Twenty eight years ago Canadian Nancy Mollenhauer (nee Charlton) had one of the biggest honours in sport. The two-time Olympian lead the entire Canadian contingent as flag bearer at the opening ceremonies of the X Pan American Games, hosted in 1987 in Indianapolis, USA,. Today she returns to the Games, this time in Toronto, as a volunteer at the field hockey venue.
“As soon as I knew the games were coming to Toronto I thought that it would be a neat opportunity to come and not only support our men’s and women’s teams but also give back to a community that has been incredibly supportive of field hockey in this country,” said Mollenhauer, who is volunteering daily helping with technical officials with results. “I get to catch up with lots of the girls that I played with and seeing the new faces of the up and comers is great. I’m really enjoying it.”
In 1987 the Victoria, British Columbia native guided the Canadian women’s field hockey team to a bronze medal in a year that saw Canada finish third overall in medal count with 30 gold, 56 silver and 75 bronze medals.
“I’m not usually lost for words but I was really speechless,” said Mollenhauer about being selected as flag bearer for the games. “It was an absolute huge surprise and an incredible honour. I didn’t know at the time but that was the first year that women’s field hockey was in the Pan Am Games so it was incredibly special.”
Paul “Bubli” Chohan is the only other field hockey player to be a Canadian flag bearer at a Pan American Games. Chohan waved the flag proudly in the 1995 Games.
Mollenhauer competed at both the 1984 and 1988 Olympics when Canada finished fifth and sixth, respectively. She was a part of a 1980’s Canadian dynasty that used to rank high in the world standings, while the program has yet to appear at an Olympics since their seventh-place result in 1992.
“When I played Pan Ams we were in the USA and the ’84 Olympics were also in the States so that was sort of as close to home as we got,” added Mollenhauer about what it would be like to play at home. “Fortunately we had incredible support from our families. When you look up into those stands regardless of whether you had a good game or a bad game you know that you’ve got that support there.”
Not only is Mollenhauer in Toronto giving back and cheering on the Canadian contingent but she is also setting the pathway for the future. Youngster Anna Mollenhauer, Nancy’s daughter, is in the stands soaking up all of the international competition. Still in high school, Anna has already shown her mother’s talents being named on the recent Canadian Junior Development Squad (JDS) and consistently ranking among the top Under 18 athletes in her province.
“I get goose bumps just thinking about the possibilities,” said Nancy about Anna’s potential for an international career in hockey. “(Anna) is loving every minute of her involvement in the programs in (British Columbia) and this opportunity to take part with the JDS at her age is a dream come true.”
“I wasn’t even exposed to international field hockey at her age and so it’s a wonderful opportunity for her. For me, it’s a dream come true (to see her with a chance to represent Canada), as it would be for any parent, even more special as she is in fact enjoying and playing field hockey. It’s a treat.”
Mollenhauer, whose international career spanned from 1982 to ’89, will get another special treat at the Toronto 2015 games. On Jul. 18 Mollenhauer will be inducted into the Field Hockey Canada Hall of Fame. The two-part induction includes an inaugural class of eight people – four athletes, three builders and one pioneer.
“It’s an incredible honour.” was the continued theme from Mollenhauer. “I’m just a name and a face being inducted and with that I take hundreds of people with me starting with my mom and my dad, my brothers and sisters and my immediate family, my friends, the community of Victoria, UVic, B.C. – it’s a long, long list. It takes a village and I have been very fortunate to have an incredible support network and village to support me over the years.”
The 2015 Canadian squads are only one game through pool play in Toronto and seeing those teams and hearing the anthem are strong reflections for Mollenhauer.
“It’s all about the relationships,” responded Mollenhauer about her favourite moment as an international athlete. “You win games. You lose games. You win medals. You don’t win medals. At the end of the day, though, looking back, the legacy you want to leave as a player is, I think, how you represented your country, yourself and your family and your support network.”
“I come back here (in Toronto) and see so many familiar faces and those are women that I played with and obviously it has held a special place in our hearts and will for the rest of our lives.”
