By the time she was a student in junior high school, Joan Groothuysen was already competing internationally – and winning – in cross-country skiing. At the age of 18 she represented Canada at the 1976 Winter Olympics, coming in seventh in the 4 x 5 kilometres relay alongside Sue Holloway, and twin sisters Sharon, and Shirley Firth, which remains Canada’s best finish in that event as of 2018. She also placed 30th and 34th individually in the 5 and 10 kilometers races respectively. She had the same result in the 10 kilometers event at the 1980 Games, but improved to 27th in the 5 kilometers competition and was eighth in the 4 x 5 kilometres relay, with Shirley Firth, Angela Schmidt-Foster, and Esther Miller. Groothuysen continued competing until the end of the decade, but did not make any further appearences at the Olympics. She also took up marathon running, recording several notable results throughout the 1980s. By career she was an orthodontic technician.
Canada