History
History
Abstract
“Femmes, Foibles, and Fables in Sport” provides insight into the role women played on the home front in Vancouver during the Second World War through the lens of the Vancouver Hedlunds Women’s Basketball Team. The outbreak of the Second World War would shake every nation to its core and the effects were felt by everyone, regardless of race, gender, or social standing. Men joined the war effort in astonishing numbers, leaving women to keep the home-front running smoothly. This was also keenly felt in the realm of athletics, with the lack of men’s athletics forcing the spotlight onto women’s sports, elevating them to never before seen levels of popularity. The Vancouver Hedlunds Basketball Team serves as a perfect study, as the team existed only between 1939-1945, and, as a result, their experiences both on and off the court closely mirrored the overall female experience in Vancouver during the War. This paper examines the specific conditions created by the War and the role this had not only on the Hedlunds and their rise to fame as Canadian Champions, but also on the new roles women were expected to undertake during the War. Though many passionate women with a deep love of the game helped promote the sport during this period, women’s basketball would have likely faded into obscurity during the war were it not for the specific conditions the war itself created.
Kylie Wall (University of the Fraser Valley, Bachelor of Arts Degree - History Honours, June 2019)