Wendy Griner

Class of 2010: Athlete

While still a teenager, Wendy Griner dominated women’s skating in Canada, with four consecutive senior titles from 1960 to 1963. The first one came when she was just 15 years old, moving up from having won the junior title in 1959.

She also made her mark on the world and Olympic scene. She finished 12th in her first Olympic appearance in 1960 in Squaw Valley, and 10th four years later in Innsbruck. In 1962, she won the silver medal at the ISU World Figure Skating Championships, held in Prague, Czechoslovakia. She also won the North American title in 1963.

Known for her incredible work ethic, she competed at the same high level of skating seen in her practices. She combined a feminine grace with the highest athletic accomplishments which saw her complete school figures with extremely high quality, and perform all of the difficult jumps with great speed. Her skating programs were distinctive for their artistic elegance, with variations of speed, difficult spirals, excellent spins and lively footwork, all timed beautifully to the music.

She moved on to continue her education after she retired in 1964, leaving a marvelous legacy for Canadian women to emulate.