Nov. 24, 2008 Sandy Janssens Horseshoe Canada Hall of Fame

Horseshoe Canada HALL OF FAME Members

Sandra JANSSENS


2008 - Sandra JANSSENS, Wallaceburg, ONT.

Sandy Janssens is the 2008 Horseshoe Canada Hall of Fame Inductee in the Female Outstanding Player category. The presentation took place in Calgary on August 16, 2008. The following resume is an updated version from the one presented following her induction into the NHPA Hall of Fame in 2001.

General:
Sandy JANSSENS was born (Sandra McLachlin) on July 9, 1971 in Wallaceburg (Ontario). Mother of two daughters, Sandy is a Certified General Accountant.

Provincial level:
Sandy was Ontario women's singles champion 13 times: 1987 (85.4% - an Ontario record which is also the highest ever recorded in a provincial championship in Canada); 1990 (83.9%); 1991 (72.3); 1994 (74.0); 1995 (79.8); 1996 (80.4); 1997 (78.5); 1998 (71.2); 2001 (73.4); 2002 (73.7); 2006 (74.8); 2007 (76.5) and 2008 (73.0)

National and International levels:
She participated 6 times in the Canadian women's championship (including once in the juniors). Her best finish was runner-up in 1987 to Diane Cantin, where Sandy recorded her high average (80.76) and high game (90.6) and set a Canadian record which still stands for the greatest number of shoes pitched at the Nationals (1076). There she also set a record for longest game (116 shoes with Diane Cantin) until it was beaten in 1995. World championships: she became the first Canadian to win the Junior Girls World title in 1986 (with 7-0 and 67.3%). The next year she stunned the World by winning the Women's world title (with 15-1 and a record 88.24% overall average, out of 1020 shoes pitched). See her game by game summaries here. That record for a complete tournament average lasted until 1996 when Sue Snyder averaged 88.38%. Sandy also set a record she still holds with a 89.7% average in the preliminaries of the 1987 world tournament. Sandy is the only Canadian to have won titles in two divisions. Sandy is also one of only two females who have won the Junior Girls and Women's world titles (the other one is Tari Carpenter-Powell, 1976 and 1984). Sandy was also runner-up at the World Tournament in 1988, 1989 and 1992. Her overall average in the 1988 tournament (85.02%) was the third highest ever at that time! Sandy's high game at the world tournament is 96.2 (50 out of 52) against Tari Powell, one of 6 games over 90% she shot in the 1987 world tournament. Sandy stills holds 5 World records in the junior girls division, all set in her only appearance (1986) and in her deciding game against Debby Bestul. They are: total ringers combined (109), total doubles combined (36), cancelled ringers (90), 57 ringers and 20 doubles for a winner.

Other achievements:
Other major tournaments (here are just a few): She won the Elmer Hohl Ringer Classic 7 times (1990, 1994, 1995, 1998, 2001, 2002 and 2006), including the record overall average of 86.6% set in 1990 (that record was beaten in 2008 by Sylvianne Moisan). She also won the Ottawa Silver Shoe singles 3 straight years (1987, 1988, 1989) once again recording the tournament high of 79.6% in 1987. Sandy won the 1989 Eastern National (7-0 and 78.3%), the only Canadian woman to ever win that prestigious event. She also won the 2nd annual Danville Open in 1990, a major held in Illinois, with an 84.5% average. She won the Governors Open (Ohio State Fair) tournament in 1987 shooting over 88.0%.
Special achievements: Sandy shot several perfect games. Four of them were officially recorded by the NHPA. They were all 20 shoe-games played at the Governors Open in Columbus, Ohio. Three were pitched in 1987 (two the same day on August 22, and one on August 23), definitely her best year, and one in 1988 (on August 20). Sandy was (one of 8 pitchers) invited to play horseshoes at the White House for the inauguration of George Bush's horseshoe court on April 1st, 1988. She is one of the rare individuals to have pitched tournaments over 90%. She recorded a 91.2% in March 1988, believed to be the highest performance ever by a Canadian, and possibly by any woman in the world!

Sandy is also a model to follow, showing great sportsmanship, fairplay and respect for the game and her opponents.



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