Supporting female athletes

By Melissa Crispin-Piche Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

Young female athletes, their parents and coaches will have an opportunity to learn more about injury prevention, equipment and opportunities in sport during the Female Athlete Sports Talk (FAST), which returns to Strathmore on Oct. 3.

Organizer Brent Moreau, owner and operator of Active Solutions for Health, said the free event will bring together athletes, professionals, speakers and vendors with a focus on supporting girls and women in sport.

Moreau said this will be the third time the event has been held in Strathmore. The first took place before the COVID-19 pandemic, with the event returning last year following the break.

“We did it before COVID … and it was really successful,” Moreau said. “We wanted to do it again, then COVID hit,” he said. “Then this year, we thought, ‘Let’s give it a shot again.’ We had a lot of interest in it.”

This year’s event will feature a larger vendor presence, along with speakers and athletes who will share their experiences and knowledge.

Among the companies attending will be CCM, which Moreau said will showcase equipment designed specifically for female athletes. Other vendors will also highlight protective equipment and products aimed at women and girls in different sports.

“We have great speakers,” he said. “We have some athletes. We do a panel with athletes that are doing high performance, Olympians, as well as some female athletes that have progressed into the professional world outside of sports. Their stories, it’s going to be wonderful, lots of information, lots of networking.”

Injury prevention and education will be another major part of the day. Moreau said topics will include concussions and common injuries affecting female athletes, including ACL injuries. He hopes giving young athletes, parents and coaches better information can help reduce preventable injuries.

“Injuries with female sports, especially with the younger girls, shouldn’t be happening,” he said. “A lot of that is maybe information that’s not out there, accurate information. Concussions are one of the big things, a lot of myths related to it, as well as just some of the injuries, ACL injuries, that kind of thing, you see tons of.”

Local athletes will also be represented, including 13-year-old Hailey Gordon, who plays football with the Strathmore Badgers. Her experience offers a local perspective on girls participating in sports that have traditionally had fewer female players.

Now in her third season of football, Gordon said she initially decided to give the sport a try after someone told her she could not play because it was only for boys.

“Someone told me I couldn’t, because he said it was just for boys,” Gordon said. “So, I kind of just joined the group, and I also really liked the sport. It’s a lot of fun.”

Gordon, who plays quarterback and corner, said she does not feel she is treated differently from the boys on her team and faces the same challenges as her teammates.

Moreau said there may be more opportunities available to young female athletes in the community than families realize.

“Strathmore doesn’t understand that we have a lot of female athletes that are sought after,” he said. “There’s scouting coming from the States, from the colleges, looking for athletes that are in our community because of their good work ethic. They have good grades, and that’s what they want. They’re resilient, strong.”

Moreau said companies from as far away as Australia have shown interest in the Strathmore event, including a sponsor bringing protective equipment for women in rugby.

“I think that is the exciting part of it,” he said. “There’s so many different avenues for sports in female sports and athletics.”

The FAST event takes place Oct. 3 at the Strathmore Civic Centre from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. and is free to attend. More information about the event, speakers and participating vendors is available through their website (activesolutionsforhealth.com).