Joy SpearChief-Morris

Joy SpearChief-Morris (born 17 March 1994) is an indigenous Canadian hurdler from Lethbridge, Alberta. She is a multiple Ontario University Athletics and U Sports (formerly Canadian Interuniversity Sport) track champion and has competed for the Canadian U23 National Team. A Blackfoot from Alberta's Blood Tribe (also known as the Kainai Nation), SpearChief-Morris was the (female) recipient of the 2017 Tom Longboat Awards, awarded annually by the Aboriginal Sport Circle to the most outstanding male and female indigenous athletes in Canada. Her mother is Kainai First Nation and her father is an African-American from Los Angeles.

Currently, she holds the 115th position in the World Ranking of the International Association of Athletics Federations for 100-metre hurdles, scoring 1137 points. Her best position to date in such an event has been 111th. In the Women's Overall Ranking, she occupies the 1400th position.

In June 2019, SpearChief-Morris was announced as part of the Canadian delegation for the 2019 FISU Summer Universiade, held in July, in Italy. In the 100-metre hurdles, she obtained the fifth place in the final (13.34 seconds). That was her first time competing in the hurdles on the international stage. but was unsuccessful.

Personal life SpearChief-Morris was born in Lethbridge, Alberta, in a family that loved basketball. As a child, she was influenced by her older brother Julian SpearChief-Morris to practice sports and describes herself as a "multi-sport athlete all through school". In elementary school, SpearChief-Morris's favorite events were track and field and the high jump, but she also practised volleyball and basketball. She ultimately chose to join track and field, as she excelled in the sport above her peers.

Her brother, Julian SpearChief-Morris is the first indigenous student to head Harvard Law School's venerable Legal Aid Bureau.

Athletic career As a result of her performance in high school, The University of Guelph wanted the young athlete on their team, and paid her an official visit. Despite that, most of her financial aid was based on academic performance and external entrance scholarships. Her research focuses on Indigenous treaties, land claims, and reconciliation in Canada.

Nowadays, SpearChief-Morris also works as a program coordinator assistant at the Indigenous Student Centre at the UWO.

Volunteerism She volunteers extensively within Canadian indigenous communities and aspires to be a role model for aboriginal youth. In 2017, she was awarded the Student Athlete Community Service Award by both the OUA and U Sports. SpearChief-Morris is both a "volunteer speaker and motivator for the Kainai 5 km Community Fun Run, which encourages health and fitness in the Kainai community. She was also the keynote speaker at the Kainai Truth and Reconciliation Conference's First Nations Track and Field Day, where she spoke about the power of sport.

Notable accomplishments Source:

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 records Source:

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)