Fundraising event aims to close the gap between the support for men’s and women’s sports
As an initiative to raise money for scholarships awarded to Gryphon women varsity players, the second annual She’s Got Game gala was held at Cutten Fields on Feb. 18.
The gala also aimed to celebrate the accomplishments of female athletes at the University of Guelph, and start conversations about women in sports that will go beyond the university level.
Devon Stober was the first She’s Got Game scholarship recipient. The fifth-year rugby player received the award this year based on the funds raised from last year’s gala. She discussed finding a balance between rugby, school, and her leadership roles.
“Playing sports has made me who I am,” she said to the audience.
Stober mentioned that many of the things she has learned in rugby have carried over to her life, such as resiliency.
As the first She’s Got Game scholarship recipient, Stober was able to attest to the assistance scholarships can give student-athletes. The scholarship relieved financial pressures and allowed her to focus on being a student-athlete.
A cocktail hour allowed the varsity players in attendance to speak to guests about their experiences playing sports and how funding has helped them.
When asked, “If you could do it again, what would you do differently?” a number of the student-athletes said they wouldn’t change a thing.
Part of the night included honoring female athletes, including the first Junior Gryphon scholarship, which was awarded to Lisa Wedel, a volleyball and track and field athlete.
The gala’s program featured the sporting accomplishments of current female athletes at the University of Guelph. A video played, highlighting representatives from each of the varsity sports explaining what they have learned as student-athletes.
The University of Guelph’s women’s varsity sports include: swimming, basketball, wrestling, figure skating, track and field, rowing, field hockey, hockey, lacrosse, rugby, soccer, and volleyball.
The evening’s host, Jackie Perez, who is an In-Game Host for the Toronto Argonauts, held a question period with the two guest speakers, Helen Stoumbos and Leah Robinson.
Stoumbos is a Canadian Soccer Hall of Famer, who played in Canada’s first world cup team in 1995. She is now a TV host and producer.
Robinson is the University of Guelph’s track and field captain and two-time Canadian Paralympian.
During the question and answer period, both of the guest speakers considered the assistance that scholarships can give by removing financial burdens. They discussed some of the lessons they learned from their sport that they use in life, such as the power of the mind, following their passion, resiliency, conquering fears, and confidence. They also talked about how their sports teams were like family and the great memories they have from playing sports.
[media-credit id=115 align=”aligncenter” width=”1020″]
Throughout the night, a couple of speakers mentioned the changes in the overall landscape of women’s sports.
Charlotte Yates, the University’s provost and vice-president of academics, talked about her experience of being discouraged from playing sports at a university level, which she finds is less common now.
Stoumbos explained the terrible venues, limited fans, and limited support women’s soccer got when she played.
She gave the example that their games “used to air on TSN one week after we got home.”
She also recalled going to a women’s soccer game recently and seeing tons of fans in the stands, including young girls who clearly followed the sport.
Stoumbos discussed how great it is that women now have role models in sports, something she did not have during her career.
Although women’s sports have come a long way, more support continues to be given to men’s sports, particularly in funding.
According to athletics director Scott McRoberts, 45 per cent of athletic scholarships at the University of Guelph are specifically for women. For the 2016 to 2017 year, 25 per cent of total scholarship funding provided was for female student-athletes.
Events like the She’s Got Game gala provide additional support, outside of traditional funding, for women in sports. This year’s gala raised enough money to add four more scholarships for female athletes.
Throughout the night, raffle tickets could be purchased for a chance to win donated prizes. Some of the prizes included athletic clothing, gift certificates, and sports memorabilia. There was also a live auction for a Raptors prize pack and dinner experience. Both the raffle and live auction will add to the funds raised.
In addition to the gala, a number of other initiatives have recently been put into place to help support Guelph’s female athletes.
Byron Cunningham, CEO of Planet Bean Coffee, discussed the partnership between Planet Bean and women’s athletics at the University of Guelph. A portion of the sales from the Gryphon Blend coffee go to Gryphon women’s varsity scholarships.
It was also announced at the gala that Shirley Peterson, the coordinator of women’s intercollegiate athletics from 1967 to 1992, created an endowment of $200,000 through her estate to help support several annual women’s athletic scholarships.
Peterson, who passed away in December 2016, coached women’s hockey, archery, and curling, and was a major supporter of women’s athletics.
McRoberts also announced that, in April, there would be the creation of a She’s Got Game committee, which will start an aggressive funding campaign for women’s varsity athletics. This campaign could help with the University’s goal of being the first choice for nationally ranked female athletes.
Photos by Tasha Falconer.