Vicky Edmonds

I was at Pasley Jane’s wedding party as one of the aunties with Ginny and Wendy.  Nancy got us organized to go over to Bowen.  I had to leave my three children as Henry was away.  I was hoping they could handle it.   I foolishly called home once we got to Bowen to see if everything was ok.  Well, all hell was breaking loose.  I came into the kitchen and said I thought I should go home.  Wendy told me with a smile on her face.  “How about you don’t call home again?”  Well I sort of followed her advice (which I should have strictly followed) but ended up staying all day and having a great time.  I don’t think she learned that in the army.

Craig Potsep (Maya’s Swim Coach)

As a coach, when you have a dedicated athlete you spend endless hours with them and in turn get to know the family quite well. It was during this period that I was lucky enough to have had the opportunity to get to know Wendy and her beautiful family.

In all my time of knowing Wendy I never heard her say an unkind word nor did I ever see her without a smile. I remember seeing her often after practices to pick up Maya and she would always pass on that genuine smile and a warm hello. She was never in too much of a rush to talk with you or lend a helping hand. After a competition she would be one of the first people to say to me “good job”. If the competition didn’t go so well she would never point out any shortcomings and only wish me luck for the next time. I was a young coach at the time making plenty of mistakes but Wendy never made me feel inexperienced or incapable. She is that special type of person that can encourage you without belittling and challenge you without criticizing. She allowed me to make my own decisions, make my own mistakes and help me grow as a coach as well as a person alongside with her daughter. She would often put an idea in my ear and challenge me to think about something in a different way yet regardless respected my opinions. She was filled with the spirit of bringing people together and empowering others to be their best.

One only needs to look at any member of the Beaudry family to see how beautiful and loving she truly was. Wendy’s spirit and love is everywhere and to me it is inspiring. Usually as a coach your greatest wish is that your athletes learn some valuable life lessons from you that they can carry with them for the rest of their lives. After seeing Wendy’s love and spirit come out in Maya everyday, well in this case, it is I who had the opportunity to learn. I consider it my extreme good fortune to have known her and her wonderful family.

Grant McKay

Wendy and I first met in Mexico city in 1977. A group of us, all SFU students, were travelling through Mexico by bus. Wendy and I became friends. I have two short stories about Wendy I would like to share.

First story: I remember walking with her in Oaxaca. It was late at night. We walked along the roads where the locals were setting up their stands for the market day the next morning. We walked and talked for a long time. Every so often a giant rat would run across our paths. Wendy was pretty scared. After seeing several rats I stopped for a second to “tie my shoe” then quickly ran my fingers up Wendy’s calf in a scratching motion. After she screamed I found out how strong she was. She started chasing me and did get one good kick in. I deserved it of course.

Second story: Wendy was pretty good at getting her way! She talked me into piggy backing her all the way from the Hotel Zaculeu in Huehuetenango to the Mayan ruins at nearby Zaculeu – all at a good running speed. The locals looked at us as if we were crazy. Eventually we arrived at the ruins and sat down on top of one of the walls. We sat and talked about life for a few hours and watched the sunset. I have such fond memories of that time.

Wendy was a very high energy, confident, strong both in mind and body, thoughtful person. Obviously those traits stayed with her.

My wife and I attended the memorial last Saturday. What a beautiful tribute to a wonderful person. She was obviously blessed to have such a loving caring family.

John Lund (Whistler Mountain)

I got to know Wendy (and all the Ladner family) during Whistler Mountain’s beginnings in the late sixties. What I remember about Wendy was her lovely smiling face and her sweet spirit. She radiated happiness to everyone in the old Gondola Restaurant where we would gather before going skiing.

Ever since April 3 I have been visited by the happy image of that young woman smiling at me across a table from 40 years ago. Even though she is gone, I am going to treasure Wendy’s bright spirit she showed me so long ago.

Aiden Sisler (Co-worker at ProMotion Plus)

From Wendy I learned about the art of facilitation during an internship at ProMotion Plus, a not for profit aimed at increasing opportunities for girls and women in physical activity and sport. She would give leadership workshops to girls and women in an attempt to redress the current inequities in positions of power in sport and other realms by empowering women with a wide range of skills all the while remaining incredibly approachable. She tackled tough issues with a wry sense of humor and openness that broke down barriers both literally and figuratively.

She encouraged self-awareness. What are your beliefs and values? Where did they come from? Now what are you going to do next?

Later on, in developing the Youth Inclusion Awareness Project, a workshop series envisioned by Bev Siver, Wendy provided invaluable feedback. She was there to witness the pilot workshop presented at the Olympic and Paralympic Youth Leadership Academy at the BC Winter Games. She was right in there amongst the forty or so ebullient pre-teens, smiling and nodding in support, shouting out when she saw fit to do so. Providing a forum to talk openly about gender, heterosexism and homophobia, bullying, harassment, racism and albeism was enlivening for all involved.  It would not have been possible without guidance from Wendy. This was just one of many many projects she played a hand in carrying out.

Wendy elegantly relayed the difference between equality and equity to me when I was struggling to come up with something kids could relate to during the gender component. “Imagine you have a ten year old and a two year old who are waiting for a drink at a water fountain.  The ten year old can reach on their own. The two year old needs a boost.” Just ask President Obama who acknowledges that he would not be where he is today had it not been for affirmative action plans (his boost) in place at Harvard’s School of Law.

I definitely took notice of how Wendy carried herself.  She was a strong woman who never compromised her ideals by wearing the power suit with pumps. She never claimed to have ‘bigger balls’ to further herself or her fight for increased access and opportunity for all.  In other words, she was not a pseudo-man. She stood not for women’s rights but for everyone’s rights.  She showed me that caring for another is not a sign of weakness, that by developing relationships and connecting with others you can inspire action, one person at a time. She always asked me about how rowing at UBC was going and her remembering the details from all our past encounters instilled such a sense of pride in me.

Having known Wendy for a much too short a time, I do believe that being framed as a victim would not have sat well with such an indomitable spirit. Victimhood has nugatory effects versus the strengths-based approach she optimistically upheld.  Always diplomatic and astute, she armed herself with this credo in the fight for resources for people who are underserved (look, Wendy, I got it! Person-first!).

In this light, we should not give into the tyranny of the “what ifs?” but instead arm ourselves with hope and commit to her legacy.  I know I will continue to run that trail from my home down SW Marine to the University and rejoice in the privilege. I am blessed to have had the opportunity to learn from such a stalwart supporter of the underdog.

Bonnie Hartney

Fuzzy blue track suits, towel “rolls” carried to Percy Norman swimming pool, leaping over the “yucky water” that was the foot bath, quiet morning greetings, noisy after practice conversations, laughter, cheering, tangled hair (no bathing caps, yet), chlorine attacks (no goggles, either), long bus trips to swim meets, tobogganing at Queen Elizabeth Park after practice, car pooling before seat belt laws, warm memories of growing up on our swim team. 

 I first met Wendy when we were about 12 years old, at Vancouver Amateur Swim Club (which later joined with the Canadian Dolphin Swim Team). Often she came to the pool with Cathy, in their Crofton uniforms.  Wendy was always smiling and laughing.  Her enthusiasm for sport and training were evident even in those early days.  I remember she often managed to fit a field hockey practice or a trip skiing into her busy swim schedule   

While growing up, Wendy was an important part of my other family, the swim team. 

 Fast forward to another swimming pool, 30 years later, both of us became parents of swimmers and shared in the joy of watching our kids compete.  Whenever we would find ourselves at swim meets together, it was a happy reunion, like old family members coming together.  Wendy in her calm, confident manner would sometimes bring a book or have something she was researching.  She cheered for all the swimmers.  I marvelled at how she remembered all their names when so many looked the same in goggles and bathing caps.  

One of my favourite moments was near the end of a UBC swim meet, where I was sitting with Wendy.  Maya was finished for the day and so from the far side of the pool, she shouted, “Mom.”  I was amazed that Wendy was able to pick out the voice of her daughter from all the other sounds and wave eagerly back.  Maya used hand signals to indicate that she would change and meet her in the foyer.  I marvelled at how they did that since I had long given up trying to shout over the railing to get anyone’s attention during a swim meet.  I knew that Wendy had a special bond with her daughters.

I also remember the excitement of the Pan Pacs in Victoria, where Wendy and Michel were amongst the group of Canadian parents, cheering loudly, ringing cowbells for every Canadian swimmer that got on the blocks. 

Sometimes we talked about swimmers that we knew from the past.  Wendy always had something positive and kind to say about everyone.  It was clear she valued all of her friends.  Like a line from an old song, “Some are silver, others are gold.”  I know that she stayed in touch with many of them. 

 One day she asked me about the students I teach.  “Bonnie, how can we reach more kids in schools?  How can we make tennis available to everyone?  What can I do to help teachers, so they will show their students the power of sport?”  Little did I know at that time, that Wendy would go on to make her dreams for kids in sport, a reality.  

 And then of course, it was poolside that we shared the stories of our children’s lives.  We shared an admiration for their dedication and hard work, their achievements and goals, the amazing adults they were becoming.  Wendy was so proud of Maya and Jenna!  

 Who would have known that a few weeks ago, at the UBC Triathlon where we happened to meet, that this would be my last time to see Wendy?  As always, she seemed pleased to see us and took the time to stop and get caught up with our lives.  I could see how proud she was to be there cheering on Jenna.  I learned that Jenna had decided to switch from competitive swimming to the sport of triathlon and loved the new challenge. It was a cold morning but of course Wendy didn’t complain.  There was no place she would rather be than race side, supporting her daughter. 

Derrick Schoof (UBC Dolphins Coach)

When I became the head coach of the UBC Dolphins I was faced with some serious challenges with parents immediately.  Wendy had the insight to help me manage these issues.  She pushed me hard (in the nicest way possible, of course!) to make sure that the parents on the team were educated about “Long Term Athlete Development.”  Obviously she was quite passionate about the subject.  She suggested that I hire an expert on the subject to speak to the parents.  When the time came for the presentation she was there asking all the right questions in front of the parent body.  It was then that I realized how much she was supporting and helping me all along.  

I remember Wendy as a smiler.  She always smiled. 

I will always remember the support she showed me.

Jenny John (Field Hockey Coach)

My memories go way back to her provincial field hockey days, when I was one of her coaches. She had and continued to have, over the years, such a smooth, fluid running style, beautiful to watch: her work ethic and attitude to both game and players, superb. A joy for both of us was when she came to the office to talk about her thesis, based a little around my work at promoting and developing activities and mini games for youngsters: about her starting a team in the league with “Cee”, so they could play with their daughters and her journey into telemark skiing, reaching world class level. Our faces would light up when we met over the years:  I knew that everyone felt like that around Wendy, her smile and enthusiasm were so contagious. Her memory will live within our hearts forever and we will continue to strive to help those less fortunate, encourage kids to get active and “play” hard and finally all join together to make our world safer for women. I feel blessed to have known Wendy and to have enjoyed her warmth and our many times together.

Michelle Landry (UBC Dolphins)

I was recently hired by VANOC to work as an administrative assistant for Short Track speed skating…and as crazy as it seems Wendy was one of the first people I thought of when I got the job. I remember talking to her at one of the Dolphins awards banquets during my last few months of University and asking her for some advice on the best steps to take to get involved with such organizations as Legacies Now and VANOC….she told me over and over to volunteer as much as possible, and that it was so important to just get out there and help people because people higher up would surely notice. She really inspired me…and I know Kelly Stefanyshyn had been inspired by her as well. Now, two years later I will be sitting not more than 10 feet from Kelly at VANOC…the two of us did it.

Even though I could count on two hands the number of conversations I had with Wendy, she had a huge impact on me …and my life. She inspired so many people in the sports world….she just always seemed so confident, strong and very happy.

Jude Platzer

Yesterday on the first Walk for Wendy I met Helen Baker. She told me that it was Wendy who held her hand all the way through my son Josh’s memorial service. I didn’t know that until now and wish that I had been able to say thank you to her.  The Ladner-Beaudry family was such a huge support to us when we were all in turmoil after Josh died. To help me, Wendy put me in touch with Nancy Edmonds who in turn listened to my raging and  ranting (Ranting and raging  is good!)
Today’s walk was amazing  and again I met many people that I had not seen for a long time.  We all talked about Wendy and her vivaciousness.  Ben remembers that she would rarely stop for a cup of tea when she was dropping Maya or Nisha off  because there was always something else to do or someone else to  be picked up. She was constantly on the go.

Kelly Stefanyshyn (UBC Dolphins)

I just started working over the past few years and recently joined the BC Games Board of Directors last year because of a recommendation from Wendy. She always blew me away with the way she walked into the board meetings and took control with her confidence and passion for sports. I wish everyone could have seen how composed, confident and incredible she was in front of “important” people in the sport industry (minus myself, the rookie!). As a young member of the board and new member to the working world, I would just watch her and hope that I could be that like that one day. I still haven’t figured out how she did it, but I hope I can apply her level of professionalism and personality to my career one day. So far I’ve got a long way to go!

Erica Osburn (Pasley Island)

I barely knew Wendy but I would share that I certainly perceived her as the undisputed glamour girl of South Bay, if not all of Pasley Island. She earned that reputation (to me) not through clothes, makeup, or her silver jewellery, but by what she did with her body: being active and incredibly fit and strong. 

Whenever I saw her, she was out expertly windsurfing or swimming or being active and looking amazing while doing so. I have to say I was very much in awe of her, not just for her athleticism but her confidence. While I do not know Maya or Jenna, I imagine they are the confident, powerful, athletic women their mother was, that women aspire to be.

Leslie Patterson (Nelson Island)

I first met Wendy about 25 years ago when Dave and Michel both raced together in Telemark skiing.  We would get together on and off throughout the winters in Whistler for parties and dinners.   

After Jenna was born and I had Mackenzie we got together a bit more as the girls were the same age.  When the family would come up to Whistler Kenzie and Jenna would get together for play dates and Wendy and I for tea or we would switch off watching the girls while the other went skiing.  

As time went on we bought property on Nelson Island in 1993 and Wendy and Michel bought there 4 or 5 years after that.  We saw more of each other on Nelson Island and we all loved the talent shows Maya, Merritt, Jenna and Kenzie would put on for us before our dinners!  I will always picture Wendy running the trails behind our cabin shouting out “Hi Team – dinner tonight at 7pm!”  She would always want the guest to enjoy the feast first so I remember her saying “FHB” and when I asked her what that meant she said “family hold back” – I loved that!    

I also think of Wendy’s funny feet!  She had those toes that crossed over each other and I wondered how the heck she could run so much with feet like that!  Anyway, that didn’t stop her – nothing ever did.  I hope nothing ever stops her girls.  

Ann Barratt Lonergan

We go back such a long way to Crofton House where we were the slightly aloof and don’t tell all types. Wendy, Kashi and I stayed together as special friends and foraged our way through what we considered stiff establishment and flew through the air, just like that picture in the paper. At Whistler for many years, squatting with the squatters (when we weren’t supposed to be at home) sneaking out to Tokum corners (just some weird name for a very cool place to visit), picnics and suntanning on the mountain during spring skiing, listening to the beat of the drums and dancing all night in the Famous Soo Valley Burner. We biked our way through Europe in bikini tops and cut-offs, Wendy never once took the train.  Joy was always a given and anything else, forgiven. Wendy was one of those Virgin Goddesses. What I mean by that is that Man could not sway her or tempt her, she always stuck up for her own beliefs. In doing so, she created an equal playing field  for all of her friends, family and community. This is one of the main reasons she is so deeply respected amongst the big community of Vancouver. She took a life lesson from her own mother, one amazing woman who had our respect, even at 5 AM when we were just rolling home at Whistler. Janet, already up and at it, drinking her cappuccino (it was the 70′s, long before espressos and lattes) studying Portuguese. Wendy learned as a young girl that her mother was the centre of the circle, and likewise, became that of her daughters. Wendy’s hard, dedicated, role as mother is truly evident in the strong character of her children, for being as brave as they are, and I thank Wendy and Michel for giving us Maya and Jenna, to help us remember her beautiful soul.

Jen Close (Hawks teammate)

I was trying to think the other day, when I first met Wendy, and I can’t quite remember, probably at least 12 years ago now, if not longer. I would have been in 10th or 11th grade and joining Wendy on the Hawks 1 club team. My first impression of Wendy was that she was a super cool mom. When I struggled at times to relate to my own mom at that time, I admired Wendy for not only the incredible athlete she was, but the incredible mother she was and how connected to and proud she was of her girls. In her I saw the mother that I myself wanted to be one day. I have this memory from a year or so ago, before becoming a mother myself and now serving as manager of her Hawks 2 team, in which I had made some comment to the team about uniform colours or remembering to bring socks and Wendy had laughed and with her hand patting my back said “Thanks Mom”. In this last year, actually becoming a mother myself I only hope that I can instill in my daughter the spirit and love and drive that Wendy gave to all of us, we were all her children, her team-mates who she encouraged and supported no matter how the game played out. What I will miss most about Wendy is her smile. I see it now, as at every practice and game day, when I walk onto the field and towards my team-mates waiting on the side of the pitch, there is Wendy, turning to greet me with her big, beautiful smile radiating sunshine and positive energy on the rainiest of days. I will never forget her smile, it will always fill me with sunshine when I step on that pitch. And I will not be afraid, as I know Wendy wouldn’t want me to be, and I will continue to run at Trout Lake, the park near my home that I love to run in so much.

Cheryl Neal (Pasley Island)

Several years ago when our girls Madison and Caitlin were younger – the Ladner-Beaudry family was at Pasley for their summer vacation at the same time as our family.   

Maddie was 7 years old, Caitlin was 4 years old and Jenna was 11 years old …but they still made fast friends on South Bay Beach.  For many days after that we found Jenna at our back door asking if Maddie and Caitlin could play – Ian and I were of course delighted that a mature “older” child was eager to play with (and shall we say entertain?) our high spirited Pasley girls.  And so the two week vacation unfolded and Ian and I looked forward to Jenna’s visits as much as Maddie and Caitlin. 

On the last day of our vacation, Wendy arrived at our door with a bottle of wine and a big thank you for entertaining her daughter Jenna during the two week vacation … of course Ian and I felt that we had the better end of the deal … 

To us … that is Wendy – always giving … always thinking of others.  She has touched our lives in many ways and that will never change.

Loren Plottel

The sisterhood of the woods. 

Pacific Spirit Park is a very female place.  Every weekday morning you will find women of all ages walking dogs, pushing strollers, running, walking, meandering with sisters, friends, mothers, daughters and grandmothers.  We have been going into the woods for so long there is a certain camaraderie that has formed.  When you pass someone on the trail that you don’t know, you smile anyway and say ‘hi’ because you probably know someone who know someone who knows someone who knows them.

I came to know Wendy through my sister-in-law Celia, and when our kids were little we’d drop them off at playgroup and hit the trails for a run ­ often the only sane time in a child-centered world. It was Wendy and Celia who introduced me to the magic of the trail system in Pacific Spirit Park. We’d pass other mothers on their journeys through the woods. We’d share our life stories ­ as the other women we passed were overheard sharing theirs, and I’d be so grateful for this place, these woods and my “sisters”.  It was before the days of Eckhardt Tolle and Oprah and “living in the moment” Wendy already knew how to live in the moment and she made the most of every single one of them.

As our children grew and life became differently defined for each of us, I saw Wendy much less frequently.  But sometimes I would pass her in the woods while running and the “Hi, how’s it going? Great to see you” greeting would put a smile on my face and an extra bounce in my step as I remembered the old days which have now become the good old days. Wendy could make you feel like that.

The sisterhood of the woods has been shaken to its core by the violence that deserves no place here.  Perhaps we allowed ourselves a false sense of security because these trails knew all the intimate details of our lives and had become ­ in a weird way ­ a silent sister.

The sisterhood of the woods has lost one of their own, and she will be forever missed.

Jane Manning (Elementary School Classmate)

Wendy was my first friend in Grade 2 at Shaughnessy Elementary School. My family had moved from Alberta during the summer. This was a school where not only had the kids been together since playschool but often so had their parents. It was quite intimidating yet Wendy had the ability to make you feel welcome! Compassion, kindness, honesty and integrity at the young age of 7.  46 years later those same wonderful traits I was so blessed to enjoy are being shared by the media. Even people she had never met feel a genuine connection!

Richelle Williams

I met Wendy in 2006 at the Aboriginal Sports and Recreation Association’s Spirit of Excellence and she put me on a panel for Coaching Female Athletes. I was blown away just sitting and talking with her. Almost three years later, I haven’t forgotten one bit of that conversation – the hour I got to talk to her had that kind of impact. Unfortunately, that is the only time I’ve ever been able to talk to her in person, but we’ve been emailing and I kept her up to date on what is now my career (I think she was the launching point only three years ago).

Alana Henry (Friend of Jenna)

I always will remember whenever I was having trouble at my house or anything, she was always there for me. She could listen to every word i said and try and make sense of it, even it made no sense to me at all. “If you ever need or want to run away, you can come and stay here for as long as you want” 

Another memory up at Paisley, Jenna, Maya, Wendy, and I had to take the little boat to Bowen in the pouring rain to catch a ferry. Wendy had a smile on her face the whole time and I remember she held a towel over us the whole way there, never complaining. I think we all had a really good time on that boat because she was there.

Tina Dhillon (fellow UBC Dolphin and CHS parent)

It is only when one losses someone do we really take the time to reflect on what that person meant to us.  I realize that Wendy was a big part of my day to day life.  When my kids ask what is for dinner I find myself often quoting her by saying “tonight we are having a fridge dinner”.  I always chuckled when I said it because I thought of Wendy and how she had a way of putting such a positive spin on leftovers.  I always admired her strength when it came to telling the coaches a thing or two about ‘family time’.  She had strong convictions and really knew how to put things in perspective. She never got caught up in things that seem to consume the rest of us. 

We had many, many poolside chats where we had a chance to discuss concerns about school or swimming or whatever.  Wendy was a source of support and wisdom when it came to my own personal pain.  She often would talk to me about letting children travel their individual paths even though it seems counterintuitive. I had great admiration for the way she empowered her children in their life journeys.  they exude the same confidence their mum did.  I always found Wendy to be grounded, wise and positive.  I always knew I could count on her for a big hug and smile and a “how’s it going?” whenever I saw her. I looked forward to our annual invite to her summer solstice party. 

Wendy and I first met when we were in the same aerobic prenatal class at Dunbar Community Centre.  I gave birth to Paisley early and ended up bringing her (a tiny weenie preemie baby) to the classes.  Wendy was still pregnant with Maya when she told me that she had a niece named Pasley, like the island, and thought it was such a great name. We came full circle in the work out department because we both attended Meg’s work out classes in Kerrisdale.  However, unlike Wendy I am not athletic! I find exercise hard and I seem to find reasons not to go. That, coupled with personal circumstances over the last couple of years, has made my attendance really inconsistent.  As I try to make sense of what has happened, I keep returning to my belief that she really lived her life.  She always had a smile on her face and was always so positive about people and their abilities. She was strong and had such a calm confident way about her.   

As my own personal tribute to Wendy I have made a commitment to keep her spot at Meg’s class as a way to make myself go and when I am there I will think of her and how she would want me there so I would benefit from an active lifestyle.  She made an impact on me and my girls.  I know we are not alone in this feeling.

Steve Price (Maya’s Swim Coach)

Like all “significant” moments in life, they make you stop and take a look at your own life.   For me, coaching has been a great profession because I get to meet and work with so many amazing people like Wendy.  The only downside in coaching is that all the great people you meet eventually move on and I find it very hard to say goodbye.

One gets to be a pretty good judge of character doing what I do for so many years.  After meeting Wendy for the first time I got the sense she was one of the “special” people I have been lucky to come across.  I connected with her right away and felt she could be one of my guides in life.  Not just because of her background in sport but because of her sincerity and no bullshit attitude.  Through her guidance I would seek from time to time, she helped me to be a better coach and person.

What I remember the most about Wendy was how much fun she had with Maya’s Aunt, her Dad and Jenna when she came to watch Maya at the Pan Am Games in Santa Domingo.  I would look up in the stands and she would be smiling and having a great time taking in the whole event.  She was so proud of her 16 year old daughter who had risen so fast in the sport.   It’s moments like that, seeing Maya succeed and her parents so very proud of their daughter that makes my “job” so worthwhile.

Lucy Mcquaid (Member of CHS Field Hockey)

I was a rookie on the field hockey team and not very comfortable with the level I was at compared to most of the girls.  But throughout the season she would say to my dad on the side lines how I had constantly improved. She was one of the most friendly and welcoming people I had ever met.  After provincials she drove me home, and the entire car ride was filled with a high, positive engery, a trait that I aspire to have one day.  Even though I didn’t know Wendy very well I have the pleasure of having Jenna as one of my good friends and I know that Wendy must have taught and passed many of these amazing traits onto her.

Scarlett Smith (Member of UBC Dolphins)

I know its not much, but the most prominent memory I have of Wendy is that she always cheered for me at swim meets.

Which to others may not seem like a big deal, but to me it was. And I will always remember that about her.

Callum Ng (Member of UBC Swimming)

I met Wendy on one occasion, on a drive to the airport, and despite the brevity of our encounter she left a lasting impression on me. This is a testament to her passion for sport, her “sporting wisdom” I guess.

We were talking about swimming, how much of a commitment it is, and how it sometimes takes away from the rest of your life. It was however the consensus of the others that sport was great for development until she mentioned this point, “being good at sport isn’t always the best thing for your personal development”. It can take away from other talents and aspirations, and actually lead to a little bit of imbalance.

Literally, not a month goes by where I do not remain cognitive of this truth. I am totally serious. I remember those words so often and they’ve been helpful in guiding some of my decisions.

This shows that Wendy not only loved sport, but was aware of its downfalls as well, and that wisdom should be remembered.