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Born in Calgary, Sandy Drever was hired at GNS in September 1988 and retired in June 2015 after 26 years as a PE teacher, coach in squash, volleyball, basketball and golf programs and Director of Athletics.
She was a high school standout athlete in basketball, volleyball, swimming, golf and field hockey. While attending the University of Calgary from 1968–1971, she was named the University of Calgary’s outstanding female athlete in 1969 for playing basketball. However, she opted not to play the following year in favour of volleyball and was selected in that sport for Canada at the World Student Games in Turin in 1970.
In 1971, Sandy was selected by Canada for field hockey and played until 1979 (from 1977–1979 as captain). It was in that final year that she was immortalized on a Canada postage stamp, publicizing the World Field Hockey Championship in Vancouver. The stamp was designed from the photograph of Sandy scoring a goal in a tour of Great Britain game vs. a Leicester club side.
During her field hockey playing years after graduating from university, Sandy coached the University of Alberta’s Pandas (women’s) Swim Team from 1972–1974, achieving a national title in her second season.
In 1979, she received the City of Calgary Recognition Award for Field Hockey and in the following year was named Head Coach of field hockey at UVic—replacing former Norfolk House School teacher/coach Jenny John. Her coaching was rewarded when, in 1984, the UVic women’s field hockey team captured the CIAU championship. Sandy guided the Vikettes to an undefeated 10-0-3 season and UVic’s first of 11 national championships (so far) in a sport previously dominated by the University of Toronto, York and UBC. Although there were many skilled individuals in the line-up, the 1984 team captured gold because of the power of teamwork.
In 1983, Sandy and her husband, Stuart Dixon, were instrumental in establishing the Victoria Squash Club on Cook Street, developing and providing facilities for a long reign of provincial and national squash champions, including her own over-35 National Championship titles in 1985 and 1989. In 1991 Sandy was the recipient of the BC Squash Association President’s Plate “for the best supporter of our game and our Association.”
In 2012, she was presented with the BC High School Female Coach of the Year Award and became the inaugural winner of the “Coach” award on the GNS Centennial Wall of Honour. The GNS Centennial Wall of Honour was established to recognize those individuals who, through their involvement with athletics, have contributed significantly to sport at GNS as athletes, coaches, or as builders/administrators.
Sandy retired from GNS in 2015, at which time there were many accolades of praise, not the least being: “Ms. Drever found the perfect balance between treating students as equal partners and sowing her shreds of wisdom at the exact moment when they were needed most. It is, I think, the true mark of a great educator.” – Madeline Silver ’11.
What an amazing sports career, one that continues with good success by hitting that little 4.2cm white ball Into a 10.8cm hole from as far away as sometimes over 500m away.
