Jacqueline LeGrow has won some big races in her day while seeing some pretty cool places from the vantage point of cross-country skis.
Over a 30-year career, the Stephenville native has found her way to the medal podium in provincial and national cross-country races on an individual basis and the international stage in the 4x4 team relay.
Her impressive resume has earned her induction into the Cross-Country Newfoundland and Labrador Hall of Fame in the athlete category. She was recognized for her stellar career during the group’s annual general meeting, where fellow inductees Will Fitzgerald of St. Anthony (athlete) and George Pink of St. Anthony (builder) were honoured for their commitment and dedication to nordic skiing in this province.
Cross-country skiing is a sport her whole family embraced some 30 years ago when her three daughters were involved in the Jackrabbit Program. After the children began getting into the sport from a racing angle LeGrow and her husband Bruce decided it was a good idea if they joined them on the trails.
It was a sport that brought her family together sharing a common interest, it brought her lifelong friendships with people from all over the world and it gave her a chance to see some cool places around the world with her husband Bruce heavily involved in the sport and one of the people who has always encouraged to seize the sport for all it has to offer a person.
“It is a lot of fun and that’s the main reason why I ski,” she said.
She has made her mark on the sport at every level with her share of medals for her fine individual performance, but the most exciting time of her career came in her first relay event in 2011 at Sovereign Lake, B.C., at the World Masters when she ran the anchor leg for Canada and claimed the bronze medal against the best in the world.
She had finished fourth in an individual race at worlds, but never made the medal podium so getting to do so as part of a four-member team was an awesome experience.
“It was a fantastic feeling to go on stage and represent Canada,” she said.
She is a shy woman who doesn’t like the spotlight so she was taken off guard with the good news, but she felt honoured that the nordic ski community thought she was worthy of being inducted into the Hall of Fame with so many other people who gave a lot to the sport over the years.
It’s never been about medals for her. It’s more about doing something that provides her with a fun time and a great way to keep the body in top condition.
Winter is a great time for her family. The weekends are spent hitting the trails and she wouldn’t have it any other way as long as the body can hold up.
“We can’t wait for the snow to fall,” she said.
