Inductees

Debbie Ward (1998)

Racquetball Athlete

The Prince George Sports Hall of Fame Society should not close the file on Debbie Ward just yet.

Even as the society was announcing Ward as one of the 10 inductees for 1998, she was off adding to her already-impressive sports resume.

Ward teamed up with Josee Grandmaitre to win silver medals in the doubles and team competition at the world racquetball championships in Bolivia in late July of this year.

Fifteen years after she first picked up the sport, Ward has now made three trips to the biennial world championships, along with trips to the Tournament of the Americas and the 1995 Pan Am Games. She has won four national doubles championships and one national singles championship.

With a new partner and an eye on the 1999 Pan Am Games in Winnipeg, it seems unlikely Ward’s sports resume is full.

“I started late. I started when I was 22 so to come as far as I have in the last 15 years is about right,” she says.

What is also right is Ward’s commitment to her sport and to sports in general. She has also played volleyball, softball and men’s league baseball in Prince George.

Sports, she says, have been good to her.

“It changes your life,” she says of her involvement in athletics. “It gives you a whole new perspective on life.

“All my life, I’ve been right into sports. I am bringing my kids up to be the same way. It is almost automatic that they just know it is there for them.”

Sports have been good for Ward and she has been good for sports in this town. An excellent role model and terrific athlete – with success most can only dream of – Debbie Ward is a perfect addition to the Prince George Sports Hall of Fame.