Cheryl Bernard
Curling Athlete - Inducted 2016
Cheryl Bernard lived a dream, being able to compete on home ice at the 2010 Vancouver Olympic Games. In a country blessed with female curling talent, winning the gold at the Canadian Olympic Trials - and the right to represent Canada - was a major feat in itself. At the Olympic Games, she skipped her team to an exciting podium finish, winning the Olympic silver medal.
Cheryl was a force on the ice throughout her curling career. She won four provincial women's titles - in 1992, 1996, 2007, and 2009 and the Mixed Provincial Championship in 1993. In 2004, she was the Canadian Women's Curling Tour Champion and she won Japan's Karuizawa International Bonspiel. With tour and bonspiel victories in 2005 and 2006, she also won the 2007 Canada Cup Qualifier and the 2009 Olympic Trials. She had a remarkable year in 2010 - as an Olympic silver medalist, the Grey Power Players Champion, Capital One Players Champion, and Capital One Cup Champion. In 2011, she won the Twin Anchors Invitational at Vernon, BC, and was on the winning North America team versus the World team at the Continental Cup.
Cheryl's motivation, commitment, and strong work ethic for her sport were a large part of the success of Team Bernard and Team Canada. Off the ice, she demonstrated the same qualities in giving back to the sport. She was the creator and chair of Curl for a Cure from 2003-2007, co-author of Between the Sheets - Creating Curling Champions, spokesperson for Brain Tumor Foundation, World Vision Canada, Goodwill Industries of Alberta, and was a Team VISA Athlete.
Cheryl assisted at curling camps and gave presentations to many different groups. She also taught and introduced the game to children as a promotional "For the Love of Curling" event. In 2014, the World Curling Federation sent her to New Zealand to promote the game on a two-week tour.
After Cheryl retired from competitive curling, she was hired as a member of the TSN curling broadcast team. Her insight, humor, and incredible knowledge of the game was a delight for the viewers. In her off-ice endeavours, she continued to promote and represent the sport with the same professionalism she demonstrated during her distinguished curling career.
Cheryl received the World Curling Tour’s Most Valuable Player Award in 2010, was named the Calgary Booster Club's Female Athlete of the Year in 2010, and was a recipient of the Canadian Curling Association’s Joan Mead Award in 2012.
After Induction
2018 - Named as the alternate player for the Canadian women's team at the 2018 Winter Olympics
2020 - Bernard, with teammates Carolyn Darbyshire-McRorie, Laine Peters and Karen Ruus won the Alberta women's senior championship. While the 2020 Canadian Senior Curling Championships were cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, their win qualified them to represent Alberta at the 2021 Canadian Senior Curling Championships.
