Hall of Famer
Susan Nattrass
Inducted in 1977
Member Details
Career Highlights
National Women's Trapshooting Title
Women's World Championship Title
First Women trapshooter to compete at Olympics
Velma Springstead Award
Lou Marsh Trophy
Named to the Order of Canada
Pan-American Games - Silver Medal
Commonwealth Games - Two Bronze Medals
Commonwealth Games - Two silver and one bronze medal
Story
Susan Nattrass, Canada's modern Annie Oakley, is a pistol-packing pioneer who has remained at the forefront of her sport for nearly four decades. The world's leading female trapshooter throughout most of the 1970s, Nattrass has forged new ground for women in what is traditionally a male-dominated sport and successfully lobbied for the inclusion of women's shooting events at the Olympic Games. The daughter of former Olympic trapshooter Floyd Nattrass, Susan was exposed to the sport at a young age. She began shooting at the age of 12, and by 18 had collected her first major victory at the Golden West Grand in Reno, Nevada, beating out nearly 1,300 competitors, most of them men, in the second most important competition in North America. Soon after, Nattrass began to sweep championship events across the continent. She held the national women's title from 1968-83, was the top all-around woman in North American standings from 1973-77, and captained the women's All- American trapshooting team from 1973-77. Upon winning her first title at the Women's World Shooting Championship in Switzerland in 1974, Nattrass stated: "To me, this was the ultimate in World Class competitions and something I had always dreamed of achieving." Unlike a dream however, Nattrass's success was not fleeting; she reclaimed her world title five times in a row, a remarkable achievement for an athlete in any sport. In 1976, Nattrass was the first female trapshooter to compete at the Olympics. She competed in five more Olympic Games over the course of her career, and though she never won a medal, she made significant headway in the development of women's Olympic shooting events. After much persistence, Nattrass was successful in convincing the IOC to include a separate women's trapshooting event, which made its debut at the 2000 Sydney Games. When not shooting up targets around the world, Nattrass was busy gaining a Ph D in physical education and delving into successive careers in journalism, education, and medical research. She has still managed to remain on top of her game well into her fifties, winning a silver and two bronze medals at the 2002 Commonwealth Games, a Pan-American bronze in 2003, and two Commonwealth silvers and a bronze as recently as 2006. Nattrass received the Velma Springstead Award as Canada's leading amateur female athlete in both 1977 and 1981, and the Lou Marsh Trophy as Canada's top athlete in 1981. That same year, she was named an Officer of the Order of Canada in recognition of her ongoing contribution to women's trapshooting.