Champions start small

Sandra Schmirler

Sometimes in sports, athletes are put up on a pedestal because of greatness: the baseball player who can hit, catch, run or pitch with stunning grace; the hockey player who can skate with electrifying ease; the basketball player who can leap with mystifying ability; the football player who can move with endless energy.

However, beyond their contributions as athletes, it is their contributions as people that make these individuals great.

When we think of Sandra Marie Schmirler, we are impressed not only with what she did in her pursuit of athletic excellence and how she defined herself as a winner, but what she contributed to others beyond just winning world championships and gold medals. Sandra Schmirler helped us understand that life is precious and we must appreciate it every day because it can be taken away in an instant. While Sandra only lived to the age of 36, she understood that we must place value on more than just winning and losing; we must prioritize the very simple things that are near and dear to us all, in particular family and friends.

Sandra loved her family - her husband Shannon, her daughters Sara and Jenna, her mother Shirley, her sisters Beverly and Carol, her uncles and aunts and nieces and nephews -- and her many friends, not the least of whom were her teammates and soul mates - Jan Betker, Joan McCusker and Marcia Gudereit. Together, Sandra, Jan, Joan and Marcia meshed together as the greatest team in the history of women's curling, but it was Sandra, more than the others, who was in the spotlight, and she used that spectrum wisely and carefully. Sandra came from a small town in Saskatchewan, called Biggar and, as she escalated to greatness, highlighted by skipping her team to the first-ever gold medal in the Olympics, Sandra maintained her focus, never forgetting who she was and from where she had come. Moreover, she considered her greatest accomplishment giving birth to two lovely and healthy girls. Tragically, as we all know, she never had a chance to spend as much time as she wanted with them or her husband, whom she loved dearly.

When our generation thinks of Sandra Schmirler, we recall that joyous moment she celebrated athletic magnificence with her teammates in Nagano, Japan on that historic day in February, 1998. But, we also recall the many deeds and words that truly made this woman a hero. She touched people by not only her desire to spend time signing autographs or speaking to her legion of fans -- some of whom were touched by something as simple as her precious smile, others who enjoyed her witty remarks -- but also helping them understand what matters most in life.

To Sandra, it was all about setting your priorities straight and putting things in the proper perspective. Despite all of her athletic greatness, Sandra realized that having the precious moments to spend with her family and her friends is the greatest gift of all. Greatness is truly thrust upon few and some find it a burden to accept that gift and the responsibility that goes along with it. Sandra did not have that problem. Sandra reached out to her country in sickness and in health and made us understand what really matters in life. While we mourn her passing, we celebrate the moments we had with her and the legacy she left behind as a true hero.

The Foundation wishes to acknowledge Perry Lefko, author of Sandra Schmirler - The Queen of Curling, for his contribution of Sandra's story shared above.

Board of Directors

Alan L. Hodgins

Chair

Al is the CEO of Value Drug Mart Associates with head office in Edmonton. Value Drug Mart provides health care and products in community-minded, independently-owned-and-operated drug stores in Alberta and BC. He and his wife Sharon are avid curlers, great fans of the game, and both are keen golfers.

Jody Meli

Vice-Chair

Jody was born and raised in Southern Alberta, where she has spent over 25 years in municipal government in areas of strategic planning, project management, training, facilitation and staffing. She is currently the Manager of Strategic Initiatives for the City of Lethbridge. Jody has always been involved in her community with her most recent endeavor as Chair of the Host Committee for the 2007 Scotties Tournament of Hearts in Lethbridge, Alberta.

Theresa Breen

Secretary/Treasurer

Theresa is the Senior Regional Manager for TD Waterhouse Financial Planning in Atlantic Canada and has over 22 years of experience in the banking and investment industry. A competitive curler, Theresa played in four Scotties Tournament of Hearts from 1993-2000 representing Ontario and in the 1997 Canadian Olympic Curling Trials. During this time, Theresa and her teammates had many great games against Team Schmirler. Theresa and her spouse Barry, along with their dog Sweeper, live in Bedford, Nova Scotia.

Shannon England

Director

Shannon is Sandra's husband. When not acting as the family representative on the Board of Directors of the Sandra Schmirler Foundation, Shannon is busy raising his two daughters, Sara and Jenna, with the help of Sandra's mother, Shirley. Shannon is the Assistant Director of Customer Applications in the Department of Information Services at the University of Regina. In his spare time, Shannon curls competitively and plays golf.

John McPherson

Director

John is a veteran marketer with twenty-five years experience. Since 1999, he has worked as Marketing Director at Kruger Products (formerly known as Scott Paper) where he has been actively involved with the Scotties Tournament of Hearts at both the national and provincial level. John is an avid golfer and a big supporter of women's curling in Canada.

Dianne Barker

Director

Dianne is a past member of the Board of Directors of the CCA. She is a recipient of the Investors Group National Sport Administrator Award and a Life Member of Curl BC. In April 2007, Dianne was inducted into the Kamloops Sports Hall of Fame. She is a national official and currently serves as Curl BC's Officiating Coordinator. Dianne is also a member of the Board of Directors of the Thompson Rivers University Foundation and the executive of the Catholic Women's League. She is married with 2 adult sons and 3 grandchildren.

Gordon Durnan

Director

Gordon has enjoyed a distinguished 35 year career in Healthcare Philanthropy in Canada. Gordon currently operates a consultant practice in Philanthropy with several clients in the University, Healthcare and Social Services sector. Gordon is also an active volunteer in Muskoka, Ontario participating in Rotary and Chairing the new Muskoka Community Foundation. Gordon has also served on several international Fundraising Association Board of Directors and holds certification in the Association of Healthcare Philanthropy and the International Association for Fundraising Professionals.

Chris Atchison

Director

Chief Operating Officer for ASPECT – BC's Association of Community Based Trainers. Chris has an extensive background in contract management, communication, leadership and facilitation. Chris is responsible for securing project funding, negotiating contracts and the procurement of opportunities for the membership. He has assisted the financial sustainability of his field by successfully managing more than 35 million dollars worth of training and administrative funding to the membership of ASPECT. Chris is a competitive curler and was a member of Team BC at the 2001 and 2007 Tim Hortons Brier. He was Vice Chair of the 2005 Ford Men's World Curling Championship and Chair of the 2009 Scotties Tournament of Hearts.

Advisory Board

Robin Wilson

Robin is a two-time Canadian Women's Curling Champion who has coordinated the Scotties Tournament of Hearts on behalf of Scott Paper (now Kruger Products) since the company first assumed the sponsorship in 1982. She is an active volunteer serving on a variety of Boards in the fields of education, health, government and the environment. Robin is a partner in Whitewater Communications. She lives in North Vancouver with husband Al, a CFL Hall of Famer. They have three adult children.

Lindsay Sparkes

Lindsay is a three-time Canadian Champion, World Champion and an Olympic Gold Medalist (Calgary 1988). She has been inducted into the Canadian Curling Hall of Fame and the BC Sports Hall of Fame. From 1992 to 2003 she served as National Coach/Team Leader for the women's curling teams who competed internationally. In this capacity she had the privilege of working with and becoming friends with the Sandra Schmirler team. Lindsay, now retired, was a teacher in North Vancouver for over thirty years. She resides in Courtenay, BC, with her partner Duncan and their dog, Spree. Lindsay enjoys golf, dance, gardening, curling and dog training.

Greg Stremlaw

Greg is the Chief Executive Officer of the Canadian Curling Association, one of the founding members of the Foundation. Prior to becoming CEO at the CCA, Greg was the CEO at an alpine resort in Southern Ontario and was the Director of Sport in Canada at the Olympic Association in Calgary, Alberta. Greg has a Bachelor of Commerce from the University of Western Ontario, an M.B.A. from the University of Maine, and an M.S. Ed. in Sport Management from the University of Miami. Greg resides in Ottawa with his wife Wendy and their two children, Kristin and Michael.

Honourary Ambassadors

Jan Betker

Jan was a member of Sandra Schmirler's three-time World Championship team (1993, 1994 and 1997) and Olympic Gold Medal team. This much decorated team has been inducted into the Saskatchewan Hall of Fame, the Canadian Curling Hall of Fame, the Canadian Sports Hall of Fame and the Canadian Olympic Hall of Fame. Jan was born and raised in Saskatchewan and presently resides in Regina with her husband Frank and their two boys, Steven and Adam.

Joan McCusker

Joan McCusker has won numerous awards as a member of the Sandra Schmirler Curling Team, including three Canadian and World Women's Curling Championships ('93, '94, '97) and an Olympic Gold medal at the 1998 Nagano Games. Joan and her six brothers and sisters grew up on the family farm around Saltcoats, Saskatchewan and graduated from the University of Saskatchewan in 1987 with a Bachelor of Education. She was an elementary school teacher until 1998 when she decided to focus her time and energy on being a mom, a curler, a CBC Curling Analyst, a high performance consultant and motivational speaker. Currently, Joan is working as a provincial coordinator of the Olympic Torch Relay on behalf of the Ministry of Tourism, Parks, Culture and Sport. Joan and her husband, Brian live in Regina with their three children, Rory, Christina and Shae.

Marcia Gudereit

Marcia was a member of Sandra Schmirler's three-time World Championship team (1993, 1994 and 1997) and Olympic Gold Medal team. Marcia was born and raised in Saskatchewan and presently resides in Regina with her husband Kerry and their two boys, Colin and Jared. Marcia is employed with Co-operators Life Insurance Company as a Senior Systems Analyst.

Foundation Staff

Francine Poisson

President

Joanne Viau

Administrative Coordinator

Joan Rajotte

Administrative Assistant

Annual Reports

2008-2009 Annual Report

If you do not have Adobe Reader which is required to view PDF files, you may download a free copy of it from the Adobe website.