She’s Got Game gala raises $36,000 for Gryphon women in sports

Annual event honours achievements of Gryphon student-athletes

Renee Armstrong, Women's Basketball, Student Athlete Gala Speaker

When it comes to supporting women student-athletes, Scott McRoberts, University of Guelph's Director of Athletics, says the community has shown that it's in the Gryphons' corner. 

On Saturday, community members were invited to the She's Got Game gala, an event dedicated to celebrating the commitment, resilience and achievements of women in varsity sport. 

The final tally: over $36,000 raised to help develop world-class athletes, world-class scholars and world-class citizens.

It begins, McRoberts said, with strong buy-in from sponsors, athletes, and community organizations like long-time supporters RBC and new supporters including Stone Road Mall and Homewood Health Centre. 

"For all of us, She's Got Game is about building a more inclusive and equitable future for women in sport," McRoberts said. "We're here not just to celebrate these women, but also to acknowledge that this work needs to continue to advance."

Varsity athletics has come a long way in terms of where women's sports stands since he first took the helm at the athletic department ten years ago, McRoberts said. Recognition of strong and committed women athletes continues to improve, as well as investments in their success. Now in its tenth year, the She's Got Game gala has netted over $2.5 million to help students on their journey.

That certainly bodes well for future generations.

"If a Junior Gryphon, or a young athlete in our community came to this event, she would say, 'well, what is my pathway or what opportunities do I have?'" McRoberts said, pointing to Gryphon success stories like Sportsnet host Danielle Michaud and PWHL assistant coach Rachel Flanagan.

"They can now see a real pathway to being a professional athlete, coach, referee or seeing a career in sport at so many different levels," McRoberts said. "That's the empowerment side of things and it also really shows that it takes a lot of people to support this."

She's Got Game helps student-athletes by making sure they have financial supports around them to continue training while still engaged in their studies. The initiative also strives to make sure that the campus and community are all on the same page when it comes to making sure women can focus on their goals – both athletic and academic.

That comes in the form of a scholarship for student-athletes, which can help defray the cost of school and related living expenses.

Bio-medical student Kathleen Kimens, who helped the Gryphons soccer team to the OUA's semifinals against Ottawa before a 1-0 knockout in penalties, said the She's Got Game scholarship and community support helped her reach her potential and that her first three years as a Gryphon would have been "pretty difficult to manage" without that extra bit of help.

It's something that's not lost on the third-year centre back.

"It's pretty incredible how much support the initiative has gotten within a short time," she said. "It just speaks to the fact that people really do want to support women's sports, and they and they think it's pretty incredible that we're developing players and role models."

As a senior, Kimens is now in the position to act as a mentor to younger students joining the team, and also as a visible role model for aspiring players watching from the stands.

"Growing up as a girl in sport, you're always looking for people to look up to," she said. "In some programs or positions you're just not as exposed to that, but I think Guelph does a really good job of integrating the younger women athletes with some of the upper year programs and teams."

Gryphon players often take part in youth training camps, outreach programs and community events. The teams also invite younger community programs to accompany them during home games and forge some important bonds.

That relationship between athletes and the communities that host them is a two-way street, Kimens said.

"As an athlete, you train for those special moments, those special games," she said. "And when you have that large fan base, those large crowds who are coming and who care about you and the team, it makes those women on the field feel more special and even more supported."

Kimens credits the close-knit U of G campus – a key pillar of the She's Got Game initiative is building an inclusive culture– as one of the key elements that develops a strong environment for female athletes. 

"My hope is that girls continue to feel celebrated when they're doing what they love," she said. "And supported when they're playing the sport that they have trained their whole lives for."

View our event photo gallery on gryphons.ca