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Roseanne Allen
Roseanne Allen (March 7, 1954 – June 20, 2009) was a Canadian cross-country skier who competed in the 1972 Winter Olympics.[1] Early lifeAllen was born in Aklavik, Northwest Territories as a member of the Gwich'in First Nation. At age eight, Allen went to Grollier Hall residential school in Inuvik, Northwest Territories. There, she learned how to ski at age 10.[2] Allen was amongst several Aboriginal children, other notable examples being Gwich’in First Nation skiers Shirley and Sharon Firth, who were recruited and trained through the Territorial Experimental Ski Training program.[3] CareerIn 1968, at age 13, she became the youngest Canadian ever to win a Gold medal at the Canadian Junior Nordic Ski Championships, winning the 5 km race with a time of 25 minutes and 33 seconds.[4] She won gold at the Top of the World Ski Championship in 1971.[5] Allen was amongst the first Canadian Aboriginal women to be selected to compete in the Olympics, and in the 1972 Olympics in Sapporo, Japan, Allen competed in two cross-country skiing events. In the Women’s 5 kilometer, she placed 10th, and in the Women’s 3x5 kilometer relay, she placed 40th[6] Roseanne Allen was posthumously inducted into the NWT Sport Hall of Fame in 2019.[7] Personal lifeAfter a short career as a competitive cross-country skier, she retired from the national team in 1974 at the age of 20.[8] In 1988, she moved to Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario and began a career in health at the Indian Friendship Centre.[5] Allen married Mark Billingsley, and had a son, Nathan Allen.[5] On June 20, 2009, Allen died at the age of 55.[5] Cross-country skiing resultsOlympic Games
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