Ann Klager Higgs
Inducted In
1979
Ann Klager, a native of Hespeler, became Canadian Women’s Overall Champion Water Skier in 1969-70.
Water Skiing is divided into three categories – jump, slalom and tricks. Jumping consists of the skier riding over a ramp. The distance travelled from the top of the ramp to the water is recorded. Slalom skiing consists of skier negotiating six buoys in a standard course with boat speed and rope length variances. The total number of consecutive buoys is scored. Trick skiing is the performance of various figures or tricks on one or two skis within two twenty- second runs.
Participating in the first Summer Games in Canada in 1969 at Halifax, Higgs won gold medals in slalom and tricks and a silver in jump. Following the Games she won the overall Canadian Women’s Championship. The following week she tricked a record 3,006 points at Morrisburg, Ontario.
In August of 1970, Higgs won her second overall Canadian Women’s Championship. She then represented Canada at the North and South American Group I Championships in Mexico and won a silver medal in tricks.
She was forced to retire in August 1971 with severely pulled shoulder muscles, ligaments and tendons. These injuries occurred in practice at Puslinch Lake where she was preparing for the World Team Trials and the Nationals.