Kathy Wells – Athlete

Inducted April 5, 2008

Kathy Wells was the best female table tennis player this province has ever produced. She was also a dominant female table tennis player in the Atlantic region and for much of her career was a force on the national scene. Her local accomplishments include Newfoundland Junior Ladies Singles Champion (1977, 1979), Newfoundland Ladies Singles Champion for ten consecutive years (1977 to 1986), Newfoundland Ladies Doubles Champion (1979, 1982, 1983), and Newfoundland Mixed Doubles Champion (1979, 1982, 1983). She was the St. John’s Open Ladies Singles Winner for nine consecutive years (1978 to 1986). In 1978, Wells was also the MUN Open Junior Singles Winner. Wells represented the province at numerous Atlantic Provinces Championships and spent a number of years as the top-ranked player in that part of the country. She won four silver medals and four gold medals in Atlantic Provinces Ladies Singles; one silver medal and one gold medal in Atlantic Provinces Ladies Doubles; a silver medal in Atlantic Provinces Mixed Doubles; one silver medal and five gold medals in Atlantic Provinces Team Play; a gold medal in Atlantic Provinces Team Play Ladies; and, a gold medal in Atlantic Provinces Mens B Singles. On the national scene, Wells was the star of the show for the Newfoundland contingent at the 1979 Canada Winter Games in Brandon, Manitoba with a playing record of 27-5. She was a member of the Newfoundland Team at the Canadian National Championships from 1976 to 1986. While at the Canadian National Championships, she won two gold medals in Team Play Group B, a gold medal in Team Event Group B, a bronze medal in Team Event Group A, a gold medal in Ladies A Singles, and two silver medals in Ladies B Singles. Wells’ athletic performance led her to be named Springdale’s Female Athlete of the Year four times. The high school teams she led at Grant Collegiate in Springdale won the Provincial High School Championships throughout her high school days. The level of competition and coaching she brought to that program left a legacy which enabled the school table tennis system to remain strong enough to win several more championships after she departed. In 1977, Wells was named Springdale Athlete of the Year and received the Springdale Outstanding Table Tennis Player Award. She was runner up for St. John’s Female Athlete of the Year and Newfoundland Female Athlete of the Year in 1982. In 1988, Wells received the Canada Celebration Olympic Spirit Award for Athletic Excellence in Sport.