1961 Lethbridge Figure Skating Club

2009 • Jim Steacy
2009 • ashley patzer
Ashley Patzer has become a world traveler since
the beginning of the 2008 rugby season. Already a
winner of Canada West women’s rugby titles, a national MVP award, 2009 U of L Pronghorns Female
Athlete of the Year and a member of both the full
and sevens senior national teams, Ashley added to
her impressive resume this past year.
Captained by Patzer, the University of Lethbridge
Pronghorns Women’s rugby team won the CIS national title on home turf in the fall. Ashley was an
All-Star and tournament MVP and undoubtedly
the best player on the field in the final, scoring a try
less than two minutes in and registering her second
later in the game for the Horns comeback victory,
29-15 over St. Francis Xavier.
Jim Steacy had an outstanding year in his sport. He
began his season surpassing the Olympics A+ standard on three occasions and breaking the Canadian
record in hammer throw with a 79.13 meter toss. Jim
also won his event at the Canadian National Track and
Field Championships, smashing the Championship
record in the process. This qualified Steacy for the
2008 Beijing Olympics where he placed fifth in the
qualifying round and became the first Canadian in
more than 84 years to qualify for the hammer throw
final at the Olympics, placing 10th.
The Lethbridge native has become a mainstay in
the women’s national program as well, just recently
representing Canada at the Sevens World Cup in
Dubai, where the Canadian team finished sixth. She
wound up fourth in tournament scoring, leading all
Canadians with 38 points. The 21-year-old’s emergence on the international stage in Dubai shows
what she might be capable of as she is an integral
part of the full national squad gearing up for the
2010 World Cup in England.
Jim then went on to finish his university career as
one of the most decorated athletes in CIS history.
He was undefeated in Canada West and CIS weight
throw competition, ending his career with 18 medals in the weight throw and shot put events (16 being
Gold Medals). Jim won his fifth Canada West and fifth
CIS title in the weight throw event, won his eighth
and ninth career Canada West major award (Athlete
of the Year and Outstanding Male Performance) and
fifth career CIS major award (Athlete of the Year).
Regarded as a fixture internationally, Patzer’s combination of speed and power will be on display next
season with the Pronghorns, where she will captain
the team to what they hope will be a third consecutive national title.
Steacy set records in every Canada West conference
and CIS National Championship meet he competed
in over his 5 years of eligibility. His CIS record throw
of 24.08 meters in the 35 lb weight throw event, ranks
him fourth in the world. Jim was named Canada West
All-Star and CIS All- Canadian nine times and for an
unprecedented fifth time, University of Lethbridge
Pronghorns Male Athlete of the Year.
2010 • Willy Kimosop
Willy Kimosop is the 2008 and 2009 Provincial
(ACAC) and National (CCAA) 8Km individual champion. He also led the Lethbridge College Kodiak
Cross-Country running team to the ACAC and CCAA
titles those two years. Every College Cross-Country
race Kimosop entered in the past two years, he won,
earning him Provincial and National accolades.
2010 • ASHLEY PATZER
Ashley Patzer enjoyed another outstanding rugby
season in 2009 – 2010. Patzer captained the U of L
Pronghorn Women’s rugby team on an undefeated
run to their fourth consecutive Canada West championship and third consecutive CIS crown.
Along the way, Ashley picked up Canada West
All-Star and Player of the Year honours, CIS AllCanadian, Championship Tournament All-Star and
Player of the Year distinctions, she was also recognized as the University of Lethbridge Pronghorns
2010 Female Athlete of the Year.
Patzer’s prowess extended past the border, as she
joined Canada’s Senior National Team on playing
tours in France and the United States. Ashley also
led Canada’s Sevens Rugby team in scoring at the
2009 World Cup.
Several coveted road races over the past year, including the Vancouver Sun Run and Victoria’s TC 10K,
were dominated by Willy. Running and winning races
against quality competition resulted in him being
named the 2009 Road Race Male Athlete of the Year.
More recently, Kimosop was victorious in the 2010
Harry Springs Vancouver 10K, the Moonlight 6K and
the College 4 Mile runs.
Willy also showed his versatility last summer on the
running track at the Pacific Track Classic races, where
he ran a competitive 3.44min in the 1500m in Victoria.
2011 • Mike Hansen
Head Coach Mike Hansen has coached the Lethbridge
College Kodiaks men’s team for the past four seasons
leading them to the play-offs each year including
reaching the ACAC Final Four Championships twice,
earning a silver and bronze medal. His overall record
is 84-42. This year’s team qualified for the 2011 CCAA
National Championships in Durham, Ont. where they
defeated UNBC, defending CCAA national champions, in the quarter-finals and then beat top ranked
Vancouver Island Mariners to reach the national final
for the first time since 1989. However, the team had to
settle for a silver medal losing to Vanier College 10285 in the final.
The Kodiaks overall record was 28-4 and Hansen was
named ACAC Coach of the Year. Mike Hansen moved to southern Alberta in 1990.
He played four years of basketball at the University
of Lethbridge and then served as an assistant coach
for two years while earning degrees in History and
Education and a Masters in Educational Leadership.
Before taking over at Lethbridge College, Hansen
spent 10 years as a successful local area high school
coach and was also involved with Alberta’s provincial
program, serving as an assistant coach and winning
a bronze medal at the 2001 Canada Games. Mike has
always prided himself on running programs with integrity and class and was recognized for his efforts in
2000 when he was named the ASAA Coach of the Year
and was the first ever recipient of the NBA Canada
Sportsmanship Award.
2012 • Bob Bartlett
Bob Bartlett and hockey have had a very long ,very strong
relationship, and it’s one that continues to this day.
Bartlett played minor hockey in the Crowsnest Pass before going on to play for Melville in the Saskatchewan
Junior Hockey League. From there, he earned a scholarship with the University of North Dakota Fighting Sioux,
where he’s a member of that NCAA school’s hall of fame.
He became involved with coaching minor hockey
in Lethbridge in the 1970s and also scouted for the
Lethbridge Broncos of the WHL from 1974-1985. After
Lethbridge lost the Broncos to Swift Current following
the 1985-86 season, Bartlett was a key player in bringing
the Hurricanes to Lethbridge. After acting as an adviser
for the community-owned team he served as their general manager from 1991-1995.
Bartlett has been a coach mentor, instructor and evaluator for Hockey Alberta for more than 20 years receiving
several awards. He has also been a board member with
the LAA and Lethbridge Minor Hockey.
He was inducted into the Lethbridge Hurricanes/
Broncos Hall of Fame in 2011, the Alberta Hockey Hall
of Fame in 2010, and the Lethbridge Sports Hall of Fame
in 1998.
2011 • Heather Steacy
This past year showed Heather Steacy’s exceptional athletic achievements in sport. During the
2010 outdoor competitive season, Heather competed at the North America, Central America, and
Caribbean (NACAC) Championships where she
threw a personal best of 67.20 metres to win the
hammer throw event and establish a new NACAC
record for the women’s hammer.
During the 2010-2011 Canadian Interuniversity
Sport (CIS) season, Heather became the first
woman in CIS history to eclipse the 20 meter mark
in the weight throw, with a toss of 20.28 metres.
At the Canada West Championship, she won gold
for the fourth time, setting a new conference record of 19.82 metres in the process and was chosen Canada West Outstanding Female Performer
of the Meet for the second time in her career. At
the CIS Championships meet, Heather picked up a
silver medal in her event and was named to the CIS
All Canadian team. Heather was honoured as the
2011 University of Lethbridge Pronghorn Female
Athlete of the Year for the second time in her career and as well, was selected the Lethbridge Sport
Council Senior Female Athlete of the Year
Heather now holds all of the Alberta Provincial
records in both the weight throw event and hammer throw event, from midget through senior ages.
As a result of her ongoing excellence in her sport,
Heather has been selected by Athletics Canada for
their Olympic Development Program.
2012 • Jody Meli
Jody Meli’s extensive experience in public service
with a focus on strategic planning, communication,
leadership and facilitation has proven to be a big
benefit to Lethbridge’s curling community.
Meli’s involvement in local curling circles has produced an impressive resume, but her latest accomplishment was perhaps the best yet: chairing the
organizing committee which recently completed a
successful hosting of the 2012 Ford World Women’s
Curling Championship in Lethbridge. It was a major
undertaking which involved overseeing a committee
that handled more than 400 volunteers charged with
ensuring the smooth operation of an international
event featuring teams from 11 other countries.
Meli also served as chair of the organizing committee for the 2007 Scotties Tournament of Hearts,
Canada’s national women’s curling championship.
Again, the event went off without a hitch and was
a huge success, attracting the fifth-highest attendance in Scotties history, paving the way for hosting the worlds. Prior to that, Meli was co-chair of
the 2005 Alberta Women’s Curling Championship.
She also chairs the Sandra Schmirler Foundation, a
charity named in memory of the late Canadian curling champion and Olympic gold medalist, which
raises money to support the care of premature and
critically ill babies in hospitals across the country.
Meli came to curling naturally, having a family history in the game, with her father and grandfather
involved in it. Meli grew up in Taber and took up
curling when she was in her 20s.
Bartlett continues to be involved with hockey and was
host committee chair of the highly successful 2011
Alberta Bantam Cup Hockey tournament in Lethbridge.
He is back this year as co-chair with Cheryl Gudmundson
for the 2012 edition of the tournament, hosted in
Lethbridge again.
Photo Courtesy of The Galt Museum & Archives
1961 Lethbridge Figure Skating Club