HOF gives rower Stamp of approval
Jane Stamp, middle, is being inducted into the St. Catharines Sports Wall of Fame Wednesday. Photo: SPECIAL TO BSPN
Going from the pool to the pond was the best thing that could have happened to Jane Stamp.
The 61-year-old St. Catharines native was a competitive swimmer who held several provincial records in backstroke events and finished in the top 10 in Canada in national championships.
But around the age of 15, Stamp thought she had peaked as a swimmer and backed off to concentrate on her studies at Lakeport Secondary School.
“I just thought I would be a normal high school kid and do some sports and join some things so I joined rowing,” Stamp recalled. “My timing was pretty good in that it was the first year they had a (Canadian) junior women’s rowing team and I was recruited after Schoolboy (Canadian Secondary Schools Rowing Associate Regatta) to try out even though I wasn’t really a great rower at that point.”
But Stamp was strong and had excellent cardio vascular conditioning so she quickly adapted to rowing.
“It kind of happened by chance,” she said. “One of my good friends was rowing for Rudy (Wieler) at West Park and we had gone to different high schools so it was an easy transition because I had friends who were doing it and it was fun. It was hard work but it was really, really enjoyable.”
Stamp’s rowing resume is impressive.
•Member of the junior national and senior national rowing teams between 1978-1988, including three Olympic teams
•Silver in women’s cox four at 1984 Olympics and seventh in women’s cox four at 1988 Olympics
•Bronze at the Junior World Rowing Championships in women’s eight, Belgrade, Yugoslavia (1978)
•Gold at the Junior World Rowing Championships in women’s 8, Moscow, Russia (1979)
•Gold at 1986 Commonwealth Games, Edinburgh Scotland, women’s cox four
•Bronze at 1986 World Rowing Championships, Nottingham, England, women’s cox four
•Received the “Award of Merit” from Rowing Canada Aviron, 1992
Her silver medal from 1984 was the highlight.
“I would say so, especially because it was the first real Olympics we went to because we boycotted in 1980,” Stamps said. “First one was in 1984 in Los Angeles and there were a lot of family and friends there too and a big Canadian contingent. Rowing was pretty low profile at that point so when we were allowed to go to opening ceremonies, we walked in and everyone was cheering the Canadian crest and we had never experienced that before.
“It was a real high.”
Stamp has her medal proudly displayed in her Guelph home.
“It was tucked away for a long time but now I have it in a little cabinet with some other rowing paraphernalia,” she said.
“It was 100 per cent worth it.”
Stamp is returning to her hometown Wednesday to attend her induction into the St. Catharines Sports Hall of Fame at the Meridian Centre.
“I was thrilled. It is quite an honour,” she said.
Stamp, who spent her last year of high school at Ridley College, graduated from McMaster with a degree in bio-chemistry and then became a chartered accountant.
Also being inducted are rower Clayton Brown, bowler Don Betts, hockey player Mike Iggulden and basketball builder Bob Miller. The ceremony starts at 5:30 p.m.
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