CHAMPIONS SPEAK - 2011 Hall of Fame Inductee Sheila Friesen (nee Gangophadhyay) - Athlete
by Colleen Grinde
Sheila Friesen is being
recognized tonight for her exceptional achievements in
figure skating. Sheila’s history and accomplishments are
outlined in the program so I hope that you’ll take the time
to read her citation. Sheila started out learning how to
skate with the Wetaskiwin Figure Skating Club and, with
years of dedication and effort, ended up representing her
Alberta and Canada as an elite level figure skater. Even
though she competed in high level competitions, some of
Sheila’s favorite memories are of the ice shows she
participated in, starting with the very first one in
Wetaskiwin. Because singles figure skating can be very
solitary, Sheila enjoyed the fun and camaraderie of skating
with others in these performances.
Many sacrifices are required
to reach figure skating’s highest level, so to further her
skills, when Sheila was 11, she, along with her mom and
sister, moved to Edmonton in order for Sheila and her sister
to train at the Royal Glenora club. Her dad stayed in
Wetaskiwin and the family traveled back and forth on
week-ends.
Besides
figure skating, Sheila danced with the Edmonton School of
Ballet until she was fourteen and in junior high school she
competed in track and field. Once she reached the Junior
level in figure skating, the time necessary to train
required her to focus solely on her skating. At the Royal
Glenora Club she and Curt Browning shared the same coach and
for a few years they trained together.
Along with the sacrifices,
come the rewards and while competing at the Junior level
Sheila placed 4th at the 1994 Canadian championships. This
earned her a spot on the Canadian Junior National team and
provided her an opportunity to compete in international
competitions. Sheila has fond memories of those Canadian
Championships as they were held in Edmonton and a lot of
friends from Wetaskiwin traveled to Edmonton to watch her
compete.
Once Sheila was at the senior
level she was training for four hours per day as well as
attending University. To keep up her athletic and academic
scholarships, Sheila was required to be a “full-time”
student so that necessitated good time management skills on
her part. Sheila competed as a Senior figure skater for
five years and was a consistent top ten finisher at the
Canadian championships. While working towards her Science
degree at the University of Alberta, Sheila earned the right
to represent Canada at the World Universiade Games where she
placed fifth. A highlight for Sheila was being chosen by
her teammates to carry the Canadian flag in the closing
ceremonies.
After receiving her Bachelor
of Science degree and working for a couple of years abroad,
Sheila continued her education and attained a Teaching
degree. After her marriage in 2002, Sheila and her husband
moved to Fort McMurray where Sheila taught high school
science until the birth of her first son. Sheila still
lives in Fort McMurray with her husband and now has two
sons, both pre-schoolers. Once the boys are a little older,
Sheila looks forward to spending more time in the skating
world and expanding her role as a judge.
We applaud Sheila’s impressive
figure skating career.
