Beverly Ann Felske was always at the forefront of change. Growing up in the 1940’s, she was averse to societal norms, girls having to wear skirts and dresses. She wore pants. As she grew older, she wanted to participate in sports. In the 1950’s, this was strongly discouraged. Beverley did not let this stop her, she played with the boys whenever she could. In the 1970’s, after having a family of her own, Beverley wanted girls to have more access to sport. She had heard of the sport of Ringette being played in other provinces and she was ready to bring it to Port Coquitlam.
Beverley took the initiative to build the very beginnings of Ringette in British Columbia. She gathered volunteers to work together and chaired meetings to create our association. She advocated for sponsors, worked with the city to gather ice time, organized coaches and promoted Ringette in our city. Bev also worked to create a provincial organization for Ringette in 1974.
The depth and scope of Beverley’s work to sport in British Columbia is extraordinary. Her outstanding leadership can be found in many organizations across our province. Beverley was the founder of Port Coquitlam Ringette, President/Director of B.C. Ringette, a longtime director for the B.C. Snowmobile Federation and she was a founding member, President/Director of ATV B.C. Beverley did not stop there. She networked with other provinces to bring their teams to B.C. and vice versa for more competitive play. Later this would lead to inter-provincial play and eventually bringing the National Ringette Championships to Port Coquitlam in 1984 and 1992. Beverley’s dedication to Ringette was also noted on a National scale. She was a founding member at the first ever meeting to create Ringette Canada alongside June Tiessen, the first Ringette Canada president, in 1974
Unfortunately, Beverley passed away in this past December 2020, but her legacy lives on. Beverley fostered the love of the game in her community, and across the country for future generations to come.
- Cindy Nedo