Dr. Barbara Cameron
The former Barbara Mutch of Maxville has been selected to be enshrined in the Glengarry Sports Hall of Fame at the induction dinner September 4th, in the Glengarry Sports Palace arena, Alexandria. A just reward for academic and athletic achievements all the way from Maxville elementary schools to the 1976 Canadian Olympic Womens Four in rowing filling the strategic role of coxswain. Now retried from rowing, Barbara continues to persue the completion of her Ph. D. in Exercise Physiology at Simon Fraser University, B.C.
The former Barbara Mutch is now married and her husband is a Glengarry tinge as he is Gavin Cameron. She was the daughter of the late Dr. John F. Mutch and his wife the former Margaret Cook.
Barbara Mutch was interested in extra curricular activities in her youth notable the Maxville Girl Guides and the Glengarry Highland Pipe Band. McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario, provided Barbara with her first rowing experience. In her initial term Barbara was part of the crew which won the Novice Women’s Eights at the Ontario University championship.
At a diminutive height of four feet eleven inches, Barbara was recruited as a coxswain. In a rowing crew, the role of the coxswain is to steer a straight course during competition, and to provide coaching and encouragement inside the boat during both training and racing.
The next season Barbara trained with the Leander Boar Club, Hamilton. They won silver medals for a second place finish at the Canadian championships. This led to Barbara’s selection to the Ontario crew which when travelled to the Maritimes for further competitions.
In 1976, Barbara was selected as coxswain of the Women’s Four to represent Canada in the Olympic Games, Montreal. This was the first time that women were allowed to compete in rowing at the Olympics.
In order to gain international experience Barbara’s team travelled to Europe where here crew finished second and fourth in major Switzerland competitions and West Germany. At the Olympic Games Barbara’s Canadian crew raced only once for Canada, winning the Gold Medal in the Women’s Four at the Munich international Regatta in West Germany.
Barbara Muctch’s last competition season was in 1978, when she trained and raced for Burnaby Lake Rowing Club in B.C. The crew comprised of many national team members winning both the U.S. and Canadian championships including the Canadian Henley Regatta.
Following her retirement from competition, Barbara continued as a coaching assistant and team a manager for two years at Club Espana in Mexico City. Also at the University of California, Berkley. Since then she has devoted most of her time to pursuing her education and career. She has also coached Speed Skating (short track and Olympic) in British Columbia.
Although no longer a competitive athlete she maintains her fitness by running, hiking, and weight training. She has completed two marathons, numerous 10k runs and a triathlon.
