Change is a Team Sport: International Women’s Day
I’ve always been a proponent of girls’ participation in team sports, despite my own daughter’s fraught relationship with T-ball at age four. (She worried about hurting the ball’s feelings if she hit it too hard!) There is ample research to show the benefits of participation in sports, which range from a more positive body image to the development of teamwork and leadership skills, and we know that the loss of sports during the pandemic had a devastating impact. Researchers found that nine in ten Canadian girls aged six to sixteen stopped or reduced their participation in sports during the pandemic, and post-Covid participation levels reveal that approximately 25 per cent of girls have not returned to play. Why is this important? The negative impact on girls’ mental health, physical health and positive friendships is significant, and jurisdictions across Canada are looking at ways to increase participation.
Perhaps it is fitting as we prepare to celebrate International Women’s Day on Saturday, March 8, that UTS Athletics played host to the Ontario Federation of School Athletic Associations (OFSAA) Girls’ A Volleyball Championships. The McIntyre Gymnasium was alive with teamwork, collaboration and feats of athleticism as our UTS Senior Girls’ Varsity Volleyball team competed against the top teams in the A division in Ontario. Despite a heartbreaking loss to the York School in the semifinals, the team rallied for bronze against École secondaire catholique L’Horizon. It truly was an incredible showing of teamwork and competitive spirit.
Watching our players compete, I was struck by their resilience in spite of a loss, and their grace in victory. I saw leadership, communication, and how all the teams stuck together and played in harmony with each other, anticipating each other’s moves and lifting each other up, even when the stakes were down. The teams were gracious in winning, gracious in losing, and above all, the camaraderie and strength displayed by these young women was truly inspiring.
The opening ceremonies began with a heartwarming speech from one of our alums that reminds us of the powerful impact women’s sports can have on our lives. Five years ago, Hannah Joo ’20 was in the same place as this week’s competitors, vying to take home the OFSAA banner for our school. She became a key player on the first UTS team to bring home the gold in OFSAA Girls’ Volleyball, right before the Covid-19 pandemic struck and team sports fell by the wayside. She told the competitors that it was on the court where she “learned the most about leadership ‒ how to bring people together, lift others up when they’re down, and be a teammate that everyone can rely on.”
These skills have taken Hannah far, on to success as a setter on the Western University volleyball team, and now into her future life after undergrad.
As we celebrate International Women’s Day, I want to take a moment to honour all of the powerhouse players making a difference in women’s sports. Aside from volleyball, I am a loyal Professional Women’s Hockey League fan, often cheering on the Toronto Sceptres at their games. The players are a force to be reckoned with, proving that change is a team sport. Society has come far on equality, women’s rights and empowerment, but significant barriers remain. This year, the International Women’s Day campaign is focused on accelerating action for gender equality. According to data from the World Economic Forum, based on the current rate of progress, it will take until 2158 to reach gender parity.
The campaign urges individuals to call out stereotypes, challenge discrimination, question bias, celebrate women's success and much more.
Just like a sports team, we can come together for the cause and work to advance change that could make a difference for women here in Canada and worldwide. This International Women’s Day, I wish everyone in our community a wonderful celebration of the great strides women are making in the world and greater progress to come!
