Joy SpearChief-Morris facts for kids

Joy SpearChief-Morris, born on March 17, 1994, is a talented Canadian hurdler from Lethbridge, Alberta. She is an Indigenous athlete, part of the Blackfoot Blood Tribe (also known as the Kainai Nation) in Alberta. Joy has won many championships in university sports, including titles from Ontario University Athletics and U Sports. She has also competed for Canada on the U23 National Team.

In 2017, Joy was honored with the Tom Longboat Awards. These awards are given every year by the Aboriginal Sport Circle to the best male and female Indigenous athletes in Canada. Joy's mother is from the Kainai First Nation, and her father is African-American from Los Angeles.

Joy is currently ranked 115th in the world for 100-meter hurdles by the International Association of Athletics Federations. Her best ranking in this event was 111th.

In June 2019, Joy was chosen to represent Canada at the FISU Summer Universiade in Italy. This was a big international sports event for university students. She finished fifth in the 100-meter hurdles final, which was her first time competing in hurdles on the world stage. Joy trained hard to join the Canadian Olympic team for the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, Japan, but she did not make the team.

Her Early Life and Sports

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

When she was in elementary school, Joy's favorite sports were track and field and high jump. She also played volleyball and basketball. Eventually, she chose track and field because she was very good at it. In high school, she won the 100-meter race at the Alberta Provincials. This made her decide to pursue track and field at a competitive level. She graduated from Lethbridge Collegiate Institute high school in 2012.

Her brother, Julian SpearChief-Morris, made history as the first Indigenous student to lead Harvard Law School's important Legal Aid Bureau.

Becoming a Top Athlete

Because of her strong performance in high school, the University of Guelph wanted Joy to join their team. However, Joy was looking for a place where she could grow as both an athlete and a student. She also looked at universities in the United States, but they did not meet her academic goals.

Joy eventually received a scholarship to the University of British Columbia (UBC) in Vancouver. Most of her financial help came from her good grades and other scholarships. She moved to Vancouver in the fall of 2012. At UBC, she met coach Derrick Johnston, who noticed her talent right away. She started to improve as a sprinter in the 100 and 200-meter races.

In her second year at UBC, Joy was not happy with her academic program. She changed her major twice, first to classical archaeology and then to anthropology. At the same time, her scholarship did not increase, and the team atmosphere changed. Also, coach Derrick Johnston took a job at the University of Western Ontario (UWO) in London, Ontario.

Coach Johnston suggested Joy to Western's head coach, Vickie Croley. Soon after, Joy moved to UWO. She changed her academic program again, this time to history with a minor in First Nations studies. Joy believes that moving to Western was one of her best decisions. She holds school records at UWO for the 60-meter race (7.4 seconds) and 60-meter hurdles (8.28 seconds). She is also a four-time All-Canadian athlete. She has won seven national championship medals, including the 2016 women's 60-meter sprint national title.

In 2014, Joy made her international debut at the NACAC Under-23 Championships in Athletics. Her 100-meter relay team won a silver medal, finishing second to the United States.

After graduating from UWO, Joy moved to Santa Barbara, California, to train. She joined the Santa Barbara Track Club. Her goal was to make the Canadian team for the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, Japan. Since 2012, her idol has been the American Olympic and World track and field champion Allyson Felix. Joy admires Allyson's ability to be so dominant in many different events.

Joy first thought California would be the best place to train, but she did not enjoy her time there. She decided to return to Ontario.

Her Education Journey

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

She is currently studying for a master's degree in Political Science at UWO. Her research focuses on 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.

Giving Back to the Community

Joy volunteers a lot in Canadian Indigenous communities. She wants to be a good example for Indigenous youth. In 2017, she received 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 health and fitness in the Kainai community. She was also a main speaker at the Kainai Truth and Reconciliation Conference's First Nations Track and Field Day. There, she spoke about how powerful sports can be.

Joy's Big 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

Her Best Sports Times

Outdoor

• 100m Hurdles: 13.59 +1.1 wind (2017)
• 100m Hurdles: 13.45 +3.6 (2017)
• 100m: 11.68 +1.0 (2014)
• 100m 11.52 +3.9 (2016)
• 200m: 24.03 +2.0 (2014)

Indoor

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