Helen Vanderburg (born January 12, 1959) is a former
Canadian
Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...
synchronized swimmer and world champion.
Career
Vanderburg began synchronized swimming in 1969 at age eleven.
From 1971 to 1973, she was a member of junior national championship teams, and in 1973 she captured the junior Canadian solo and duet championships.
In 1977, Vanderburg joined the senior ranks, winning the solo and duet competition, with partner
Michelle Calkins
Michelle Calkins is a Canadian former synchronized swimmer, world champion and coach.
Career
Calkins trained with the Calgary Aquabelles. In her first international competition she won a silver medal in the team event at the 1973 World Aquatics ...
, at the Canadian Aquatic Championships, the first of three years that she won both events.
Vanderburg was the first non-American to win the World Championship at both the Solo and Duet events, doing so at the
1978 World Aquatic Championships in
West Berlin
West Berlin (german: Berlin (West) or , ) was a political enclave which comprised the western part of Berlin during the years of the Cold War. Although West Berlin was de jure not part of West Germany, lacked any sovereignty, and was under mi ...
. After Calkins' retirement in 1978 Vanderburg partnered with
Kelly Kryczka, they went on to win gold in the duet at the
1979 Pan American Games
The 1979 Pan American Games (Spanish: ''Juegos Panamericanos de 1979''), officially the VIII Pan American Games were a multi-sport event governed by the Panam Sports Organization, and were held in San Juan, Puerto Rico, from July 1 to July 15 ...
, Vanderburg also won gold in the solo event. Vanderburg retired from competition in 1979.
Titles
1979
*
Pan American Games (in
Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico (; abbreviated PR; tnq, Boriken, ''Borinquen''), officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico ( es, link=yes, Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico, lit=Free Associated State of Puerto Rico), is a Caribbean island and unincorporated ...
) - gold in both solo and duet; silver in the team
* Fina World Cup (in
Tokyo
Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and List of cities in Japan, largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, ...
) - gold in both solo and duet
* Pan Pacific Games (in
Christchurch
Christchurch ( ; mi, Ōtautahi) is the largest city in the South Island of New Zealand and the seat of the Canterbury Region. Christchurch lies on the South Island's east coast, just north of Banks Peninsula on Pegasus Bay. The Avon Rive ...
,
New Zealand
New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...
) - gold in solo
* Canadian Senior Champion - solo, duet and figures
1978
*
World Aquatics Championships
The FINA World Championships or World Aquatics Championships are the World Championships for aquatics sports: swimming, diving, high diving, open water swimming, artistic swimming, and water polo. They are run by FINA, and all swimming events ...
(in
Berlin
Berlin ( , ) is the capital and List of cities in Germany by population, largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's List of cities in the European Union by population within ci ...
) - gold in both solo and duet
* Canadian Senior Champion - solo, duet and figures
1977
* Pan Pacific Games (in
Mexico City
Mexico City ( es, link=no, Ciudad de México, ; abbr.: CDMX; Nahuatl: ''Altepetl Mexico'') is the capital city, capital and primate city, largest city of Mexico, and the List of North American cities by population, most populous city in North Amer ...
,
Mexico
Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...
) - gold in duet; silver in solo and team
* Canadian Senior Champion - both solo and duet
1973
* Canadian Jr. Champion - both solo and duet
Honors
Vanderburg was awarded the
Velma Springstead Trophy The Velma Springstead Trophy is an award presented annually to Canada's outstanding female athlete. It is named in honour of track athlete Velma Springstead whose career ended prematurely when she died from pneumonia in 1927 when only 20 years old ...
in 1979 as Canada's outstanding female athlete of the year
Vanderburg was elected to the
Canadian Sports Hall of Fame
Canada's Sports Hall of Fame (french: Panthéon des sports canadiens; sometimes referred to as the Canadian Sports Hall of Fame) is a Canadian sports hall of fame and museum in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Dedicated to the history of sports in Canada, ...
in 1983.
She was inducted into the
Alberta Sports Hall of Fame
The Alberta Sports Hall of Fame is a hall of fame and museum in Red Deer, Alberta, Canada, dedicated to the preservation and history of sports within the province. It was created in 1957 by the Alberta Amateur Athletic Union (AAAU). The museum ...
in 1980,
and in 1985, she was inducted into the
International Swimming Hall of Fame
The International Swimming Hall of Fame and Museum (ISHOF) is a history museum and hall of fame, located at One Hall of Fame Drive, Fort Lauderdale, Florida, United States, operated by private interests and serving as the central point for the s ...
.
See also
*
List of members of the International Swimming Hall of Fame
References
External links
Official web site*
ttp://ishof.org/helen-vanderberg-(can).html International Swimming Hall of Fame profileAlberta Sports Hall of Fame and Museum profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Vanderburg, Helen
1959 births
Living people
Alberta Sports Hall of Fame inductees
Canadian people of Dutch descent
Swimmers from Calgary
Canadian synchronized swimmers
University of Calgary alumni
Pan American Games medalists in synchronized swimming
Pan American Games gold medalists for Canada
Pan American Games silver medalists for Canada
Synchronized swimmers at the 1979 Pan American Games
Medalists at the 1979 Pan American Games