Canada’s Sports Hall of Fame Profile: Bev Boys

2015 marks the Year of Sport and the 60th anniversary of Canada’s Sports Hall of Fame. In recognition of these important milestones, OLM will be featuring Honoured Members of Canada’s Sports Hall of Fame in a weekly Profile piece.

Canada’s Sports Hall of Fame aims to share the stories and achievements of its Honoured Members to inspire Canadians in all aspects of life.

Bev Boys: Athlete, Diving

Bev Boys has not stayed out of the pool long since first diving into the competitive sport about 50 years ago.

Growing up on a farm in Pickering, Ontario, Boys’ love for water began with a backyard pool her father dug by hand. As she became a better swimmer, Boys started diving lessons in Toronto a few times a week. Her love and skill for the sport only grew from there.

Over the course of her ten-year career, Boys dominated the 1-metre, 3-metre and 10-metre diving heights. She won 34 national diving championships, as well as titles at international meets in the United States, Great Britain, Russia and East Germany. Boys also won three Pan-Am Games medals and seven Commonwealth Games medals—three of which were Gold. On top of these victories, she competed in the 1968, 1972 and 1976 Olympic Games, making the finals each time.

While Boys has been recognized internationally for her diving skill, she is also widely known for her coaching expertise and exceptional ability to teach others.

Not ready to leave the sport completely when retiring in 1977, she founded White Rock Divers in British Columbia. It is a diving club running various types of programs for all ages and skill levels. Today, Boys continues to spend a considerable amount of time training developing divers—where she says her true passion lies.

Boys has also provided her prowess as a judge at national and international competitions, including four Olympic Games, most recently in Beijing.

For more information, visit sportshall.ca.