Jennifer Walinga

Jennifer Walinga (née Doey, born January 9, 1965) is a retired rower who competed between the 1980s to 1990s. As a member of the national rowing team for Canada, Walinga did not medal at the 1985 World Rowing Championships. In coxed four events, Walinga won gold at the 1986 Commonwealth Games and the 1986 World Rowing Championships. Years later, she had a seventh place finish in coxed four at the 1988 Summer Olympics.

During the 1990s, Walinga won gold at the coxed four and eight events at the 1991 World Rowing Championships. She retired from competing before she was supposed to compete at the 1992 Summer Olympics. Outside of rowing, Walinga began teaching at St. Michaels University School in 1992 before expanding her career to Royal Roads University in 2000. Walinga was inducted into the Canada's Sports Hall of Fame in 2013 and the Canadian Rowing Hall of Fame in 2017. In 2024, she was inducted into the Brock University Hall of Fame.

Early life and education
Walinga was born January 9, 1965, in Scarborough, Ontario, and moved to Peterborough, Ontario, when she was 6. She went to Peterborough Collegiate for high school and played in various sports including volleyball and basketball. For her post-secondary studies, Walinga started at Brock University with a Bachelor of Liberal Studies in 1987 before obtaining a Bachelor of Education from the University of Western Ontario the following year. She later went on to earn a Master of Arts in Leadership at Royal Roads University and a PhD in Organizational Studies at the University of Victoria, BC.

Career
Walinga started her rowing career in the 1980s with the Peterborough Rowing Club. She started to compete in international rowing competitions at the 1983 World Rowing Junior Championships and became a member of the National rowing team of Canada in 1984. The following year, she participated at the 1985 World Rowing Championships and placed 5th in the Women's 8 with coxswain.

In 1986, Walinga won a gold medal in the coxed four event at the 1986 Commonwealth Games. Later that year, she received a bronze at the 1986 World Rowing Championships in coxed four. After a 7th-place finish at the 1988 Summer Olympics in coxed four, she won gold at the 1991 World Rowing Championships in coxed four and eight. Although she was supposed to compete at the 1992 Summer Olympics, Walinga was forced to withdraw before racing in the heat at the Olympics due to a back injury. The team's spare, Kay Worthington, a multi Olympian, was able to replace Walinga in the four and help the team won gold in both the four and eight races. After the Olympics, Walinga's crew mate Brenda Taylor, presented Walinga with one of her two medals to signify her contributions to the wins.

Upon retiring from rowing, Walinga taught in Toronto York District and then in Victoria BC in the Sooke District, finally establishing herself as an English teacher and Rowing coach at St. Michaels University School from 1992 to 2007. While at St, Michaels, she starting working at Royal Roads University in 2000 and became the university's School of Communication & Culture director in 2008.

Awards and honors
In 2013, Walinga was inducted into the Canada's Sports Hall of Fame. The same year, she became a member of the Peterborough and District Sports Hall of Fame. In 2017, she was inducted into the Canadian Rowing Hall of Fame as a member of the 1992 Canadian Olympic Coxless Fours team.

Personal life
Walinga is married with three children. She is a full professor at Royal Roads University and continues to compete in rowing at the Head of the Charles in Boston, MA, and other masters championships events. Her and her 90's crew have won many masters golds.