Lori Jane Powell (November 8, 1971 – November 18, 2021) was a

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 ...

racquetball Racquetball is a racquet sport and a team sport played with a hollow rubber ball on an indoor or outdoor court. Joseph Sobek invented the modern sport of racquetball in 1950, adding a stringed racquet to paddleball in order to increase velo ...

player from

Prince Albert, Saskatchewan Prince Albert is the third-largest city in Saskatchewan, Canada, after Saskatoon and Regina. It is situated near the centre of the province on the banks of the North Saskatchewan River. The city is known as the "Gateway to the North" because ...

. Powell was Pan American Champion twice (1 singles & 1 doubles title) and Canadian Champion five times (three singles & two doubles titles). She retired in 2007 due to a right knee injury.

Professional career

Powell was ranked in the top 10 rankings of the

Women's Professional Racquetball Organization The Ladies Professional Racquetball Tour is the latest name for the women's professional racquetball tour. It features the world's best players and several events each season - running from September to May - that are mostly played in the USA. Hist ...

(WPRO) at the end of four seasons. Her career best finishes were two semi-finals.

International career

Powell won gold medals on two of her 18 international appearances with Team Canada. She won singles at the 2004

Pan American Racquetball Championships The Pan American Racquetball Championships are held annually in the spring with play ending on the day before Easter. Originally called the Tournament of the Americas, the Pan American Championships are hosted by the Pan American Racquetball Confede ...

and doubles in 2002 with Karina Odegard at the

Pan American Championships A Pan American Championship is a top level international sports competition between athletes or sports teams representing their respective countries or professional sports clubs in the Americas. Typically these championships are recurring, the most ...

. Powell was also part of Team Canada that won the overall team title at the 2000

World Championships A world championship is generally an international competition open to elite competitors from around the world, representing their nations, and winning such an event will be considered the highest or near highest achievement in the sport, game, ...

, which is the only time the USA has not won that title. Powell was also a silver medalist in doubles at the 1999

Pan American Games The Pan American Games (also known colloquially as the Pan Am Games) is a continental multi-sport event in the Americas featuring summer sports, in which thousands of athletes participate in a variety of competitions. The competition is held ...

with Debbie Ward, losing the final to Americans

Jackie Paraiso Jackie (Jacqueline) Paraiso (born September 14, 1966) is an American racquetball player. Paraiso was the #1 player on the women's pro racquetball tour at the end of the 1991-92, 1998–99, and 1999-2000 seasons. She is a seven time World Champion ...

and Joy MacKenzie. Powell was a bronze medalist on four occasions: in singles at the 2003

Pan Am Games The Pan American Games (also known colloquially as the Pan Am Games) is a continental multi-sport event in the Americas featuring summer sports, in which thousands of athletes participate in a variety of competitions. The competition is held ...

and 2001

and in doubles with Amanda MacDonald at 2003

and with Josée Grand'Maître at 2006

, which was Powell's last competition.

Canadian career

Powell was Canadian Women's Singles Champion three times: in 1995, 2003, and 2004. She was also the Canadian Women's Doubles Champion twice: in 1999 with Debbie Ward and in 2001 with

Josée Grand'Maître Josée Grand'Maître (born July 28, 1961) is a Canadian retired racquetball player from Hull, Quebec (now Gatineau, Quebec). Grand'Maître won the Canadian Women's Singles title three times, and the Canadian Women's Doubles title 15 times. Her la ...

Personal

Powell earned a B.A. (psychology) and M.S. (kinesiology) from the

University of Saskatchewan A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, t ...

, and was certification as both a physical and mental trainer. She ran Powell-Performance, a physical and mental training business, when she lived in

Calgary Calgary ( ) is the largest city in the western Canadian province of Alberta and the largest metro area of the three Prairie Provinces. As of 2021, the city proper had a population of 1,306,784 and a metropolitan population of 1,481,806, makin ...

. Powell received the Women's Award from Racquetball Canada in 2003 in recognition of contributions that advance women in racquetball. Also, she was Racquetball Canada's Technical Director from 2004 to 2009. She was inducted into the Prince Albert Sports Hall of Fame in 2006. Powell was the Prince Albert Female Athlete of the Year in 2000. Powell died in Calgary after suffering a heart attack in her sleep.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Powell, Lori-Jane 1971 births 2021 deaths Canadian racquetball players Sportspeople from Saskatchewan Pan American Games silver medalists for Canada Pan American Games bronze medalists for Canada Pan American Games medalists in racquetball Racquetball players at the 1999 Pan American Games Medalists at the 1999 Pan American Games Sportspeople from Prince Albert, Saskatchewan