Bobbie Rosenfeld facts for kids
Fanny Rosenfeld at the 1928 Olympics
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| Personal information | ||||||||||||||
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| Birth name | Fanny Rosenfeld | |||||||||||||
| Born | December 28, 1904 Ekaterinoslav, Russian Empire (now Dnipro, Ukraine) |
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| Died | November 13, 1969 (aged 64) Toronto, Ontario, Canada |
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| Height | 1.69 m | |||||||||||||
| Weight | 61 kg | |||||||||||||
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| Sport | Athletics | |||||||||||||
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Medal record
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Fanny "Bobbie" Rosenfeld (born December 28, 1904 – died November 14, 1969) was an amazing Canadian athlete. She won a gold medal in the 100-metre relay race at the 1928 Summer Olympics in Amsterdam. She also earned a silver medal in the 100-metre individual race. Bobbie was a superstar in many sports, including basketball, hockey, softball, and tennis! People called her "Bobbie" because of her short, "bobbed" haircut.
In 1949, she was named the "Canadian woman athlete of the half-century." The Bobbie Rosenfeld Award is a special award named in her honour. In 1996, she was added to the Ontario Sports Hall of Fame.
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About Bobbie Rosenfeld
Bobbie Rosenfeld was born on December 18, 1904. Her birthplace was Ekaterinoslav, which is now called Dnipro in Ukraine. Her family was Jewish. When she was a baby, her family moved to Barrie, Canada. She had an older brother and three younger sisters.
Her father, Max Rosenfeld, ran a business. Her mother, Sarah, took care of their home. Fanny went to Central School and Barrie Collegiate Institute. She was very good at sports there. She played basketball, softball, lacrosse, hockey, and tennis.
In 1922, her family moved to Toronto. Fanny worked at a chocolate factory. She passed away in Toronto on November 13, 1969. She is buried in Lambton Mills Cemetery.
Bobbie's Sports Career
Bobbie Rosenfeld played many different sports. These included track and field, ice hockey, basketball, fastball, softball, lacrosse, golf, speed skating, and tennis. Someone once joked that the only sport she wasn't good at was swimming!
In 1949, Bobbie was added to Canada's Sports Hall of Fame. She was one of the first women to get this honour. In 1950, she was named the "Canadian woman athlete of the first half-century."
Since 1978, The Canadian Press has given out the Bobbie Rosenfeld Award. This award goes to Canada's best female athlete of the year.
Basketball Skills
After moving to Toronto in 1922, Bobbie joined the Young Women's Hebrew Association (YWHA). She played center for their basketball team. That year, her team won both the Toronto and Ontario championships.
Hockey Star
Bobbie was also a fantastic hockey player in the 1920s. People called her the "superwoman of ladies' hockey." In 1924, she helped start the Ladies Ontario Hockey Association (LOHA).
She played on championship hockey teams even after her Olympic track and field success. She was a center for the Toronto Patterson Pats. This team won the Ontario championship in 1927 and 1929. Many people thought she was the best women's hockey player in Ontario from 1931 to 1932.
Softball and Tennis
Bobbie also played on a championship softball team after her Olympic debut. In 1924, she won the Toronto Ladies Grass Court Tennis championship. This was amazing because she had only just started playing tennis!
Track and Field Success
In 1923, Bobbie's softball friends encouraged her to try a track competition. She entered a 100-yard (91 m) dash and beat the Canadian champion, Rosa Grosse. Later that year, she trained more seriously. She competed at the Canadian National Exhibition and Ontario’s first women's track and field championship.
At the 1925 Ontario Ladies Track and Field championships, Bobbie had an incredible day. She won first place in discus, shot put, 220-yard (200 m) dash, low hurdles, and long jump. She also placed second in javelin and the 100-yard (91 m) dash. In the mid-1920s, she held national records. These included the 440-yard (400 m) open relay, standing broad jump, discus, javelin, and shot put.
Olympic Achievements
During the tryouts for the 1928 Summer Olympics, Bobbie set many Canadian track and field records. These included records in the running broad jump, standing broad jump, and discus. Her time in the 100 metres was very close to the world record.
She competed as a sprinter in the 1928 Olympics. This was the first time women were allowed to compete in track and field at the Olympics. Her team won a gold medal in the 4 × 100 m relay race. She also won a silver medal in the 100-yard (91 m) dash. She finished fifth in the 800-metre (870 yd) dash. Bobbie "scored more points for her country than any other athlete at the Games, male or female."
Life After Competing
One year after the Olympics, Bobbie developed severe arthritis. This health issue forced her to stop competing in 1933. However, she stayed involved in sports. She worked as a coach, leader, or manager for many women's sports teams.
Staying in Sports
In 1934, Bobbie coached the Canadian women's track and field team. They competed at the British Commonwealth Games in London, England.
From 1934 to 1939, Bobbie was the president of the Ladies Ontario Hockey Association. She also served as the organization's secretary and treasurer. From 1937 to 1939, she was president of the Dominion Women's Amateur Hockey Association.
In 1939, Bobbie managed the Langley's Lakesides softball team. This team played an exhibition game in front of 14,000 fans at Madison Square Garden.
Becoming a Journalist
In 1937, Bobbie started a new career in journalism. She became a sports columnist for The Globe and Mail newspaper. She wrote for about twenty years. She strongly believed that more women should play sports. She also pushed for more physical education programs for girls in schools.
In 1937, she started a column called "Feminine Sports Reel." In this column, she shared sports news. She also fought against the idea that sports made women "unfeminine." Bobbie wrote about women's sports for 18 years. Her last column was on December 3, 1958. She continued to work for the newspaper until 1966.
Awards and Honours
- 1924 – Won the Toronto grass-courts tennis championship
- Five first place and two second place titles at Ontario Ladies' Track and Field Championships
- Set a world record (later broken) in the 100 yd (91 m). dash (11.0 seconds)
- 1931 – Was the leading home run hitter in her softball league
- 1931–32 – Named the most outstanding woman hockey player in Ontario
- 1949 – Inducted into Canada's Sports Hall of Fame
- In 1949, The Canadian Press named Bobbie Rosenfeld the Canadian Woman Athlete of the Half-Century.
- In 1996, she was inducted into the Ontario Sports Hall of Fame.
Bobbie's Legacy
Bobbie Rosenfeld left a lasting impact on Canadian sports.
- 1976 – Recognized as a national historic person by the Canadian Historic Sites and Monuments Board.
- 1991 – Bobbie Rosenfeld Park was named after her. This park is in Toronto, between the Rogers Centre and the CN Tower.
- A plaque from the City of Toronto government honours her at the base of the CN Tower.
- The Government of Canada placed a plaque at the Allandale Recreation Centre in Barrie, Ontario. This honours the athlete who grew up in the city.
- 1996 – Canada Post issued a special stamp to remember her.
- The official website of the 2012 Summer Olympics says she was the first Ukraine-born gold medal winner.
- The Bobbie Rosenfeld trophy is given by the Canadian Press each year. It goes to Canada's Female Athlete of the Year.
- On December 28, 2022, Google created a special doodle for her 118th birthday in Canada.
See also
In Spanish: Bobbie Rosenfeld para niños
- List of select Jewish track and field athletes
Books
- Anne Dublin, Bobbie Rosenfeld: The Olympian who Could Do Everything, Second Story Press, Toronto, 2004, code ISBN: 1-896764-82-7
- Cruxton J Bradley and Wilson, W. Douglas "Spotlight Canada: Fourth Edition"
