(FREDERICTON, NB) The opportunity to promote the involvement of women, elevate women and inspire women in the world of sports is what’s driving a small group of current and former UNB REDS student-athletes and team staff involved in the 2022 edition of UNB’s Women In Sport Conference.
“Having our group as a strong voice in the community is a way for us to potentially catalyze change in our society,” said conference co-chair Anna Lee LeBlanc. “For me, representation also takes on a different meaning. I’m Asian, so being part of our group also allows me to represent another demographic in sport. Elevating all women in sport is important to me. When I was younger, there were never other children who looked like me playing sports, let alone professional female athletes, that I could look up to and idolize. It's tough as a child to picture yourself excelling at a sport when you can't identify with any female athlete. Even today, it's hard to find female athletes that I can identify with and sometimes it's tough on my mental health and confidence. Now that I am older and can identify this discrepancy, I’m committed to creating positive change for young girls and women who might not identify with someone in sport right now.”
The second version of the now annual event takes place April 2nd and 3rd. Due to the pandemic, it will be a virtual event, as it was in 2021.
LeBlanc, a member of UNB’s women’s cross country team and track and field team, also serves as a student sport nutritionist with the REDS women’s and men’s basketball and soccer teams.
She’s serving as conference co-chair with Sarah Kelly, who’s in her fourth year with the REDS’ women’s swimming team.
“I’ve been lucky that I have had a positive experience with swimming, stemming from an incredible support group of teammates both in and out of the pool, but I know this isn’t the case for all other women in sport,” said Kelly. “It’s important to me that I do everything I can to promote the power of women in sport by lifting up, encouraging, and cheering on other women and girls. This on-going conversation is one that is so crucial for us to be having right now, and the only way that we will ever see change is by speaking up doing our best to do something about it.”
Like the conference itself, the goals of the group are growing in 2022.
The group is pushing to have 200 participants. They’re also pursuing big name speakers.
The outreach and networking began months ago, and the co-chairs believe their lofty goals are not unrealistic.
“We have most of our speakers solidified, and when I look at the big picture, I know that we chose each one of those individuals with a lot of thought behind it,” said LeBlanc. “Another of our goals is to make the delegate experience as positive as possible. It's tough in a virtual environment, but we are committed to these three big goals.”
“My four brothers grew up playing hockey, so sitting around the arena, I heard parents talk about their sons’ abilities and futures. Rarely did I hear anything about their daughters,” said Taylor McCarson.
She’s not a student-athlete, but McCarson works with REDS as a game day coordinator. In that role, she’s got a front row seat for university level athletics. She’s also the Events Director for the conference.
“While I’m not a varsity athlete, I’ve spent my whole life around sports,” she said. “I bounced around almost every sport before falling in love with soccer and figure skating. I remember a hockey coach yelling at his male players who were staring at female figure skaters as we worked on off-ice conditioning. That was the start of me realizing that no matter how serious we took our sport, we’d always be sexualized because of the sport we were in. I ended up quitting, and that’s what I bring to the conference. The perspective of an athlete who was forced to fall out of love with the sports she was in because of the lack of support in my community.”
The weekend in April and the actual virtual conference are only one aspect of UNB’s Women In Sport group, which has been ratified as a club with UNB’s Student Union.
“We’re running monthly events along with the conference, so our role is expanded,” said LeBlanc.
“It’s about inspiring each other to go out of your comfort zone while sharing what you’re passionate about,” said Kelly. “I’m reminded everyday of how lucky I am that I get to work with Anna Lee and the rest of our amazing team through this journey.”
Conference organizers are eager to be able to, one day, host this event in person. But, with the pandemic continuing, the 2022 conference will be virtual.
“Going online again this year honestly makes us sad, but we are committed to make the most of it,” said LeBlanc. “Anything virtual can present challenges because technology can be tricky. The only other challenge we see is people being burned out from excessive use of technology. As a group, we always think about the positive aspects. Being virtual allows us to bring in bigger-name speakers and it makes our conference more accessible. More people tuning into our conference means more individuals equipped to continue the conversation of women in sport in their networks and in their communities.”
For more details of the 2022 UNB Women In Sport Conference, visit their website at: www.unbwis.com