Sandra Schmirler

I looked up the definition of hero when I started this project. My student dictionary defines a hero as "a person noted for courageous acts or significant achievements: a sports hero". It is for that reason that I chose the biography of Sandra Schmirler. She was a Canadian sports hero who is-remembered as the "Queen of Curling." Curling is a sport played on ice. In reading the book, I understood what she accomplished in her life, both as an athlete, and more importantly, as a person.

Sandra was born on June 11,1963 to Art and Shirley Schmirler in Biggar Saskatchewan. She had two older sisters, Carol and Beverley. Sandra had a passion for sports and won numerous provincial medals in speed swimming. In grade seven, she began curling and chose the new sport over basketball when she had to pick one sport to participate in. This was the beginning that lead to her being the greatest skip in the history of women's curling.

Sandra Schmirler was an inspirational person. Her life story is about the values of a small town Saskatchewan girl who became a hero to all of Canada and to me. She accomplished many things during her life. People have compared her to Lady Diana because both are known as the Queen of Hearts and both died at the age of thirty-six, leaving behind two children.

In 1985, she moved to a city called Regina and got the nickname "Schmirler the Curler." She won three Canadian and world titles and the first Olympic gold medal in women's curling. Sandra Schmirler encountered many obstacles in her life. The first obstacle she faced was when she was born with a clubfoot and had a cast on it for the first two months of her life. Another obstacle that Sandra faced was when she got a divorce from Del Peterson in 1991. Her self-esteem hit an all-time low because she always thought she would be happily married with one or two children by the Age of thirty-six. She started to feel like a loser and threw herself into curling, which turned out great for her curling game. In 1996, she married Shannon England after two and a half years of living together. Sandra Schmirler now faced another challenge because she required surgery to remove fibroids lining her uterus so she could have children. In 1991, she faced a family challenge when her father, Art, died of cancer of the Esophagus. Unknown to Sandra, she too, would be diagnosed with enlarged Lymph nodes on August 26, 1991. Doctors thought she had Hodgkin's Disease, but she called it "Cancer from Mars" because no one knew where it came from.

Three character traits Sandra possessed were bravery, selflessness and sportsmanship. Sandra was very brave when she told all of Canada that she had been diagnosed with cancer and began her battle to beat the odds. Even though she did not beat the cancer, she raised cancer awareness in Canada. Everyone who talks about Sandra describes her selfless nature. She was always more concerned about the problems of others and not her own. As a curler, it was always about the team and not about her.

Sandra's greatest contribution was to the sport of curling. She was a true Canadian and proudly wore the Canadian flag wherever she went. During the 1994 Scott Tournament, her team dressed in red and white kilts because they were competing at the tournament as Team Canada. The Maple Leaf in curling is a sign of representing the most successful curling nation in the world and Team Schmirler proudly wore the maple leaf. Sandra raised cancer awareness in Canada. At the Canadian Junior Curling Championships in Moncton, NB on February 12, 2000, she gave a personal interview with the CBC about her battle with cancer and told everyone to "enjoy every minute". Her interview sparked many "Shave for Sandra" fundraising events to raise money for cancer research. Lastly, Sandra brought all of Canada together when she died on March 2, 2000. She died during the annual curling Scott Tournament and the tournament was paused so everyone could watch her funeral on television. The author of the book said it was not just the curling world watching but also all of Canada because she touched people all across the country.

When I started this project, I called my cousin Nicole in Canada for help in selecting a book. I wanted to read about a Canadian because I was born in Toronto, Ontario. She suggested I read about Sandra Schmirler because she is a great Canadian sports hero. After reading the book, I realize that she is not just a sports hero, but also a real live hero. To face everything she faced in her short life and to have left the mark, she did proves, that she is a hero. Sandra was a true sportsman. At the 1998 Scott Tournament, she congratulated the team that beat them at the annual Winter Olympics she took time from busy schedule to sign autographs and meet with the Canadian Men's Hockey Team to share the excitement of their gold medals. Sandra was a true ambassador to the sport of curling.