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 4^th 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}.   

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..

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)}

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.

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.}

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.}

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.

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.}

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 5^th 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.}

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

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 5^th in the North American Championships and then being first in the trial for the Olympic Games. She placed 10^th 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.

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)

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)

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)

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.}

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.}

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.

 (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.}

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.}

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.}

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.}

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.

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 1^st 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)}

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.

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)}

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.

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.

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.}

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)}

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}

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)

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.

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.

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 1^st 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.

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.}

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.

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)}

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

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 1^st 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.}

Wheelchair sports

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).

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.}