Waterskier Jaimee Bull and Wheelchair Tennis star Rob Shaw have been recognized by the North Bay Sports Hall of Fame as the co-winners of the Jack Burrows Memorial Award for Sports Achievement for 2019.
Jaimee Bull, a slalom water skier, has been an avid water skier the majority of her life. As a two (2) year old the ‘horse power’ pulling her was from the speed of her father running through shallow water. Now the force pulling her through the water comes from a very powerful motor attached to a ski boat traveling at speeds of 35 miles an hour.
Slalom water skiers are required to crisscross across the boat’s wake to buoy’s that are positioned 11.5m to the right and left of the direct line of boat travel. The increased difficulty of the sport comes when the speed of the boat is increased and the length of the ski rope is shortened. Jaimee competes at a ski rope length of 10.75m. This rope length is shorter than the distance to the buoys which is 11.5 m. Jaimee is, therefore, required to fully extend her arm and body out to make it around the buoys being pulled by a boat traveling at a speed of 35 miles an hour.
Her very first competition was in 2006 when she was 6 years of age. She came 3rd in the 10 and under girl’s division. That was the beginning of several years of some very impressive age group results, including many Canadian records at Canadian National and World Waterski Championships.
Jaimee currently attends the University of Louisiana on a waterski scholarship. She is in her second year of a Mechanical Engineering Degree. She achieved a 4.0 GPA in her first year and has been a member of the President’s List in each semester thus far this year.
Jaimee is in the U21 age division but often competes in the Open Pro-Level Competitions.
She is currently ranked 4th with the IWWF Women’s Open World and Elite Ranking lists.
Rob Shaw shines on the Tennis Court
World top ten quadriplegic men’s singles player, five-time defending Canadian champion, 2019 Parapan Am Games gold medalist and 2021 Paralympic hopeful Rob Shaw shares the Jack Burrows Memorial Award for Sports Achievement accolades with Bull.
Born and raised in North Bay, Shaw graduated from Chippewa Secondary School and Nipissing University before moving west where he is currently pursuing a PhD at the University of British Colombia-Okanagan in the School of Health and Exercise Sciences.
At the age of 21, Shaw was injured in a diving accident rendering him partially paralyzed from the neck down; but even before negotiating the wheelchair game, Shaw was a top player and tennis instructor turned Club Professional at the North Bay Granite Club between the ages of 15-21.
In high school, Shaw was an NDA and NOSSA boys’ doubles champion, which led to an OFSAA bronze medal for the Raiders.
Since deciding to pursue his passion at an elite level, Shaw has shot up the world rankings – seeing the top ten for the first time in 2018, reaching a career-high eighth-place standing in 2019, and is currently sitting at number nine. Since 2015 Shaw has won seventeen International Tennis Federation singles titles, not to mention five consecutive Canadian championships, sixteen doubles victories, and a second-place finish at an ITF 1 Series tournament.
Shaw is part of Tennis Canada’s National High-Performance Program receiving support from the National Coach, sport science and sport medicine personnel, funding assistance, training camps, access to Sport Canada carding and privileges at the National Tennis Centre and Regional Training Centres.
As a proud member of Team Canada, Shaw has had the privilege of travelling the world and putting his talents to work as a representative of the country. Five times Shaw has sported the maple leaf as a participant at the World Team Cup, where he was appointed team captain on three occasions, and has achieved a sixth-place finish.
Shaw’s most monumental accomplishment to date though, came in 2019 when he made Canadian tennis history by becoming the first player to win a multi-sport medal in singles, and did so by defeating the world number two ranked player to capture gold at the Parapan American Games in Lima, Peru. It was the first time a quad-tennis category was being contested at the event and Shaw became its inaugural champion.
Shaw, who had qualified for the 2020 Tokyo Paralympic Games, hopes to compete in the event when it is re-scheduled to 2021; although details have not yet been made available.
This year’s honoree embodies the word fortitude on and off the court and remains a proud and loyal North Bayite despite where he wakes in the morning. Please join us in congratulating our very own Rob Shaw and let us continue cheering for much more future success and happiness.
The Board of Directors of the North Bay Sports Hall of Fame are advising the 40th Annual Induction and Awards Dinner scheduled for Saturday, May 2, 2020 has been cancelled. The four individuals scheduled to be inducted will be inducted at next year’s dinner. The 2019 Hall of Fame Award Winners will be recognized and presented their awards at a later date this year. Any questions regarding ticket refunds should be directed to Chair Bill Jacko at 705-492-3961.
