UNews - Civic Centre

1971 Chinooks get their due

trevor.kenney — Wed, 18 May 2011 21:50:13 +0000

Long before the Pronghorns men's hockey team skated away with a national title on Maple Leaf Gardens ice, another group of young athletes brought glory to the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge.

The 1971 U of L Chinooks women's basketball team won the institution's first national crown, the Canadian Junior Women's Basketball Championship, 23 years before Mike Babcock and company claimed the school's second. It was a monumental achievement that went relatively unnoticed, both then and over the ensuing years.

Only now are we beginning to realize just what this motivated group of small-town overachievers accomplished and fittingly, their induction into the Pronghorns Hall of Fame is finally shining a spotlight on their legacy.

The 1971 U of L Chinooks, coached by Wilma Winters, consisted of Dixie Dow, Linda Dogterom, Leona Voth, Minne Van Dieren, Sharon Giduk, Marge Moore, Linda Voth, Rosemary Brodrick, Joan Cannady and Linda Dow.

"The very best fans we had were the janitors at the Civic Centre," laughs Joan Langille (Cannady) (BASc, BA '73). "We didn't have a lot of people come to our games. What really struck us though, was when we arrived back in Lethbridge from winning the championship, the only people at the airport to greet us were the boyfriends, the parents and the janitors; they supported us right to the end."

With a roster stocked by southern Alberta products, the Chinooks proved that small could play big if given the opportunity.

"Basketball was a comfort zone for many of us from the smaller communities," says Langille, a Taber native. "Those of us from high school, it seemed pretty daunting to make a university team but we managed."

Linda Joncas (Dogterom) (BEd '72) grew up in Broxburn, went to McNally School as a youngster and then finished high school at Lethbridge Collegiate Institute. The majority of the rest of the team came from the Coaldale area and the powerful Kate Andrews program.

"It was really neat because we all kind of knew each other growing up, either playing with or against one another and then we reunited once we got to university," says Joncas.

"For me, it was a struggle to go to school. I ended up being in a single parent home after my parents divorced, and I had to get student loans and an academic scholarship to get me through. Basketball and the team meant so much to me, it really helped me through what was a tough time for my family."

Langille and Joncas were co-captains of the Chinooks in 1971, both playing out their final years before graduation. Each used their U of L degrees to carve out satisfying careers, Langille as a longtime provincial government employee and Joncas as a teacher and guidance counsellor. They both laud the personal learning environment the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ offered.

"There's really something to be said for small schools and it was exciting to be a small school playing against the big universities. In terms of education, it was also such a great experience and years after, I would recognize that both in my career and when I would see other U of L graduates applying for positions in the provincial government," says Langille. "More often than not, they were very successful."

Joncas says she is an unabashed supporter of the U of L experience, and was for years in her role as a high school guidance counsellor.

"I remember coming back to the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ 10 years after I'd graduated and as I was walking down the hall, somebody called my name and it was Dr. Petherbridge and he remembered me," she says. "That was very significant to me, 10 years after this man still knew who I was. There's a real student-centred focus at the U of L and in my experience, there's nothing much that compares."

That the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ has now recognized the Chinooks for their significant contribution to the school's sporting history, brings the team back into the fold.

"We're very appreciative, honoured and in a way humbled," says Joncas. "You don't realize at the time that it was a big deal. We were all young and it was fun and it was a "Wow, we did it" feeling, but in terms of the bigger perspective, I don't think we really understood the way we do now."

The only regret the two have is that their coach, the late Wilma Winter, is not around to reconnect with her team and enjoy the long overdue accolades they are receiving.

"It just breaks my heart actually," says Joncas before pausing to gain her composure. "She should have been here because she was some lady. She would have loved to be honoured, she would have loved it from a coaching perspective and been proud that her institution recognized her girls."

GET THE FACTS

· The Chinooks only adopted the Pronghorns name in the fall of 1971 when the campus moved to its westside location.

· They very nearly won consecutive national titles, losing in the championship game the year before when Lethbridge hosted the event.

· The Chinooks won the 1971 provincial title with a 66-29 rout of Red Deer College and a 71-25 blowout of Mount Royal College.

· In the national championship tournament, hosted by UBC in Vancouver's War Memorial Gymnasium, the Chinooks beat UBC 46-45, topped ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Ottawa 70-59, and then won the national title with a 52-40 decision over ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Victoria.

This story first appeared in the Legend. For a look at the Legend in a flipbook format, follow this link.

Chandler brings history, experience to Alumni post

trevor.kenney — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 17:45:40 +0000

It was 1969, a year of firsts; Bryan Adams got his 'first real six-string', Neil Armstrong took humanity's first steps on the moon and Don Chandler (BASc '73), ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge Alumni Association (ULAA) president and partner at Meyers Norris Penny LLP, became the first person in his family to attend university.

"None of my family had ever gone to university. Most of them didn't even finish high school so going to university was not an expectation, but I was quite academically inclined and it just seemed natural to proceed on to the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ," Chandler remembers.

Attending the two-year-old institution, Chandler's campus experience was quite different from that of today's students.

"When I started, U-hall did not exist and the campus was at the college site. We went from trailer to trailer for classes. I remember it was very small, only about 800 students and there were not a lot of places to do anything. We used the college library and our basketball games were at the Civic Centre downtown."

While some may have argued such a small institution could not possibly offer a good education, Chandler disagrees. Majoring in geography, he knew all his professors by name.

"They knew us so well that if we didn't perform to their expectations we did not get a good mark. I had senior courses with only four students, so you could not pull the wool over the professors' eyes," laughs Chandler. "It challenged me to work hard and do better."

An avid curler, Chandler got involved with the campus curling club and uncovered a passion for community involvement that would become a way of life.

"I was introduced to the sport in Grade 10 and began curling competitively right away. I became president of the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ curling club during my second year and found out that I had abilities to organize groups and events, follow through with them and make them successful," Chandler explains. "I have done a lot of that since then."

Indeed, he has. Chandler received his chartered accountant designation in Edmonton in 1977. He and his wife Nadine then returned to Lethbridge where he would begin his accounting career, and his reputation as a driving force in the community.

"When I moved back, I immediately got involved with the Lethbridge Curling Club executive. I have been the treasurer for many years and was the president in 1985-86. I was involved in organizing the high school curling league in 2000 and still coach at the high school level. I also coached my children in curling and Little League," Chandler says. "Coaching is something I always enjoyed and it fit nicely into my other community activities."

Chandler's community service, which involves many organizations, also includes the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ. After two terms on ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ Senate, Chandler got involved with the ULAA (��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge Alumni Association) in 2008 and was elected president of the organization in June 2009.

"There has been a lot of growth in the ULAA in the last few years, and we have seen a lot of support from the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ. I would like to see that continue," Chandler says. "I would encourage alumni to volunteer at activities or participate in events such as the John Gill Memorial Golf tournament. Getting involved will not only increase the association's visibility, it will help maintain the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ's role as a vital part of our community."

GET THE FACTS

• Commercial Men's Slowpitch League treasurer for 10 years

• Coached the Alberta Junior Girls' Curling Championship Team (2006)

• Treasurer on the executive for McMan Youth Family and Community Services Association (ends this month) as well as board chair from 2003 to 2005

• Also involved with the Lethbridge Chamber of Commerce and United Way

• Canadian Curling Association's Volunteer of the Year for Alberta (2001)

• Inducted into the Lethbridge Sports Hall of Fame (2009)

• ULAA Honour Society member (2005)

UNews - Civic Centre

1971 Chinooks get their due

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Chandler brings history, experience to Alumni post

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