Janet (Scott) Gattinger

Athlete (2025)

Track and Field

Track and field are running, jumping and throwing. Janet Scott was 3-in-1. She did it all.

As a heptathlete, her day began with sprint hurdles. Then high jump. Then shot put. Then 200 metres. That’s Day 1. On Day 2, she had long jump, javelin and 800 metres.

At the 1987 Canadian championships in Ottawa, nobody did it better. Janet won the heptathlon title by more than 300 points. Throughout the 1980s she was one of the best heptathletes in Canada.

She went global.

On the national team for 14 years, she competed in Mt. SAC Relays Invitational in California and at major competitions in Great Britain, France, Austria and Australia.

She finished first at the West Texas State Invitational. She was second at the 1989 Australian Open championships in Brisbane after spending the winter training Down Under. She was fourth in Casablanca at the 1989 Francophone Games, an event featuring athletes from more than 40 French-speaking nations. In 1989, she competed in Austria at the annual Gotzis Hypo Meeting, the premier event in the world for heptathletes and decathletes. Unfortunately, because of injury she was unable to finish.

Although heptathlon is done outdoors, Janet had the times of her life indoors with the University of Saskatchewan program. Along with her Huskiettes teammates, she won the national team title in 1985. She held the Canada West conference record in hurdles for six years. She had the indoor pentathlon record for 36 years. She was named the outstanding performer in Canada West in 1984 and 1988 and received the Ethel Catherwood Trophy as the university’s female athlete of the year in 1988.

Retiring as an athlete in 1992, she continues to deliver as a phys ed teacher and coach. Janet Scott-Gattinger has coached track and field athletes at all levels for more than 30 years, from club to Team Alberta to the Canadian national team.