Gaylene Barry was a unique two-sport student-athlete, competing in field hockey and volleyball. She was University of Calgary Female Athlete of the Year in both 1970 and 1972. Gaylene has the distinction of playing and starting on three Conference Championship teams in two different sports in three years. In addition, she has the unique distinction of being on two Conference Championship teams in two different sports in the same calendar year. In the spring of 1970 Barry was a member of the Conference Championship volleyball team and later that fall was a member of the Conference Championship field hockey team.
In the 1968-89 academic term Barry was co-captain of the University of Calgary women’s volleyball team. On the club level, she was a member of the Calgary team that captured the Canadian Junior Volleyball Championship.
The following year, she started on both the women’s field hockey team and women’s volleyball team serving as captain of the volleyball team. The 1970 U of C women’s volleyball team won the Western Intercollegiate Athletic Association (now Canada West) and Canadian Interuniversity Athletic Union National Championship that year (the first National title for the U of C) and represented Canada at the World University Games in Torino, Italy.
In 1970-71 Barry continued to play both sports leading the University of Calgary to the Canada West women’s field hockey championship and starring on the women’s volleyball team that were Conference Finalists. On the provincial level she led the Alberta team to the National Championship. In volleyball, she helped the Dinos to a second place finish in the Conference.
In her final year as a varsity athlete Gaylene once again played both sports. She was a member of the Alberta Provincial team earning all-star honors at the Field Hockey national Championships and made the Canadian National Women’s Field Hockey Team. On the volleyball court she helped the Dinos capture the Canada West Championship and was invited to tryout for the Canadian team that competed in the 1972 World University Games in Moscow, Russia.
Gaylene would eventually play for the National Women’s Field Hockey team from 1972 through 1977 and competed for Canada at the 1975 World Championships in Edinburgh, Scotland.
Barry graduated with a Bachelor of Physical Education degree in 1971. She attained her Master of Education from the University of Portland in 1996.
