Community Buys Olympian's Lost Medal After 40 Years

A small Canadian town just proved that some losses are worth finding again, even four decades later.

Angela Schmidt Foster competed in four Winter Olympics for Canada between 1980 and 1992. She won five Canadian titles, two North American championships, and became the first Canadian cross-country skier to earn an individual World Cup medal. But her favorite keepsake wasn't from her biggest win.

The participation medal from Lake Placid 1980 meant everything to her. She was just 20 years old and finished 22nd in the 10-kilometer race, beating every other Canadian woman on the team. The heavy pewter medal featured three-dimensional Olympic sports on one side and the Olympic oath on the other.

Years later, Schmidt Foster began visiting schools around Midland and Penetanguishene, Ontario, bringing her Olympic stories to life for local kids. Somewhere during those presentations, the Lake Placid medal vanished. She gave dozens of talks and never pinpointed when it disappeared.

"I wasn't angry, I was sad," she said. Still, she kept visiting schools. During the most recent Winter Olympics alone, she gave eight presentations in three weeks.

About a year ago, she found a replacement medal online for around $400. Her friend Jenn Waterbury had a better idea. She organized Bring Her Medal Home, an outdoor music fundraiser featuring local musicians and Schmidt Foster's own family members.

On August 20, friends and neighbors gathered at Wenneker Woodworks on Highway 93 in Midland. After the final song, Schmidt Foster took the microphone to share her story. Then the replacement medal was placed in her hands.

Sunny's Take

What makes this story shine isn't just a lost medal found. It's what Schmidt Foster did while it was missing.

She spent decades mentoring young skiers and bringing Olympic dreams into classrooms, never letting the loss stop her from giving back. She knew inspiration mattered more than memorabilia. Her community saw that dedication and decided to return the favor.

Now 64, Schmidt Foster still skis the same Mountainview trails where her coach husband first trained her as a teenager. "I just love those trails," she said. "I never get tired of them."

The medal now sits across from her at home, and any extra funds from the benefit concert went to Hospice Huronia. Sometimes the best stories come full circle.