Western Ontario Section History

August, 2009 ~ The Western Ontario Alumni Committee has assumed the role of Archivists for the Section with Jim Stevens acting as historian.

We will be continuing to work on updating our history. The project for this coming season is to sort and archive the 30 or so boxes of papers, programs and photos that have been accumulating in the office. Thanks to Earla Hardie for the great work already done.

All clubs are called on to assign a volunteer in the club to locate and sort through information your club has maybe kept through the years. As part of your Club's history, all the old minute books, annual reports and photos should be preserved – it will make interesting reading. Any additional accumulation if not wanted should not be destroyed but forwarded to the Section office via your Region reps or WO Board members. We will archive any items that are of Section importance.

Also, we would like copies, if possible, of any Section and/or Skate Canada related items that you are keeping as part of your history to include with the Section's archives.

What Can YOU Do to Help?

• Continue to provide us with any information on your Club's former Section, Canadian and World Champions. Let’s fill in the blanks.
• Continue to search for any Club Carnival Programs, Sectional Programs and Protocols with information on our Section and please send any unwanted items or copies of them to me.
• Continue to provide any information on your Synchro Teams of the past - team name, team members, photos including years.
• Continue to provide names of people from your Club who have acted as Officals (Judges and Accountants) in times gone by.
• Continue to compile your Club history. Please forward a copy to the Section for inclusion in the WO Archivies.

Past Western Ontario Sectional Champions

Earla Hardie, our WO Section Historian has made previous WO Sectionals results (top 3 placings), beginning with the first Sectional Championships in 1957 (in PDF format) available here. If anyone can help with the missing years, pleae contact Earla.

1957 1958 1959 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 - N/A 1969 1970 - N/A 1971 1972 - N/A 1973

1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 - N/A 1979 - N/A 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990

1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 - N/A 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006

Notes re the first Western Ontario Sectional Championships!
They were held in Stamford, Ontario in 1957. The Host Club was the Stamford Skating Club and the Chair of the Championships was Mrs. H. A. Lamb, the Stamford Club President. The Chief Referee was Miss Isabelle Henderson. These first Championships were called the Western Ontario and Niagara Peninsula Sectional Championships. Mr. Douglas L. Kimpel was Chair of the newly formed Section and was responsible for establishing Skate Canada (CFSA) Sections at that time.

Editor's note: I'm sure you'll get a kick out of seeing many familiar names!

Isabelle Henderson, Judge, Referee, Accountant, and every skater's friend and mentor, was the 1982 WOS Volunteer of the year. That year she was also named the National Skate Canada (CFSA) Volunteer of the Year. She is also a member of Skate Canada's Hall of Fame. In 1990, she received her Volunteer Pin celebrating 50 Years in skating which was presented by Western Ontario's own Bill Ostapchuk, President of Skate Canada (CFSA). Isabelle has since left us, but will always be remembered as one of skating's very special people.