Helen Vanderburg
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Full name | Helen Vanderburg |
| National team | Canada |
| Born |
April 12, 1959 Calgary, Alberta |
| Sport | |
| Sport | Swimming |
| Strokes | Synchronized Swimming |
| Club | Calgary Aquabelles |
| Coach | Debby Muir |
Medal record
| |
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Helen Vanderburg (born January 12, 1959) is a former Canadian synchronized swimmer and world champion.
Career
Vanderburg began synchronized swimming in 1969 at age eleven.[1] From 1971 to 1973, she was a member of junior national championship teams, and in 1973 she captured the junior Canadian solo and duet championships.[1] In 1977, Vanderburg joined the senior ranks, winning the solo and duet competition, with partner Michelle Calkins, at the Canadian Aquatic Championships, the first of three years that she won both events.[1] Vanderburg was the first non-American to win the World Championship at both the Solo and Duet events,[2] doing so at the 1978 World Aquatic Championships in West Berlin.[3] After Calkins' retirement in 1978 Vanderburg partnered with Kelly Kryczka, they went on to win gold in the duet at the 1979 Pan American Games,[4] Vanderburg also won gold in the solo event. Vanderburg retired from competition in 1979.
Titles
1979
- Pan American Games (in Puerto Rico) - gold in both solo and duet; silver in the team
- Fina World Cup (in Tokyo) - gold in both solo and duet
- Pan Pacific Games (in Christchurch, New Zealand) - gold in solo
- Canadian Senior Champion - solo, duet and figures
1978
- World Aquatics Championships (in Berlin) - gold in both solo and duet
- Canadian Senior Champion - solo, duet and figures
1977
- Pan Pacific Games - gold in duet; silver in solo and team
- Canadian Senior Champion - both solo and duet
1973
- Canadian Jr. Champion - both solo and duet
Honours
Vanderburg was awarded the Velma Springstead Trophy in 1979 as Canada's outstanding female athlete of the year[5] Vanderburg was elected to the Canadian Sports Hall of Fame in 1983.[1] She was inducted into the Alberta Sports Hall of Fame and Museum in 1980,[6] and in 1985, she was inducted into the International Swimming Hall of Fame.[5]
References
- 1 2 3 4 "Canada's Sports Hall of Fame | Stories". www.sportshall.ca. Retrieved 19 May 2017.
- ↑ "Human Rights a Day - January 12, 1959 - Helen Vanderburg Shaw". www.hipcast.com. Retrieved 19 May 2017.
- ↑ Bean, Dawn Pawson. Synchronized Swimming: An American History. McFarland. ISBN 9780786419487. Retrieved 19 May 2017.
- ↑ "Kryczka, Kelly". ashfm.ca. Retrieved 19 May 2017.
- 1 2 "ISHOF.org | HELEN VANDERBERG (CAN)". ISHOF.org. Retrieved 19 May 2017.
- ↑ "Vanderburg, Helen". ashfm.ca. Retrieved 19 May 2017.
External links
- Official web site
- Canada's Sport Hall of Fame profile
- International Swimming Hall of Fame profile
- Alberta Sports Hall of Fame and Museum profile