| Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| National team | Canada | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sport | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sport | Swimming | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Strokes | Synchronised swimming | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Club | Calgary Aquabelles | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Coach | Debbie Muir | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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Michelle Calkins is a former Canadian synchronized swimmer, world champion, and coach.
| Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| National team | Canada | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sport | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sport | Swimming | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Strokes | Synchronised swimming | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Club | Calgary Aquabelles | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Coach | Debbie Muir | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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Michelle Calkins is a former Canadian synchronized swimmer, world champion, and coach.
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 Championships in Belgrade, Yugoslavia. [1] She was also a member of the silver medal team at the 1975 Pan American Games. [1] Her most notable successes came with her partner Helen Vanderburg. At the Pan Pacific Championships in Mexico City, the pair won gold for the first time. They won gold again at the Canadian Aquatic Championships in 1978 in Berlin and were the first Canadian duo to earn gold medals in that event. [1] Calkins retired from competition in 1978. [2]
After she retired from her swimming career, Calkins began coaching with the Calgary Aquabelles winning gold with her first team at the Canada Winter Games in Brandon, Manitoba. [2] Michelle coached with the Aquabelle Club winning numerous Junior National team titles and Junior coach of the year 1984; continuing under the guidance of Olympic coach Debbie Muir, Michelle coached the Senior Aquabelle team to three National Championships over the span of her career. She began serving as a coach for the Canadian National Team in synchronized swimming in 1988, winning gold in solo, duet, and team at the Loano Cup in Italy in 1992, and Canada's last silver medal in team at the World Championships in Rome in 1994. Michelle was honoured nationally by the Coaching Association of Canada for her success at the World Championships. Calkins was the personal coach of five Canadian team Olympians: Reed, Fonteyne, Clark, Chan and Tatham. She has since retired from coaching.[ citation needed ]
Calkins and Vanderburg won the Elaine Tanner Award as the best young female athletes in Canada in 1977. They were inducted into the Canadian Swimming Hall of Fame in 1979. Calkins was inducted into the Alberta Sports Hall of Fame in 1980 [3] and became a member of the International Swimming Hall of Fame in 2001. [1]
Carolyn Jane Waldo, is a Canadian former synchronized swimmer and broadcaster.
Helen Vanderburg is a former Canadian synchronized swimmer and world champion.
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Deborah Muir is a Canadian former synchronized swimmer and coach. She began her career with the Calgary Aquabelles club in 1965 and won silver medals in the synchronized swimming team competitions at both the 1971 Pan American Games and the 1973 World Aquatics Championships. At age 20, Muir retired from competition and began a career in coaching. She coached swimmers of the Calgary Aquabelles to 22 national titles over a decade. She also helped athletes clinch medals in the World Aquatics Championships, the FINA Cup, the Commonwealth Games, the Pan American Games and the Summer Olympic Games. Muir has won various awards for her coaching career, and is an inductee of the Alberta Sports Hall of Fame, the Canadian Olympic Hall of Fame, Canada's Sports Hall of Fame and the International Swimming Hall of Fame.
Sylvie Fortier is a Canadian former synchronized swimmer. She won medals in Canadian provincial and national competitions, at the World Aquatics Championships, the Pan American Games and the Pan Pacific Games. Fortier was named the 1976 world champion in synchronized swimming for her achievements that year and was a torch bearer for the opening ceremony of the Montreal Summer Olympics. She retired in 1977 aged just 18. Fortier is an inductee of Canada's Sports Hall of Fame and the Aquatics Hall of Fame.