1950s star of UBC's field hockey and badminton teams, both of which dominated Pacific Northwest competition. Served as president of UBC Women's Athletic Association and women's Big Block Club. Holds UBC women's record with ten Big Blocks.
Charlotte Warren, in 1953, was a highly regarded newcomer to the UBC Varsity grass hockey team under the able and disciplined coaching of May Brown. Miss Warren's athletic reputation was a result of the fact she had been a player in the Greater Vancouver Senior Women's Grass Hockey League since the age of twelve! In addition, the former BC Junior Women's badminton champion was a member of UBC’s 1953/54 badminton team competing at the provincial championship level.
In 1954/55 Charlotte received accolades from the Ubyssey as she and Joan Van Ackeren were considered the outstanding members of the skilled women's badminton team of UBC. As a second year player with UBC's hockey team, Warren was selected the winner of the Watson Trophy as the outstanding player in the Greater Vancouver Women's Grass Hockey League for 1954/55 the highest award given to an individual player. It was also this year that Charlotte served as president of UBC's Women's Big Block Club.
During 1955/56, while representing UBC, Charlotte reached the semi-finals in both the Vancouver and British Columbia badminton championships. She was also instrumental in UBC's badminton victories over Washington State competition this season. At the same time she was a stellar performer on another strong Varsity grass hockey team. Perennial champions of the Pacific Northwest Conference, UBC led by Warren, was victorious in the 1955 seventeen- team PNW grass hockey tournament.
For two years, 1955/56 and 1956/57, Miss Warren served as elected president of the UBC Women's Athletic Association. In October 1956, as Women's Athletic president, Charlotte was responsible for convincing the AMS treasury to increase the budget for women's athletics by 30%.
In 1956/57 at the Vancouver and District badminton championships, "the outstanding performer for the University was singles star Charlotte Warren. " Charlotte had reached the finals in both Women's Open Singles and Open Doubles play. This was Warren's fourth year at UBC and it had become apparent badminton had attained a relatively high profile. This was due largely to UBC having won the city championship in 1956, had just crushed Western Washington eleven matches to one and was ready to defend its title as Western Canada's Intercollegiate badminton champions. This province seemed to possess an inordinate amount of talent in this sport, much of which was centered at the University.
In 1956/57 Miss Warren was once again a "top player" with UBC's grass hockey team, a team defending its city championship and again dominating Pacific Northwest Universities hockey competition. It defeated Oregon, Oregon State and Washington State by a combined score of 16-0 with Warren, scoring three goals.
Charlotte returned to UBC in 1957/58 and was selected to captain the Varsity grass hockey team, just as her father, Dr. Harry Warren, had done as founder of the men's team more than thirty years earlier. With Warren as captain and Barbara ‘Bim’ Schrodt as coach, UBC conducted its usual clean sweep of the Pacific Northwest grass hockey championships, winning all its games while not having one goal scored against. Meanwhile, in badminton, UBC's Warren distinguished herself in the city tournament, reaching the finals of the Women's Open Singles and semi-finals of the Women's Open Doubles.
Her five years as an integral part of the highly successful UBC badminton team saw not only several championship matches but also the continuation of the interest and publicity this sport attracted both at UBC and throughout the province. In her UBC grass hockey career, Warren was instrumental in maintaining her school's mastery over both local and US hockey competitions.
One becomes aware of the measure of Charlotte's contribution to UBC athletics when considering she was awarded an unprecedented ten Big Block awards! Charlotte was later acknowledged in 2021 by being selected for induction into the Canadian Field Hockey Hall of Fame.
Since graduating with a Bachelor of Commerce degree in 1958, Charlotte has maintained ties with her alma mater. She has served as president of the UBC Alumni Association, served nine years on the UBC Senate, ten years as Alumni representative on the Women's Athletic Committee and has continued to be a passionate supporter of UBC and UBC Athletics.
Researched and written by Fred Hume, UBC Athletics Historian
