Joy SpearChief-Morris facts for kids

Joy SpearChief-Morris was born on March 17, 1994. She is a talented Canadian athlete from Lethbridge, Alberta. Joy is known for her amazing skills in hurdling, which is a type of running race where athletes jump over barriers.

She has won many championships in track and field, including titles from Ontario University Athletics and U Sports. Joy has also represented Canada on the U23 National Team. She is a member of the Blackfoot Blood Tribe, also known as the Kainai Nation, from Alberta.

In 2017, Joy received the Tom Longboat Awards. This award celebrates the best Indigenous male and female athletes in Canada each year. Her mother is from the Kainai First Nation, and her father is African-American from Los Angeles.

Joy is a top athlete in the world. She has been ranked 111th globally for the 100-metre hurdles. In June 2019, she joined the Canadian team for the FISU Summer Universiade in Italy. There, she finished fifth in the 100-metre hurdles, which was a great achievement for her first international hurdles competition.

Joy trained hard to join the Canadian Olympic team for the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, Japan. While she didn't make the team, her dedication shows her strong athletic spirit.

About Joy's Life

Joy SpearChief-Morris grew up in Lethbridge, Alberta. Her family loved basketball, and her older brother, Julian, inspired her to get into sports. Joy describes herself as someone who played many sports throughout school.

When she was younger, Joy enjoyed track and field, especially the high jump. She also played volleyball and basketball. But she was best at track and field, so she decided to focus on it. In high school, she won the 100-metre race at the Alberta Provincials. This made her want to compete even more. She finished high school at Lethbridge Collegiate Institute in 2012.

Joy's brother, Julian SpearChief-Morris, made history too. He was the first Indigenous student to lead the Legal Aid Bureau at Harvard Law School.

Joy's Sports Journey

Because of her strong performance in high school, the University of Guelph wanted Joy to join their team. They even invited her for a visit. Joy felt that she didn't connect with the sprinters there, which was important for her as a 100m and 200m runner.

Joy also looked at universities in the United States. However, none of them met her goals for both sports and academics.

Eventually, Joy received a scholarship to the University of British Columbia (UBC) in Vancouver. Her high school vice-principal helped her with this. Most of her financial help came from her good grades and other scholarships.

Joy moved to Vancouver in the fall of 2012. At UBC, she met her coach, Derrick Johnston. He noticed her talent right away. Joy quickly improved as a sprinter in the 100 and 200-metre races.

In her second year at UBC, Joy wasn't happy with her studies. She changed her major twice, first to classical archaeology and then to anthropology. At the same time, her scholarship didn't increase, and the team spirit wasn't as good. Also, Coach Derrick Johnston moved to the University of Western Ontario (UWO) in London, Ontario.

Coach Johnston suggested Joy to the head coach at Western, Vickie Croley. Soon after, Joy moved to UWO. She changed her studies again, this time to history with a focus on First Nations studies.

Joy says that moving to Western was one of her best choices. She used to hold school records at UWO for the 60-metre and 60-metre hurdles. She has been named an All-Canadian athlete four times. Joy has also won seven national medals at U Sports championships, including the 60-metre sprint title in 2016.

In 2014, Joy competed internationally for the first time at the NACAC Under-23 Championships in British Columbia. Her 100-metre relay team won a silver medal, finishing second to the United States.

After graduating from UWO, Joy moved her training to Santa Barbara, California. She joined the Santa Barbara Track Club. Her goal was to make the Canadian team for the 2020 Olympic Games. Since 2012, her hero has been Allyson Felix, a famous American Olympic sprinter. Joy admires how Allyson excels in many different events.

Joy first thought California would be the best place to train. But she didn't enjoy her time there and decided to move back to Ontario.

Joy's Education

Joy SpearChief-Morris has a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Western Ontario (UWO). She studied History and First Nations Studies.

She is currently working on her master's degree in Political Science at UWO. She is focusing on Transitional Justice. Her research looks at Indigenous treaties, land claims, and how Canada can make things right with Indigenous peoples.

Joy also works as a program coordinator assistant at the Indigenous Student Centre at UWO.

Helping Her Community

Joy volunteers a lot with Indigenous communities in Canada. She wants to be a role model for young Indigenous people. In 2017, she won the Student Athlete Community Service Award from both the OUA and U Sports.

Joy is a volunteer speaker and motivator for the Kainai 5 km Community Fun Run. This event encourages healthy living in the Kainai community. She also gave a speech at the Kainai Truth and Reconciliation Conference's First Nations Track and Field Day. There, she talked about how sports can make a big difference.

Key Achievements

• Western University Record Holder in the 60m, 60m Hurdles and 4 × 200 m First Leg Split
• 2x All American at NAIA National Track and Field Championships (100m and 200m) (2014)
• 5x Academic All Canadian achievement (2012-2017)
• 3x Western Mustangs Women's Track Most Valuable Performer (MVP) (2015-2017)
• 8x Team All-Star at the Ontario University Athletics (OUA) Championships (2015-2017)
• 4x All Canadian at the Canadian Interuniversity Sport (CIS)/USports Championships (2015-2017)
• 3x Ontario University Athletics (OUA) Champion (60mH, 60m, 4 × 200 m) (2016-2017)
• 2x Ontario University Athletics (OUA) Female Track Event Most Valuable Performer (MVP) (2016-2017)
• 2014 - North American and Caribbean Athletic Championships (NACAC) U23 Canadian National Team Member; silver medal 4 × 100 m
• 2016 - Canadian University Athletics (USPORTS) Champion in the 60m
• 2017 - Bronze W Award Winner for Western University Athletics
• 2017 - Purple Blanket Award Winner for Western University Athletics
• 2017 - Don Wright Trophy Award Winner for Western University Track and Field
• 2017 - Ontario University Athletics (OUA) and Canadian University Athletics (USports) Student Athlete Community Service Award
• 2017 - The F.W.P. Jones Award as Top Graduating Female Athlete for Western University Athletics
• 2017 - The Honourable G. Howard Ferguson Award for Western University at 309th Spring Convocation
• 2017 - Tom Longboat National Award Winner as the Canadian Female Aboriginal Athlete of the Year

Personal Best Times

Outdoor

• 100m Hurdles: 13.59 seconds (2017)
• 100m: 11.68 seconds (2014)
• 200m: 24.03 seconds (2014)

Indoor

• 60m: 7.40 seconds (2016)
• 60m Hurdles: 8.28 seconds (2017)