Inductees

Bruce Hawksenson (2001)

Canoeing Athlete,Coach

Bruce Hawkenson was born to race. Early memories of racing for Hawkenson go back to his soap box days when he won the Prince George Soap Box Derby in 1956. That victory sent him off to the Provincial Soap Box Derby Championships that year, and he came back home with the first-place trophy.

Hawkenson went from soap box derbies to canoe where his list of achievements is lengthy. At the local level, Hawkenson won such events as the Northern Hardware Canoe Races in the years spanning 1973 to 1976. In 1976 he entered the Hyack Canoe Race from 70 Mile to Hope and New Westminster. There were many more races in the area during the 70s and 80s. Races from Burns Lake, Smithers and the Peace River to Horsefly, Kamloops, Vernon and Chilliwack.

There was more to Hawkenson than just canoe racing. He was the Sports Director at Ness Lake Bible Camp for the summer of 1965. It was that summer that he created the original jungle water swing which is still used every summer. Hawkenson moved on and founded Camp Trapping Boys Camp. In 1972 and 1973 he coached eight young men in canoe racing and they won every event they entered from the Northern Hardware Race to the Klondike Days Canoe Race in Edmonton.

In the years from 1974 to 1982 Hawkenson was active at the national level, participating in the Professional Canoe Racing Tour across Canada. Canoe racing took him to Swan River, Saskatoon, Athabasca, throughout Alberta and into Quebec.

International achievements include fourth place in the North American, Mount Laurier Championships at Quebec in 1977, a fourth-place finish in 1977 at the World Championships at Shawnigan and the following year a second-place finish at the North American Canoe Race, once again held in Quebec. In the 1970s and 1980s Hawkenson's successes were many, from a number of victories at Oregon State races in 1977 to a third-place finish at the Waikiki Outrigger Canoe Race in 1981 and a gold medal at the first-ever Senior World Championships at Toronto in 1985.

In 1991 Hawkenson retired from canoe racing after winning gold in masters doubles at the Canadian Championships held here at home in Prince George. Retirement hasn’t slowed his sporting activities. He continues to play basketball with men years his junior and shares his knowledge about sports and physical activities with his numerous young sports fans.