first
competition at age 7. Scott is a two-time Olympian. She participated at the
1998 Winter Olympic Games in Nagano, Japan and the 2002 Winter Olympic Games
in Salt Lake City, Utah. Scott won a gold medal in cross-country skiing at
the Salt Lake City games. She originally finished third in the
five-kilometer pursuit, but she was soon upgraded to the gold medal when
winner and runner-up were disqualified for using darbepoetin, a
performance-enhancing drug. She became the first Canadian and first North
American woman to win an Olympic medal in cross-country skiing. Her Olympic
gold medal was presented to her in a ceremony in Calgary, Alberta and She
was extremely proud to be the first Canadian winter sport athlete to receive
a gold medal at home in Canada. In addition to her superb athletic
accomplishments, Scott is equally well known for her outspoken stand on
anti-doping and drug-free competition. She relentlessly challenged the
International Ski Federation (ISF) to be more aggressive in its efforts to
catch cheats. She never dreamed she would be a direct benefactor of those
efforts. On March 29, 2005 Scott agreed to join the World Anti-Doping
Agency’s athlete committee. Aware of the world outside of sport, she
spearheaded a Canadian team challenge to donate all prize money won from the
Continental Cup competition in British Columbia to the UNICEF efforts in
Afghanistan. The Beckie Scott Nordic Centre at Panorama Mountain Village in
Invermere, British Columbia, has been named in her honour. She is a member
of the Alberta Sports Hall of Fame. |
|
Mélanie Turgeon. |
Born Alma, Quebec October 21,1976. As a baby her father carried her in a
back pack when he skied down the slopes! As a junior in 1994 she won 5
medals! This Quebec skier has raced Slalom, Downhill, and Super G for
the Canadian Ski Team since 1992. In 1998 she was the top Canadian skier
in the World Cup. In 2001 she became the first
Canadian to win two Two World Cup medals in one day! She place # 1 at the
World Championship down hill races. |
|
Lucille Wheeler |
Born Montreal, Quebec January 14,
1935. Lucille first skied when she was two years old! At 12 she was the
national junior ski champion and named to the Canadian National Ski Team at
14!. In 1956 she won bronze at the Cortina Olympic Games and became the
first ever Canadian Olympic ski Medalist. In 1958 she won both the downhill
and giant slalom event at the World Championships. She is a member of the
Canadian Sports Hall of Fame. |
|
Lauren Woolstencroft |
Born Calgary, Alberta November 24, 1981. Lauren was born missing both legs
below the knees and missing her left arm below the elbow. This never held
her back! She was taught how to ski when she was 4 years old. While she was
exposed to learning other sports such as horseback riding she soon became
bored with these other sports. She started ski racing as a teen of 14 when a
friend convinced her to join the Alberta disabled Ski Team. She attended the
university of British Columbia and earned a degree in electrical
engineering. She is proud to work for BC Hydro. In 1998 she joined the
Canadian Disabled Alpine Ski Team. An accomplished participant in the
Paralympics Games in 2002 she won 2 gold medals in Super G and Slalom as
well as a bronze medal in Giant Slalom. That same year she was British
Columbia’s Female Athlete of the Year also winning the Whang Youi Dai Award.
Back at the 2006 Turin, Italy Paralympics Games there was a gold medal in
Giant Slalom and Silver in the Super G. In 2007 during the International
Paralympics Games she was named the Best Female Athlete and was inducted
into the Terry Fox Hall of Fame. Although she though of retiring she
returned to the 2010 Paralympics Games at Whistler, British Columbia to win
5 gold medals (Giant Slalom, Super G. Downhill, Slalom,& super combined.)
She is the first Canadian to win 3 or more gold medals during a Paralympics
Games. She was very proud to be the person to carry the Canadian Flag for
the Turin Games closing ceremony.
Source: Petro Canada. Paralympics
School Program Lauren Woolstencroft
http://paralympiceducation.ca accessed June 2011. |
|
Soccer |
|
|
Carrie Serwetnyk |
Born Hamilton, Ontario. July 17, 1965. When her family moved to
Mississauga, Ontario she played soccer for the Peel-Halton Soccer
Association. Eventually her promising skills in the sport earner her a
scholarship to the University of North Carolina in the USA. In 1985 she was
the leading scorer and was voted the team’s offensive MVP of the year. She
played in the NCAA women’s finals on winning teams in 1985 and 1985. Back
home in Ontario for the summers she also played in the Canadiana Nation
Championships / She played 19 times for Canada’s full national team. She
played in competition in Taipei and in Cuangzhou China in the late 1980’s.
Between 1988 and 1990 she played in France where the team reached the
national final. In the spring of 1992 she signed to a Japanese Club and
played in the 10 team Japanese Women’s League where she was the leader in
number of goals in the league. In 1993 she came back from a knee injury and
helped her team win their championships and the national tournament . In
2001 she was inducted into the Canadian Soccer Hall of Fame. Source:
thesoccerhalloffame.ca Accessed March 2007. |
|
Christine Margaret Sinclair |
Born June 12, 1983 Burnaby, British Columbia. Her whole family is
immersed in the sport of soccer. She loved the game as a young girls and was
selected for British Columbia’s un 14 girls’ all star team. The Burnaby
Girl’s Soccer Club took 5 provincial championships and 2 top 5 national
placements while she was a member. In 2001 she attended the University of
Portland, Oregon, U.S.A.. She earned the Honda-Broderick Cup fro the
National Collegiate Athletic Association of the United States. She is the 1st
Canadian ever to be chosen the top US Woman’s College Athlete of the Year.
She spent ten years on Canada’s National Team while they captured World Cups
in 2003 and 2007. From 2006 through 2010 she was the Canadian Soccer
Associations Player of the Year. She was with the Canadian Team in the 2008
Olympics fulfilling a childhood dream of being a participant in the
Olympics.
Source: Beverly Smith “What it takes to be a champion” The Globe and Mail,
July 1, 2006. : Canadian Women’s Soccer Association online (Accessed
December 2011) |
|
Speed skating
back |
|
Lela Alene Brooks |
Born
Toronto, Ontario February 7, 1908. An incredible speed skater she had broken
6 world records by the time she was 17 years old. After 14 years of
competing and winning every title to be won she retired in 1935 declining to
compete in the 1936 Olympics. She is Canada's first woman to be a world
champion. She is a member of the Canadian Sports Hall of
Fame. |
|
Christine Boudrias. |
Born September 3, 1972. A member of the Canadian National Speed Skating Team
since 1990/91, Christine is a 3 time Olympian with silver and bronze medals
to her credit. |
|
Sylvie Burka |
Born Winnipeg, Manitoba June 4, 1954. A top speed skater and
cyclist she burst onto the Canadian sports scene first as a cyclist taking
the 1970 Coors International Bike classic. She switched to speed skating and
she took the 1973 world junior speed skating title. Set over 40 Canadian
records and won 5 national speed skating titles. She won the world senior
championship in 1976 and the sprint championship the next year. In cycling
whe won three gold medals at the western Canada Games |
|
Sylvie Daigle. |
Born Sherbrooke, Quebec
February 29, 1962. She began speed skating when she was 8 years old.. She
would go on in her sport to win an Olympic gold medal at the Calgary games
1988 in the 1500m event and sliver medals in the 1000m and 3000m events. In
the Albertville Olympic Games it was gold again, this time as part of the
short track relay event. The Lillehammer Olympics would be a silver medal
again in the relay. She is also a student in medicine at l'Université de
Montréal. |
|
Catriona LeMay Doan. |
Born
December 23,
1970. This young skater from the Canadian prairies is a member
of the national long track speed skating team. She won 2 medals
in the Olympics in Nagano, Japan. In 1997-8 she was the fastest
woman on ice! She lost only one 500m race all year! She is actively
involved in public speaking where she is challenging and motivating
people to achieve their full potential. In the 2002 Olympic
Winter Games she became the first Canadian individual to successfully defend
a gold medal at any games. |
|
Cindy Klassen |
Born Winnipeg, Manitoba
August 12, 1976. It seems Cindy has always loved and been involved in
sports. In 1994 she was a member of the field Lacrosse team in a
demonstration sport at the Commonwealth Games. In 1996 she was a member of
Canada's National Junior Women's Hokey team. Her real love however is speed
skating which she began when she was 18. In 2002 she was second in the world
all-round championships. February 10, 2002 she won the Canada's first medal
of the 2002 Olympic Games, a bronze, in the 3000m event. In 2003 she
clinched the number one spot as World All-round Speed Skating Champion. in
2005, suffering from a bad cold she was second in this world event. |
|
Annie Perreault. |
Born July 29, 1971. Annie,
who hails from Windsor, Quebec, has been a member of the National Short
Track Speed Skating Team for more than 12 years. She is one of Canada's most
decorated female Olympians with credits of one bronze medal and two gold
medals. She also coaches some of her family members who have also become
recognized skaters. She enjoys her sport and wants to maintain her
performance level and to have fun while doing it. |
|
Catherine Priestner-Allinger |
née Priestner
Born Windsor, Ontario May 27, 1956. She joined the national speed skating
team in 1971 and that same year she won gold and silver medals at the Canada
Winter Games. She was a member of the 1972 winter Olympic team but it was
not until she spent more time in international competitions winning podiums
that she would stand on the Olympic podium. In 1976, at the Innsbruck
Olympic Games she became the first Canadian woman to win an individual medal
with a silver in the 500 metre event. In 1975 she was Calgary’s Athlete of
the year and in 1976 she was inducted into the Alberta Hall of Fame and
received the Governor General’s Award of Excellence. In 1981 she was
inducted into the Canadian Speed Skating Hall of fame. After retiring from
competition she established a successful career as an Olympic television
commentator with the CBC and CTV. She worked as an organizer for the 1988
Calgary Winter Olympics and with the 2002 Salt Lake City Winter Olympics.
|
|
Jean Wilson. |
Born Glasgow, Scotland July
19, 1910. Died September 3, 1933. In 1931 she was the North American indoor
speed skating champion. At the 1932 Olympics when women’s speed skating was
a demonstration sport, Jean won the 500m race in 58 seconds and came second
in the 1500 m event. At only 23 years of age she died from a progressive
muscular disease. She was inducted into the Canadian Sports Hall of Fame in
1955. |
|
Sports Administrators
|
|
Roberta "Bobbie" Steen |
Born April 9, 1946, North Vancouver, British Columbia. Died November 12,
1995, Burnaby, British Columbia. A tireless promoter of B.C. and national
sporting opportunities for women. In 1990 she was founding chair and
executive director of Promotion Plus, the B.C. organization for girls and
women in sport and physical activity. She was chair, Canadian Association
for the Advancement of Women and Sport and Physical Activity and co-chair,
British Columbia. Games Society. In 1994, she was named volunteer of the
year by the Canadian Sport Council, the first time that the national sport
community recognized an individual for increasing opportunities for girls
and women. The Bobbie Steen Legacy Foundations presents an annual award to
an emerging female leader in British Columbia who demonstrates an interest
in gender equality in sports. Coaches BC presents the Bobbie Steen Award of
Excellence recognizing an individual who demonstrates exemplary leadership
in sport and serves as an outstanding model.
Source: Vancouver Hall of Fame Online (Accessed November 2012) |
| |
|
Swimming
back |
|
Gail Amundrud |
Born
Toronto, Ontario April 6, 1957. She began
competitive swimming at the Ottawa Kingfish Club in 1967. She moved to
Vancouver and continued her training with the Dolphin Swimming Club. All the
training paid off. She was the first Canadian girl to swim 100meter free
style under one minute at the 1973 World Championships. In 1974 at the
Commonwealth Games she took two gold, silver and a bronze medal. She
continued to swim breaking Canadian records and placing on the podiums in
the 1976 Olympics ( Bronze in the 4X100 FS relay), and the Pan Am Games.
Suggest sources:
Ferguson, Bob Who’s Who in Canadian Sport (Scarborough; Prentice Hall, 1977
pg. 5. |
|
Sara Barber |
Born January 25, 1941 Brantford, Ontario. As a teen she was a
member of the Canadian International Swim teams from 1954 through 1962.In
1956 she was one of the youngest team members at the Melbourne Australia
Olympic Games. In 1959 she held the world record for the 100 meter back
stroke. And won a silver medal at the Pan Am Games. In 1958 and 1969 she
represented Canada at the British Empire Games and won silver and bronze
medals. She is married to Donald Jenkins and they have three children. In
1964 she attended McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario for her BA and went
on to earn her BNE. She is a member of the group of Olympians who were
honoured in 2002 on the Brantford walk of Fame.
Suggested source: Who’s who in Canadian Sport by Bob Ferguson. |
|
Marilyn Bell. |
Born Toronto, Ontario October 19, 1937.
t was September in 1954 when a 16-year-old Toronto Girl entered the Canadian
National Exhibition sponsored marathon swim race across Lake Ontario. She
was the only entrant to actually finish the 32-mile race. It took 21 hours! She was the first to successfully swim Lake
Ontario. She is a member of the Canadian Sports Hall of Fame. She attended
university and married and lives in the United States where she was teacher
for 20 years . A back injury forced Mrs Di Lascio to give up swimming a few
years ago. She enjoys coming home to Canada for visits as often as she can. |
|
Ethel Viola Bieber |
née Gilbert.
Born
Winnipeg,
Manitoba
May 6, 1920. Died
October 22,
1988 Winnipeg, Manitoba. . She enjoyed swimming in at ten began a
competitive career. At 15
she held the Nation Junior title for her freestyle events and was a member
of 5 championship relay teams. All through the 1930’s and into the early
1940’s she would continue to hold provincial and national records in various
events.
She competed
on five championship relay teams, but was best known as a long distance
swimmer, winning the Wrigley Mile five times and the Western Canada Mile
three times from 1937-1940. In 1941 she won her last individual National
title in the 200 yard freestyle. Unfortunately World War ll prevented any
international competitions.
She was inducted into the Manitoba Sports Hall of Fame in 1991.Sources:
Obituary,
Winnipeg Free Press,
24 October 1988, page 23. Memorable Manitobans. Profile by Kris Keen. Online
(Accessed December 2011) ; Manitoba Sports Hall of Fame. Online (Accessed
December 2011. |
|
Michelle Cameron. |
Born
December 28, 1962. From 1981 for the next 7 years she would be on
the synchronized swimming team that would win 6 of 8 national championships. She
was a member of the team that demonstrated the new sport to the International
Olympic Committee to have the Games accept the sport. She was on the gold medal
team in the 1988 Olympics. She is a member of the Canadian Sports Hall of Fame. |
|
Karen Clark. |
Born April 9, 1972. She is a member of our
Canadian Olympic Synchronized Swim Team. She earned a sliver medal at the
Atlanta Olympic Gamed in 1996. She holds several Canadian titles and has won
medals at the Pan American Games and the World Cup. She is also continuing
her studies at the University of Calgary. |
|
Leslie Cliff. |
Born 1March
11, 955. One of Canada’s finest swimmers she won 27 gold, 19 sliver and 10
bronze international medals, including world and Olympic silver . She set
Commonwealth Games records in 1974 in both the 200 and 400 meter events.
|
|
Phyllis Dewar. |
Born 1916. In
1934 & 1935 she held every single Canadian freestyle swimming record from
100 yards to one mile! She set records and won a gold medal at the British
Empire Games and returned to the games in 1938 for another gold medal
triumph. She is a member of the Canadian Sports Hall of Fame.
|
|
Sylvie Fortier. |
Born July 31, 1953. Between 1973 and 1976 Sylvie
won 24 national level individual and team synchronized swimming gold medal!
She also holds 7 medals from the 1975 & 1976 Pan American and Pan Pacific
Games and won the world championship title in 1976. She is a member of the
Canadian Sports Hall of Fame. |
|
Sylvie Frechette |
Born Montreal, Quebec June 27,
1967.Swimming has always been her passion. She was Female Athlete of the
Year in Aquatic Sports in 1989, 1990, 1991 and 1992. She earned this
distinction by winning Olympic medals, in Atlanta in 1996 a Silver, Olympic
Gold in Barcelona in 1992, German Open Champion 1992, Japan Open Champion
1992, World Aquatic Champion 1991 where she was not only first but also set
a world record. The list continues with medals won at the Fina World Cup
1991,and the the 1990 Commonwealth Games. In 1992 the Canadian Sports
Federation created the Sylvie Frechette Award in her honour. Today she
follows her sport closely while working as a professional in communications
and marketing in the Montreal area. |
|
Nancy Ellen Garapick. |
Born Halifax, Nova Scotia September 24, 1961. A
swimmer who did well in butterfly, free style and individual medley events
she had the most success in the backstroke event.
She set the world record in 1975 and in the same year was named Canada’s
female athlete of the year. She was
just 14 years old! In the 1976 Olympic Games in Montreal she won two bronze medals. |
|
Allison Higson |
Born Mississauga March 13, 1973. In 1985
this your breastroke swimmer set 11 records at a single swim meet! That same
year she became the youngest medalist in the world when she won a bronze
medal for the 200 m breastroke event. In 1986 the Canadian Amateur Swimming
Association awarded her top Female Athlete of the year. |
|
Marion Lay |
Born 1823.
Died 1872. Her father Philippe (Fillippe) was a soldier in the British army
and in 1831 the family settled in Upper Canada on a farm in what is now
Toronto, Ontario. Life was a struggle for the family which lost everything
to fire in 1833. In early December 1837 rumblings of rebellion saw the
father set out with his daughters, Charlotte and Cornelia to reach
Government House. They encountered a group of rebels and Charlotte
distracted the men allowing her father to slip past the rebels and make it
to his destination. The following days were busy with rebellion d activities
Charlotte worked behind enemy lines relaying messages. At one point she was
shot and slightly wounded while dodging the rebels. There was a write up
about the heroism of Charlotte and her sister in an American newspaper but
there is no mention of the girls in Canadian contemporary newspapers. Little
is known of this heroine after the Rebellion of 1837 other than she married
an American and settled in the United States. De Grassi St. in Toronto is
named after the girls’ father and the name is now famous with the TV series
about De Grassi schools.
Source: 100
more Canadian heroines by Merna Forester (Dundurn Press 1911) :
Remembering the Don by Charles Sauriol (Consolidated Amethyst
Communications, 1991) |
|
Marianne Limpert |
Born Matagme, Quebec October 10, 1972.
This swimmer has won 20 national titles and 81 international medals
including Olympic silver. Marianne considers medal just symbols of her
journey through life. She has been Swim Canada's top female athlete of the
year in 1996, 1997 and 2000. At a qualifying event in 2000 she gave her
place on the Olympic event to the young swimmer who placed 1/100 of a second
behind her! A Maple Leaf tattoo just above her right ankle lets people know
she is Canadian. Out of the pool she is a spokeswoman for the New Brunswick
Arthritis Association and she has traveled with the "Future is Female"
program that encourages girls to pursue their dreams. |
|
Flora Miller |
Born Hamilton, Ontario January 9, 1931. Flora started swimming at
an early age in the local Jimmy Thompson pool. Even though she was an
undersized youth she became a member of the Aquatic club and was coached by
Jimmy Thompson. In local press articles she was often referred to as Mighty
Mite or Mighty Mouse. In August 1947 she was a member of Jimmy Thompson’s
Hamilton Aquatic Club Swim Team attending the Canadian Swimming
championships in Vancouver, British Columbia. Flora won gold in the
Backstroke event. Upon her arrival back home the kids in her neighborhood
threw a street parade for Flora. A few says after her return Icon Flora
Henderson gave the young medal winner the key to the City of Hamilton in a
ceremony on the steps at city hall. Flora married a former swim team
colleague who was a club diver. In 1967 the couple moved for a new job with
Stanley Steel in LaSalle , Quebec. Swimming was just not a part of the
passions of her children However Flora has hopes that a new great
granddaughter , who loves swimming, may just take up the passion of the
sport.
Source: Ron Mackie
oldguin86@yahoo.com |
|
Vicki Keith Munro. |
Born Winnipeg, Manitoba February 26, 1961. A
superb marathon swimmer, she would use the butterfly stroke to swim into the
record books both nationally and internationally and all for the benefit of
charity. In 1985 she swam her first world-record crossing of Lake Ontario.
In 1988 she became the first person to swim cross all five Great Lakes. She
also conquered the harbour in Sydney, Australia, the English Channel between
Europe and England, and Juan de Fuca Strait on the North American west coast
and Lake Winnipeg in the geographical heart of Canada. He sponsorships would
earn hundreds of thousands of dollars most of which went to Variety Village
to benefit disabled children. She was named a Member of the Order of Canada
in 1992, earned the Variety Club Heart Award in 1989, B’Nai Brith Woman of
the Year for 1989 and the Vanier Award in 1989 and was inducted into the
Terry Fox Hall of Fame. Although she officially retired in 1991 from long
distance swimming, she hit the waters of the lakes again in 2005 to raise
awareness and funds for children with disabilities. |
|
Cynthia Cindy Nicholas. |
Born Toronto, Ontario
August 20,1957. At 16 years old
Cindy bettered the record for swimming Lake Ontario. In 1975 she swam the English
Channel in record-breaking time. In 1977 she became the first woman to complete
a double crossing of the English Channel She would go on to swim the Channel 18 more times
including 5 two-way trips! Her honorary title was Queen of the Channel.
She received the Order of Canada in 1979.
She is a member of the Canadian Sports Hall of Fame. She was inducted
into the Ontario Sport Legends Hall of Fame in 2003. |
|
Anne Ottenbrite. |
Born May 12, 1966. She
was the first Canadian woman to win an Olympic gold medal in swimming. She
won the medal in 1984 in the 200m-breastroke event. At the same games she
won sliver in the 100m breaststroke and played a key role in the 400m-medley
relay team that won bronze. She is a member of the Canadian Sports Hall of
Fame. |
|
Mary Stewart-McIlwaine |
née Stewart. Born Vancouver, British Columbia December 8, 1945.
Swimming was enjoyed by both Mary and her sister Helen. In 1956 when the
Dolphin Swim Club was established in Vancouver what would be more natural
for the sisters but to join in the swim of things. Freestyle swimming was
Mary’s choice and the butterfly was her strength. At the 1959 Pan Am Games
she won a sliver medal in the 4 X 100 freestyle relay. Her sister Helen was
also a member of this team. August 12, 1961 she broke the world record in
women’s 100 m butterfly and would hold a second world record from July 28
1962 through to August 16, 1963. Before she was 17 she would claim every
Canadian freestyle and Butterfly Record in all distances up to 220 yards
showing that she deserved the 1961 Women’s Athlete of the Year Award. She
followed this up with a gold medal (100 yd butterfly), 2 silver medals and a
bronze medal in the British Empire/Commonwealth Games and 4 silver medals in
the 1963 Pan Am Games. She was also a member of the Canadian Olympic Swim
team in Tokyo, 1964. Mary was inducted into the British Columbia Sports Hall
of Fame in 1966. Mary retired from teaching with the Vancouver School Board
in 2006.
Source:
British Columbia Sports Hall of Fame Online (Accessed June 2008) |
|
Elizabeth "Betty" Edwards Tancock |
Born February 22, 1911. Died Toronto May 28, 2009. Her avocation was
swimming. She graduated from the University of Toronto in 1933 and was
inducted in the University Sports Hall of Fame in 1990. She was a silver
medal winner in the 1930 British Empire Games. In 1932 she competed in the
Los Angeles Summer games. She was part of the 4X100 freestyle relay that
took fourth place. She also competed in the 1934 British Empire Games. She
would also set Canadian records for the 1,000 yards and one mile events.
She also served as President of the University of Toronto Women’s Swim Club.
After her Olympic career she worked as an administrator at York University
of Toronto. In 2005, she was introduced to the Ontario Chapter of Olympians
as Canada's oldest living Olympian. Source: Toronto Star.
|
|
Elaine Tanner- Watt |
Born
Vancouver, British Columbia February 22, 1951. She became known as “Mighty
Mouse”. Small in stature but mighty in the swimming pool is considered Canada’s best
female swimmer. At 15 years of age she was Canada’s outstanding athlete of
the year. She holds 4 gold medals from Commonwealth Games 1966, plus
three silvers. She was the first Canadian Woman to ever win 4 gold. In 1967
she won two gold and three silver medals in Winnipeg at the Pan-American Games
and broke two world records. At the Olympic games in 1968 in Mexico she
provided Canada with two individual silver medals and one relay bronze
medal. .At just 18 she retired from competition. In 1969 she received the Order of
Canada and in 1971 she was inducted into Canada's Sports Hall of Fame. Suggested source:
The Canadian
Encyclopedia. - online. More specific and updated
information provided by Thomas Brandenberg. |
|
Helen Vanderburg |
Born Calgary, Alberta
January 12,1959. A synchronized swimmer who won the 1973 Canadian Junior
Championship. By 1977 she placed first at the Pan Pacific Games and swept
the Canadian championships with 6 gold medals. In 1978 she became the
first Canadian to win the world championship with gold medals in the solo
and duet events. In 1979 she defeated 90 competitors to win the solo title
at the world aquatic championships. She was inducted into the Canadian
Sports Hall of Fame in 1983. |
|
Carolyn Waldo. |
Born Montreal, Quebec December 11, 1964. After nearly drowning at the age of 3
years she took 7 years to overcome her fear of the water. In the 1984
Olympics she captured a silver medal in synchronized swimming! At
the World Aquatic Championships she and partner Michelle Cameron won
gold and Carolyn also took gold in the solo event.
In the 1988 Olympics she won gold in solo and again with Michelle
won gold in duet. She
became the first Canadian woman to win 2 gold medals at one Olympics.
She currently perusing a career in sports broadcasting. |
|
Rhoda Isabella Wurtele-Eves |
Born Montreal, Quebec
January 21, 1922.. As a young girl she and her twin sister Rhona enjoyed competitive
swimming winning both provincial and national swimming titles in the 50 and
100 yard freestyle events. With her twin sister Rhoda, she won the Canadian
Female Athlete of the year in 1944
She loved competitive skiing and while her promising sports career was
interrupted by World War ll she earned placement in the winners circle in
North American events prior to being a member of the 1948 and 1952 Canadian
Olympic ski teams. |
|
Rhona Wurtele-Gillis |
Born Montreal, Quebec
January 21, 1922.
She attended both, Sir George Williams University, Montreal, and
the University of Oregon for her education. As a youth she excelled in
competitive swimming winning both Quebec provincial and Canadian National
swimming titles in the 50 and 100yard freestyle events. With her twin sister
Rhoda, she won the Canadian Female Athlete of the year in 1944. BY 1950 she
was earning US National titles in skiing in slalom, downhill and giant
slalom events. She was a member of the 1948 Canadian ski team for the
Olympics in St. Moritz, Switzerland. By 1973 she was showing her abilities
as a member of the Quebec Ladies Interprovincial golf team. In 1982 she was
inducted into the Canadian Ski Hall of Fame. |
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Taekwondo
back |
|
Roxanne Forget |
A
5-Dan Black belt in taekwondo, Roxanne won the gold medal at the Pan
American Games in 1990. In 2001 she was considered the underdog in the
competition but came through to win the gold medal at the World Cup held in
Vietnam. |
|
Tennis
back |
|
Ethel Mary Babbit |
née Hatt. Born Fredericton, New Brunswick July 13, 1876. Died
August 20, 1969. A well rounded Athlete Ethel enjoyed and excelled playing
in hockey, golf and Tennis. She appeared in both amateur and professional
leagues. She was an accomplished tennis player from 1908 through 1927 . She
earned titles in Ladies singles and mixed doubles and took national honours
in 1910. As a mother of three children she turned to hockey in winter and
enjoyed Golf in the Maritime summers. She was the provincial champion and
top scorer for the Charlestown Abbies hockey tem in 1937-38 and played with
the Hibbing Monarchs the next year. In 1946 she was with the Maritime
Intermediates of the Charlestown Legion hockey Team. She played in Moncton
in 1947 and 1948. She was an 8 time member of the PEI Willington Cup golf
team between 1939 and 1962. She was ten times in the Canada Amateur Golf
Championships and 29 times in the Canadian Professional Golf Association as
well as from 1969 through 1976 she was seven times Maritime Champion. She is
a welcome member of the New Brunswick Sports Hall of Fame.
Suggested sources: New Brunswick Sports Hall of Fame on line. |
|
Carling
Kathrin Bassett-Seguso.
|
Born Toronto, Ontario
October 9, 1967. This young tennis player
burst onto the Canadian sports scene in 1981 when she won the Canadian indoor
junior title. In 1982 she was ranked the number 1 junior in the world. She
turned professional in 1983 and played in such international events as the French
and Australian Opens and at Wimbledon. She retired from competition in 1988. |
|
Marjorie Blackwood |
Born Ottawa, Ontario May 1, 1957. She seemed to have always loved
tennis. From 1972-1980 she was a member of the Canadian Fed Cup Team. All in
all she would capture 14 titles in singles and double play. She was three
time Canadian Champion and was ranked by the World Tennis Association 50 top
players. From 1977-1979 she was the top ranked player in Canada. In 1983 she
was ranked # 48 in the world. She has been able to follow her sport into a
professional career and is the Director of Tennis at Whistler , British
Columbia Racquet Club.
Suggested sources: Who’s Who in Canadian Sports by
Bob Ferguson and the Whistler B.C. Racquet Club online. |
|
Susan Butt |
Born Vancouver, British Columbia March 19, 1938. She studied for
her B.A. and her Masters at the University of Chicago, Illinois, U.S.A. She
also received her PhD and earned the respectful title of Doctor. She married
Dr. W.D. Liam Fin and the couple have two children. Her joi de vive was
enhanced by her avocation for the sport of tennis. In 1960-61 and again in
1967 she was ranked #1 in Canadian singles. In 1971-72 she returned time to
her sport as the non playing Captain for the Canadian Federation Cup team.
In all she was the winner of more than 60 Canadian singles and doubles
titles. She was a gold medalist in doubles in the 1st Canada
Games. She also enjoyed serving her sport and was Vice President of the
Canadian Lawn Tennis Association in 1971-71. Combining her love of her
professional life and her sport she wrote a book: The Psychology of
Sport.
Suggested source: Who’s Who in Canadian Sport by Bob Ferguson. |
|
Sarah Hunter |
Born White Rock, British Columbia March 16, 1965. As a youngster she loved
sports playing in her brother’s soccer league and she was the first girl in
her home town to play little league baseball. She became an official at
local men’s hockey tournaments. She worked as a youth supervisor at a youth
custody centre when on January 23, 1997 while playing hockey she suffered a
spinal cord injury that left her with limited mobility in her arms and legs.
She became confined to a wheelchair. After extensive rehabilitation the avid
sports enthusiast and sports participant was introduced to Have-A-Go Days
where people with disabilities were allowed to try various sports and she
fell in love with wheelchair tennis. By 200 she was the most improved
athlete of the years of the Canadian Tennis Federation. Not only does she
play her beloved sport but she is Director of Tennis Canada’s Wheelchair
Division. She is a certified tennis instructor and runs beginner tennis
programs for both able bodied and disabled student. With her life partner
Janet Petros, in March 2006 she became one of a handful of quadriplegic
women in Canada to carry a full tem pregnancy. The couple are proud parents
of a daughter, Katie. In 2008- and 2009 she was the Female Athlete of the
year of the Canadian Wheelchair Sports Association.
Source: Accidental Rebel by Charlie Gillis September 24, 2007
Macleans.ca
http://macleans.ca/article... accessed June 2011.
|
|
Patricia Hy-Boulais. |
Born Phnom Penh, Kampuchea
August 22, 1965. This tennis player
began her career in Honk Kong before moving to Canada. Canadian Champion from
1992 through 1999. She has also represented Canada at two Olympic games.
|
|
Helen Mersi Kelesi. |
Born Victoria,
British Columbia November 15, 1969. This tennis player had a form that was so flamboyant
on the courts that she was known as "Hurricane Helen". She
was chosen as Canada's Female Athlete of the Year in 1990. She
began to suffer from headaches and blackouts and was diagnosed with
a brain tumor. She survived several operations and returned to her
sport as a coach with Tennis Canada. She is also a "Colour
News Commentator" for many major tennis events. She is also a
motivational speaker for the Brain Tumor Foundation of Canada. |
|
Track and field
back |
|
Natasha Cecily Bacchus |
Born Toronto, Ontario 1977. Being hearing impaired has never
deterred the efforts of this internationally successful track athlete. She
began running when she was 10, continued training and attended her first
World Summer Games for the Deaf in Bulgaria in 1993. She came home with a
gold medal and a sliver medal in the 100 metre and 200 metre event. Since
her debut she has competed in Denmark, Germany and other countries. Her
accomplishments of some 50 gold medals and trophies have been recognized by
such awards as the Jo-Anne Robenson Award for Female Athlete of the Year in
1997, the Harry Jerome Award for Athlete of the Year in 1995 and the
Outstanding Achievement in Athletics from the Guyanese Heritage and Cultural
Association. Currently studying at university on scholarships she hopes to
work with children and be a voice for the needs of other hearing impaired
youth in our communities. |
|
Marjorie Evelena Bailey |
Born Lockeport, Nova Scotia November 21, 1947. A Practical Nurse by
profession, her avocation was track and field especially track sprinting.
She competed internationally for Canada. In 1975 she won a bronze medal for
the 100 meter in the Pan Am Games. She now lives in Vancouver, British
Columbia and enjoys life with her son, Anthony.
Suggested source: Who’s who in Canadian Sports by Bob Ferguson.
|
|
Debbie Brill. |
Born Mission, British Columbia 1953. A track and
field athlete originated the reverse jumping style called the "Brill Bend"
in high jumping. She was the first North American woman to clear the
6-foot/1.83 meter barrier. She won several medals in international events.
She is a Member of the Order of Canada. |
|
Ethel Catherwood. |
Born Hannah, North Dakota, U.S.A. April 28, 1908. Died
September 26, 1987.The family moved to Canada in 1910. Ethel was on the 1928 Canadian Olympic team, the first
Olympic games to allow women to compete. She won a gold medal for Canada in
the high jump when she cleared 5feet 2 inches (1.588m). She is a member of
the Canadian Sports Hall of Fame. Updated
October 12, 2008. Updated information was supplied by K. V. Booth., a
relative of Ethel. |
|
Angela Chalmers |
Born Brandon, Manitoba September 6, 1963. Even as a child on a
military base in Shilo, Manitoba she enjoyed participating in sports days
and running events. At 11 she knew she wanted to run in the Olympic Games.
When the e family relocated to British Columbia she began running at school
track meets and then at a club which saw her traveling to competitions
throughout the Province and even into the U.S. At 13 she was back in
Manitoba and competing in national events as National Junior Champion
competing with your of 18 years of age. While attending Northern Arizona
University in the U.S.A. Angela was 8 time All American in track and
cross—country running. In 1990 she competed in the Commonwealth games and
won double gold, the first ever to win both the 1,500 and the 3,000 m
events. That year the Manitoba Sports Writers named her “Athlete of the
Year’ and she also picked up the national Phil Edwards Trophy as outstanding
Track Athlete. In 1992 she attained her dream of running in the Olympics
winning a bronze medal in the 3,000 m event in Barcelona, Spain. She says
one of her proudest moments was when she led the Canadian tem into the
Centennial Stadium, Victoria British Columbia. That same yeas Angela, now
sporting the Sioux name ”Walks Fast Woman” won an Aboriginal Achievement
Award. She was unable to participate in the 1996 Olympics due to injuries.
In 2001 Angela was inducted into the Manitoba Sports Hall of Fame.
Sources: Honour Song : A tribute by Barbara Hagen,
Vancouver, Raincoast Books, 1996. ; Manitoba Sports Hall of Fame
www.sportshalloffame.mb.ca (accessed September 2011) |
|
Myrtle Cook
|
( married name McGowan) Born Toronto,
Ontario January 5, 1902. Died 1985. While she excelled in track, Myrtle was
an excellent all around athlete. In the 1928 Olympics (the first Olympic
Games to allow women to compete) she was the anchor leg of the gold medal
winning 400 m relay. She also held national and British Empire Games
medals. She is a member of the Canadian Sports Hall of Fame. |
|
Charmaine Crooks |
Born Jamaica. She emigrated to Canada when
she was 6 years old. At 16 she took her favourite sport of running seriously
and made the 1980 Olympic team. She would go on in her sport to win medals
at the Olympics, Commonwealth and Pan American Games as well as the World
Cup. She was time Canadian National Champion in the 400 and 800 metre event
and was the first Canadian to break the to minute barrier for the 800 m
distance. In 1996 she was Canada's flag bearer for the opening ceremony at
the Olympics in Atlanta. She continued her Olympic commitment by being a
founding member of the International Olympic Committee Ethics Commission and
worked on the IOC Press Commission and the Culture and Education Committee.
She received recognition for her community service with the 1992 Governor
General's Award. It is no surprise to learn that she is working on the
Vancouver 2010 Olympic Committee!! |
|
Amy Diooenbaker Wheelchair sports Champion |
At 14 she had an operation after a ski accident but there was the
complication of gangrene and lost the use of a leg. At that time she was
told that she would never finish school nor would she have a career. These
statements just fueled her youthful determination. She became a wheel chair
athlete playing basketball and claiming three world wheelchair track
records. She also really enjoys the thrill of kayaking. She attended the
University of Guelph in Ontario where she became a Doctor of Veterinary
Medicine. In 1992, just after being out of school a few years she was
diagnosed with having Multiple Sclerosis. This did not slow her career as a
vet or her enjoyment and participation in sports. She runs her own companion
animal mobile service in Chelsey, Ontario which has earned her an
entrepreneurial award in 200. In 1998 she earned the King Clancy Award in
sports and in 2001 she was inducted into the Terry Fox Hall of Fame. She has
raised more than $20,000.00 for Cancer Research with her participation in
the Terry Fox Runs over the years. She has also begun to express herself by
playing the violin and is learning how to construct her own instrument. To
totally relax she enjoys gardening.
Source: Saskatoon Women’s
Calendar Collective. Herstory 2007: the Canadian Women’s Calendar (Regina:
Coteau Books, 2006) pg. 28 |
|
Abigail Hoffman. |
Born
Toronto, Ontario February 11, 1947. At 15 she won her first national
championship in the 880-yard foot race. She competed internationally for
Canada at many events, including 4 Olympic games, 4 Pan-American Games and 2
Commonwealth Games. A champion for athlete’s rights and women in sport she
is following a solid career as a sports administrator. |
|
Diane Jones Konihowski. |
Born Vancouver, British Columbia
1951. As an athlete, she first competed in pentathlon and track and field
internationally in 1967. She would go on to win gold medals in the 1975 and
1979 Pan-American Games, as well as gold in t he 1978 Edmonton Commonwealth
Games. After leaving competition she continued her career as an amateur
sports administrator. Her work included working with the Alberta Sports
Council until 1994. She is a Member of the Order of Canada. |
|
Aileen Alethea Meagher |
Born November
26, 1910, Edmonton Alberta. Died 1987. She attended Dalhousie University in
Halifax, Nova Scotia and received a teaching degree. On July 1, 1932 she
participated in her 1st major track meet where she gained a
position on the Canadian Olympic Track team. In 1934 she took a Bronze medal
at the British Empire Games in 400 meter relay. In 1935 she was declared
Canada’s Outstanding Woman Athlete and Canadian Athlete of the Year. In
1936 at the Berlin Olympic Games she won silver and bronze medals on the
track. In 1938 at the British Empire Games in Sydney Australia she won two
medals. She is a member of the Nova Scotia and the Canadian Sports Hall of
Fame. The Aileen Meagher International Track Classic is held as an annual
event in Halifax, Nova Scotia.
Sources:
Herstory: A Canadian Women’s calendar 2012. Coteau Books, 2011. ;
Who’s Who in Canadian Sport by Bob Ferguson, Prentice Hall, 1977.
|
|
Leah Pells |
Born Vancouver, British Columbia September 11, 1964. She has
loved to run since she was very young. She joined the Canadian team in 1990
and dedicated herself to being a full time athlete. She has represented
Canada at 2 Olympic Games, 2 Commonwealth Games and has competed in 4
athletics World Championships. Her forth place finish at the age of 32, at
the Atlanta Olympics in 1996 was down to the wire! In 1999 she married,
literally the boy next door, John Turenne. July 1, 2002 she became a first
time mother to a son. Still dedicated to her sport she does public
appearances for sports organizations and writes a column 'On the Run
With Leah' for her local newspaper. |
|
Chantal Peticlerc.
Wheelchair sports |
Born Saint-Marc-des Carriéres, Quebec
December 15, 1969. This television
host for Lotto Quebec has become the first woman Canadian star in
the sport of wheelchair athletics. In the summer of 1995 she won 5
gold medals at the world championships for wheel chair athletics,
and in 1996 she brought home 5 medal from the Paralympics.
Go ahead find out more about Chantal and other paralympians
on the Internet. |
|
Fanny “Bobbie” Rosenfeld. |
Born Russia December 28, 1903. Died November 14,
1969. In 1950 she was declared Canada’s woman athlete of the half century.
She was a member of the 1928 Olympic team. These were the first Olympic
Games to allow women to compete. She brought home a silver and gold medal
for Canada! She is a member of the Canadian Sports Hall of Fame |
|
Ethel Smith. |
Born December 31, 1907. She teamed with Bobbie
Rosenfeld, Myrtle Cook and Jane Bell to win the gold medal in the 400m relay
at the 1928 Olympic games, the fist games that allowed women to compete. She
also won the bronze medal in the 100m sprint at the same games. A natural
athlete she excelled at basketball and softball as well as track and field.
She is a member of the Canadian Sports Hall of Fame. |
|
Hilda Strike. |
Born
September 1, 1910. An avid participant in almost every sport at high school she was encouraged
to join the Canadian Ladies Athletic Club. At the 1932 Los Angeles Olympics she
won silver in the 100m sprint and silver as part of the relay team.
She is a member to the Canadian Sports Hall of Fame. |
|
Angella Taylor. |
(née Issajenko) Born
Jamaica, September 28, 1958.
Known in her sports career as Angella Taylor, she is one of Canada’s outstanding
sprinters. She holds international
medals from the Commonwealth, Olympic, Pan-American, and World University games.
She has been female athlete of the year and holds 7 Canadian Championship
titles. She became a Member of the
Order of Canada in 1985. |
|
Thelma Sonia Wright |
née Wright Born Eastbourne, England October 9, 1951.She attended
the University of British Columbia earning a Bachelor degree in Physical
Education and then earned her teacher’s certificate while maintaining her
sport career. She joined the Canadian Track and Field National team in 1969
and for a decade held a position on the world competitive podium
establishing a role model for those who follow. She specialized in running
middle distances and later in cross country running. She has won sliver
medals at the World Student Games (1972) and the Mexico Pan-Am Games (1975)
Add to these, bronze medals at the Commonwealth Games (1970), US Cross
Country (1970) , Pan Pacific Games (1973), Commonwealth Games (1974) and the
1975 New Zealand Games. It is impressive podium time. She was a member of
the Canadian Olympic Track and Field team in 1972 and 1976.
During her career Wright was a four
time Canadian champion in the 1500 metre, and seven-time Canadian champion
in the cross-country.
Returning to the University of British Columbia 1987 she was coach to the
track and field team for one year and during the summer of 1988 coached
UBC's cross-country team. In 1988 she was also responsible for resurrecting
University‘s track and field summer sports camp. She has been inducted into
the UBC Sports Hall of Fame and the British Columbia Sports Hall of Fame.
|
|
Hilda May Cameron Young |
Born Toronto, Ontario August 14, 1912. Died April 2001. She always loved to
run. She competed in the 1934 British Empire Games where she finished firth
in the 22o yard competition. The coaches then suggested that she run a
shorter distance. Although eliminated from the 100 yard individual event in
the 1936 Olympics in Berlin Germany she and her team mates Dorothy Brookshaw,
Mildred Dolson and Aileen Meagher would win the Bronze medal in the 100 yard
relay (4 X 100). Hilda later married and spent the rest of her life in her
beloved Toronto.
Source:
http://www.absoluteastronomy.com/topics/Hilda_Cameron (Accessed May
2009). |
|
Weightlifting
back |
|
Maryse Turcotte |
In 1990, while a student in high school,
she helped out at a sports event in weightlifting and she fell en love with
the sport. In 1997 she made history by becoming the first woman in the
America's to lift double her body weight. She has earned a silver medal at
the 1998 World Championships, a gold medal at the Pan American Games
in 1999 and gold in both 2000 and 2001 College and University World Games.
She place forth in the Olympics in Sydney Australia. |
|
Walking
back |
|
Tina Poitras. |
Born Thompson, Manitoba October 5, 1970. Tina grew up in Hull, Quebec across
the river from Canada's capital, Ottawa. This athlete is a race walker who
specializes in the 10 km walk. She is currently ranked number 1 in this event
in Canada. She participated, for Canada, in the 1996 Olympic Games in this
event. |
|
Water Skiing
back |
|
Beth Leboff |
Born Montreal, Quebec. It seemed that when she was growing up
at her family cottage in the Laurentian Mountains of Quebec that all she
wanted to do was water ski. Then she learned how to do it bare foot! She was
hooked. The family found her a coach. She won the Canadian National Slalom
event in 1991. In 1992 she swept gold in the overall category. She was the
Quebec Water ski federation athlete of the Year for both 1991 and 1992. It
was in 1992 she would become the only Canadian to win a world record elite
title in barefoot water skiing. She accomplished this honour in grace and
determination setting a new Canadian record in Women's jumping. She is
currently practicing law in fort Lauderdale, Florida, U.S.A. where she is a
mother of 2 children. |
|
Judy McClintock-Messer |
née McCintock. Born 1963. The entire family of five brothers
and one sister enjoyed water skiing. 4 family members would go on to be
National Team Members. Judy won her first national title when she was just 9!
Between 1979 and 1995 she competed every year. She holds 2 word titles in
tricks and overall water skiing categories. Her titles were won ten years
apart in 1985 and 1995! Her career saw her break Canadian records 48 times!
She won a a total of 30 national titles and claimed 4 masters titles.
Retired from competitive water skiing she now enjoys competing in long
distance running like the Boston Marathon. In summer 2005, Judy was inducted
into the International Water Skiing Hall of Fame. |
|
Pat Messner |
Born Hamilton, Ontario March 17, 1954. This former Girl Guide was the first
Canadian woman to win a world championship in waterskiing in 1979. She is
also the first Canadian woman to win an Olympic medal in her sport. Pat won
a bronze Olympic medal in the 1972 Olympic Games in Munich, Germany. She
holds 19 Canadian titles and 20 national records. She is also the first
Canadian woman to have won the United States Master’s waterskiing title. She
is the founder of the Water Ski and Wakeboard Canadian Hall of Fame. In her
spare time she has a career as a high school teacher, musician and
paramedic. She was inducted into the Order of Canada in 1980, the youngest
Canadian woman to ever receive this honour. |
|
Wrestling
back |
|
Carol Huynh |
Born November 16, 1980
New Hazelton, British Columbia. Her parents were refugees from Vietnam who
were sponsored by the United Church of Canada. She and her sisters all
enjoyed wrestling when growing up but she was the one who joined
competitions. In 1998 she stared university studies at Simon Fraser and in
2007 studied at the University of Calgary in Alberta. In 2005 she married
Dan Biggs, the son of a former wrestler. In the 2008 Beijing Olympics she
won gold in the 48kg weight class women wrestling. It was a first gold medal
for Canada in this sport and she had defeated a 3 time world champion to
gain the medal. Source: United
Church Observer
www.ucobserver.org October 2008. |
|
Christine Nordhagen Vierling |
Born Alberta June 26, 1971. In ten years of competition,
Christine won 10 consecutive Canadian Championships and 6 world titles! In
2004 women's wrestling was finally established as and Olympic sport and
Christine placed 5th for team Canada. She is married and teaches physical
education at a Calgary high school. |
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