Paddling and skiing were Doug Groff’s main interests and he was involved in sports for most of his life. This extended into the business sphere as his Groff Agencies Limited carried a line of sporting goods.

In paddling, Groff’s national accomplishments included the Canadian junior singles championship in 1932, first in the intermediate fours in 1935, first in the intermediate singles in 1936, first in the senior singles and tandem and intermediate tandem in 1937, first in the 10,000 metre tandem as well as second in senior singles and tandem (with record times in both) in 1939. Between 1930 and 1936, Groff won five of seven 65 mile Les Voyageurs Manitoba Open races, each time with a different partner.

The Second World War interrupted Groff’s athletic career as it prevented his opportunity to compete in the Olympics of 1940. He was one of three Winnipeggers who made the six-member Canadian paddling team at the Olympic trials in 1939 but the games scheduled for Helsinki the following year never took place.

In skiing, Groff won provincial championships in four different events: downhill in 1935, slalom in 1935-36 and 1938-39, jumping in 1936 and 1939, and cross-country from 1937-40. In 1940, Groff was a member of the three man team which made the first ski ascent of Mount Athabasca in Alberta and in 1944 he led a 40 man group which made the first winter ascent of Mount Columbia.

On the administrative side, Groff was a Rear Commodore at the Winnipeg Canoe Club and honourary vice-president of the American Canoe Association in 1938. Groff was also deeply involved with the successful Pan-American Games held in Winnipeg in 1967, having worked on the bid presentations in 1959 and 1963 and then as a vice-president and chairman of the organizational board for the games.