Beaudry never to be forgotten after induction

The call came to the Beaudry residence on an afternoon day in early February.
The call was intended for Kim Beaudry, but some confusion on the part of her former coach had delayed it.
“[Ron Fearon] didn’t know how to get a hold of me, so he went through the phone book,” she recalled. “My maiden name was Tolen and he actually talked to my grandmother first, so she knew before I did.
“She gave him my phone number to get a hold of me,” she added.
The call came out of nowhere, but it was one that has been 25 years in the making.
You see, Beaudry was a highly-decorated curler at Confederation College in Thunder Bay during the late 1980s and early ’90s.
An Ontario Colleges Athletic Association (OCAA) and Canadian Colleges Athletic Association (CCAA) all-star skip in her second year as a member of their women’s curling team, she led her team to victories at the provincial and national championships.
It didn’t stop there for Beaudry, now 37, as she was to help defend those titles for the Thunderhawks, and be named a CCAA all-star in the process.
So when the nomination sheet got distributed for the second OCAA Hall of Fame awards, Fearon, who had coached Beaudry during her time as a Thunderhawk, saw it fitting to submit her name.
“She’s the only person in the college system to have ever won two college national championships in curling and even won them back-to-back,” noted Fearon, who has been athletic director for the Thunderhawks the past 30 years and the curling coach for 22 of those.
So Fearon sent the nomination to the bigwigs at the OCAA office in North York, and waited.
There were requirements, but Beaudry, along Laurel Kastuk, who was the third for those two winning teams (each college athletic director could make two nominations in each category—athletes, builders, and coaches—every two years) met any that were asked.
For instance, athletes must have competed in the OCAA for a minimum of two seasons (Beaudry competed in three), be a graduate of their college (she has diplomas in Business & Accounting, and went back to got one in Business Administration), and be inactive from OCAA competition for a minimum of three years (Beaudry skipped the team from 1988-’91).
Athletes shall be chosen based on their athletic skills and abilities, fair play, leadership, individual statistics, and team accomplishments, both while in the OCAA and/or higher level after their college career (Beaudry has made four appearances at the Ontario Scott championships and once at the Ontario mixed curling championships).
Fearon didn’t have to wait long for a reply from the OCAA, and he let Beaudry know of the news as soon as he got the call stating both she and Kostuk had been given the nod.
“It was a surprise,” said Beaudry, who was a recipient of the City of Thunder Bay Distinguished Contribution Award shortly after her second national championship title.
So it was off to Hamilton on May 4, where Beaudry was inducted along with 30 others (20 athletes, five builders, and five coaches). They now have their names etched in the Hall of Fame with the 36 who had been inducted in the inaugural ceremony two years ago.
She “picked out my dress with a couple of friends” and was presented with a gorgeous, crystal-like, eye-grabbing statue that is a lot heavier than a casual observer would think after holding it.
But for Beaudry, seeing her former teammate, Kostuk, who now lives in Edmonton, made the event that much more special.
The two had not seen each other for close to 15 years, but stayed in touch through cards and letters during that time. Beaudry said being inducted along with her old friend just made the moment taste that much sweeter.
Beaudry was introduced to the sport at age 12 by her parents, Joy Anne and Gary Tolen, when she was attending public school in Barwick—and was hooked from the start.
“Every week, I remember my sister and I splitting a position. We would curl with the lady across the street from us, and our mom and dad.
“And one week I would get to go and then the next week my sister would go because somebody had to stay home and take care of my [other] sisters,” recalled Beaudry, who is the oldest of four sisters.
As Beaudry grew up, so did her intrigue with the game.
Once she made it to Confederation College, that’s where she was able to display the traits she had developed from those days at the Barwick Curling Club during her younger years and then the Fort Frances Curling Club during high school.
“The thing that I remember most about Kim was her intensity,” said Fearon. “She was a very intense athlete and very focused. We never had the same kind of issues with Kim or Laurel that we did with the other athletes.
“Curlers tend to be very social, and Kim is social, but she knew there was a right time and a right place for those sorts of things,” he added.
“And I think that made a big difference in her success, in that she was focused when she needed to be, and when the time came to have fun and relax, she was able to do that.”
Beaudry now has a family of her own. Her husband, Guy, also enjoys curling and her daughters, Hailey, eight, and Tory, five, seem primed to join the sport that has hooked so many already.
“They’re kind of young to curl, but my oldest wants to start this year and we go throw rocks every once in a while,” noted Beaudry.
It’s been years since Beaudry curled competitively. She’s now a wife and mother, and works for Canada Customs here in town.
Though her time competing at provincial and national tournaments is behind her, Beaudry will never relinquish those memories that always bring a smile to her face.
But what brings an even bigger smile is knowing her name will never be forgotten.
“Yeah, that is kind of neat,” she smiled.