Terry Vandale, a lifelong friend of curling and former chair of Curl BC, has been honoured with the BC Sports Hall of Fame’s Eric Whitehead Inspired Service Award.

The award, which was also given to five others, recognizes inspired service in and to sport in British Columbia. The honourees were announced, along with the Hall’s 2021 class of inductees, last night at a virtual ceremony held at the Surrey Art Gallery/Surrey Arts Centre.

In her 35 years of curling—as a player, coach, and administrator—the sheer volume of Vandale’s experience speaks volumes about her commitment to the sport.

Starting out as a club rep in 1986, she moved up to a District Convenor for the BC Ladies Curling Association in 1990, and chaired curling in Elk Valley for the BC Senior Games in 1999.

After Curl BC was formed in 2004, from the amalgamation of the Pacific Coast Curling Association, the British Columbia Interior Curling Association and the British Columbia Ladies’ Curling Association, Vandale was elected as a director for Region 2. In 2005, she was elected vice president of Curl BC.

During her time on the executive, Vandale championed both wheelchair and stick curling, raising consciousness of mobility-related issues, and helping to make the sport much more inclusive. She also served as chair of Athlete and Coach Services, as well as the Wheelchair Committee, and sat as a delegate to the Canadian Curling Association, where she was given the Ray Kingsmith Award for exceptional volunteerism.

Vandale has spent countless volunteer hours with young curlers, and coached numerous teams to the provincial level. For her work with youths, Curl BC awarded her the Elsie MacKenzie Award for Youth and Junior Curling Program Volunteer. She also received the Janette Robbins Builder Award, for building and promoting the sport of curling in BC. In 2007, she was elected chair of Curl BC, and was re-elected multiple times. In recognition of her years of service, Vandale was named a Life Member of Curl BC, an honour reserved for those who have performed special services to both the organization and to the sport of curling.

In addition to curling, Vandale has been very active in softball over the years—also as a player, coach, and administrator. Some of the highlights of her time in softball include serving as a general manager for minor ball for the 2016 Alberta Summer Games, helping to organize the Alberta Under 16 Provincial Softball Championship, and coaching a team to the Western Canadian Championships, as well as many provincials. A recipient of the Softball Alberta Merit Award, she is still active in softball administration.

For a full list of the 2021 Eric Whitehead award winners, please see https://bit.ly/3akaSmT