Robert (Bob) Hodges
Speed Skating (1995)

Bob Hodges was born in Saskatoon in December 1943, attended King George School, Bedford Road Collegiate, the University of Saskatchewan and the University of Alberta. Although he participated in football, swimming and track and field, it turned out that speed skating was his prime sport. In 1964, he held outdoor provincial records in six different events and from 1965 through 1967, held records in seven events.

Bob was a seven-time Canadian champion, intermediate champion in 1960 and 1961 and senior champion in 1962, 1965, 1966, 1967 and 1969. He represented Canada in a number of international events, 1965 through 1972, and competed in three world championships in 1968, 1970 and 1971.

His first appearance at the Winter Olympics was at Grenoble, France, in 1968 where he raced four times - the 500 metres, the 1,500 metres, the 5,000 metres and the 10,000 metres. He was 23rd and had a personal best in the 10,000 metres.

Bob made the Olympic team again in 1972, training in New York where he took post-graduate studies and then going to Sapporo, Japan, for the Games where he was 23rd in the 1,500 metres with a clocking of two minutes, 12.3 seconds.

He coached Canadian junior teams at the world championships in 1973 and 1976, coached the Canadian team at the world sprints in 1973 and managed Canada's team at the Olympics in Lake Placid, New York, in 1980.  He was also vice-chairman and chief of competitions at the 1988 Olympic Games in Calgary and race director for two other world meets held in Calgary.