Dozens of young girls made their way to Lethbridge College on Friday for a chance to hear from women who are professional athletes.
The pros not only offered to share their stories, but also to inspire a younger generation of girls who love sports.
“I play on the world curling tour and we’re ranked 7th in world and I wanted to come here today to share curling because it’s not so well-known with the younger age groups,” said Jessie Haughian, a professional curler who is attending this event as a mentor.
According to organizers, not only are many young females not too familiar with curling, but there are also other sports with a lack of female involvement and retention.
“It’s actually six times more likely for a girl to quit a sport than a boy, and that makes me kind of sad,” said Eden Hoff, organizer of the Fast and Female event.
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“We want to encourage girls to play sports, no matter what the sport is, and to be active and healthy while doing it.”
Barbara Doan explained why she brought her daughter Mallory to the city’s second Fast and Female event.
“We really felt having female sport role models for Mallory and for all girls is just an incredible value experience for them,” Doan said.
“These ladies inspire me because they are good at doing sports and I want to be good like them,” Mallory said.
Nine female pros shared their stories, while also giving these young athletes a chance to ask questions, all in the hopes of making a difference.
“Meeting these athletes is really cool because they have a lot of cool accomplishments and I look up to them a lot and want to be like one of them when I’m older,” said Sloane Hirsche, who participated in the event.
Organizers are already scouting for next year’s lineup of professional athletes to also share their love and passion for sports.
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