I have always considered myself a proud Canadian. We really do live in the greatest country in the world.
There have been, and are, so many great Canadians to draw inspiration from.
Two of these greats are young ladies who are both mature beyond their years, extremely poised, polite to a fault, and a joy to watch.
I’m going to call them the Killer B’s – Bianca and Brooke!
Of course I’m referring to Bianca Andreescu and Brooke Henderson.
At the tender ages of 19 and 22, these two are at the top of their sports, tennis and golf, respectively. If you have young kids and are looking for a role model for them, pick either, or both.
Henderson celebrated her 22nd birthday this week, and has already done what no other Canadian golfer on any professional major tour in Canadian history. She has nine professional victories including the Women’s PGA Championship. That’s a major, and she won that at age 18. Her accomplishments at this young age are many.
She won the Canadian Women’s Amateur when she was 16, and finished second in the U.S. Women’s Amateur that same year.
She has won many amateur tournaments around the world, most of them while in her teens. I recently watched an interview with the LPGA commissioner who said that if he had 150 Brooke Hendersons, he would have the biggest selling sport in the world!
Now, how bout Bianca! Unbelievable! This past Saturday I watched this 19-year-old beat arguably the best female tennis player ever in Serena Williams.
And by winning the U.S. Open in New York, she too did something that no other Canadian, man or woman, had ever done in winning a major.
As cool and collected as Henderson is, Andreescu has ice in her veins.
She turned 19 in June of this year. How does a 19-year-old stay so poised on tennis’s biggest stage? Against a living legend in Williams!
She started playing when she was 7 and won junior tournaments all over the world. One of the amazing things about her is that she had injuries that kept her out of action when she was 16, and again last year. At the start of this season she was ranked 155th in the world and now, after her victory on Saturday, is now ranked No. 5!
After winning in Newport Beach in January, her ranking was 68th. Then her breakout win came at Indian Wells, and a ranking of 24th.
Then of course there was her win at the Rogers Cup last month in Toronto against Williams, who had to bow out after a nagging injury would not allow her to continue.
Brooke and Bianca. The Killer B’s. How can you NOT be inspired by these two.
What is next for these two? If they can stay healthy they will likely end up in their sports’ halls of fame. Their poise, confidence, maturity and respect are something we can all learn from.
I can only imagine the thousands of young Canadians who are now following their dreams because of these two.
Everyone in the Hat knows John Carter, morning host on 102.1 CJCY weekdays starting at 6.
