CIS 50th Anniversary Success Stories (Week 3): Joyce Slipp

As part of its 50th Anniversary Celebration, Canadian Interuniversity Sport presents the CIS 50th Anniversary Success Stories series. Each Thursday throughout the 2011-12 season, we will profile two alumni from CIS member institutions who have made outstanding contributions in areas such as sports, business, politics or in the community. Today we are profiling the University of New Brunswick’s Joyce Slipp and Shawn Graham.

Slipp a legendary figure in Canadian basketball

A two-sport athlete during her playing days, Slipp excelled on the court and later as a coach and administrator

FREDERICTON - Joyce Slipp, a former standout athlete at the University of New Brunswick and basketball Olympian also had a stellar coaching career at her alma mater.

Joyce, a native of Moncton, New Brunswick, was with the UNB Athletics Program in one capacity or another since she began her undergraduate degree in 1969 until her retirement in 2006. She is a former student-athlete in the sports of field hockey and basketball and she is a two-time UNB graduate with a Bachelor of Physical Education (1972) and a Bachelor of Arts degree (1974). Joyce was awarded the Colin B. Mackay Shield in 1974 as UNB's Female Athlete of the Year.

From 1969 to 1976 Joyce was a member of the Canadian National Women's Basketball Team and competed in many different countries around the world. In 1976 she was named captain of the Canadian National Olympic Basketball Team for the Montreal Olympics.

From 1977-1990 (with a brief hiatus in 1980-81) she was a lecturer in the Faculty of Physical Education and Recreation and head coach of either field hockey or basketball and for several years coached both sports. In 1990 she took a break from UNB to become a Sport Consultant with the Province of New Brunswick but after five years (1995) returned to her love of coaching and once again took up the reigns as head basketball coach for the Varsity Reds women's program. It was on her return to UNB that she also took on the role as Assistant Athletic Director.

Over the years Joyce has been inducted into the Moncton Sports Wall of Fame, the Fredericton Sports Wall of Fame, the New Brunswick Sports Hall of Fame, the Canadian Olympic Hall of Fame, and the Canadian Basketball Hall of Fame.

As a coach at UNB she led her basketball teams to three Atlantic Championships and her field hockey teams to eight Atlantic Championships.  She was recognized by her field hockey peers as CIS Coach of the Year in 1986 and 1989 and in 1992 the field hockey rookie of the year award was named in her honour as the Joyce Slipp Rookie of the Year Award.

UNB hosted the 2006 CIS Women's Basketball Championships in March and Joyce retired later that summer.  "I've enjoyed it all - all the games, all the practices, all the athletes, everything about it. It was fun!"

Since retirement Joyce continues to volunteer in the community and has been involved in such events as the World Junior Track and Field championships held in Moncton in 2010.

Joyce and husband Dick continue to live in the Fredericton area.  They have two children Tyler and Shanda.  Tyler (BScCS) is the head coach of women’s basketball at the University of Waterloo and Shanda (BSc MD CCFP) is currently employed by the Department of Family Medicine at the University of Calgary.