Sara Kramers (Co-investigator, University of Ottawa; left) and Dr. Corliss Bean (Assistant Professor of Recreation & Leisure Studies, right) speak with women coaches during the Canada Games.
“It just takes one—one woman to inspire somebody to get into coaching, one soccer team to change the way we look at equality—and recognizing that I could be that one.”
This past summer, St. Catharines hosted the 2022 Canada Summer Games. The Games brings together more than 2,000 athletes of all abilities in the largest amateur multi-sport event in the country. Athletes compete in over 30 different sports to showcase the very best in Canadian sport and spirit, and the Canada Games is recognized as a major accomplishment for coaches.
Since that time, Corliss Bean, Assistant Professor in Recreation and Leisure Studies, and her team have been working with women coaches who attended the Games to explore their coaching journeys. In this VPR-funded project, the team used digital storytelling to empower women coaches to create and share their personal narratives using photographs, artwork, video clips, and voice. You can see two of the powerful stories at the links below:
- Janice Howe – We All Learn Together and Grow Together
- Jennifer Wood – Women in Coaching Digital Story
One participant shared her hope from getting her message out to the sport world:
“By telling my story, maybe that will give someone the confidence to take that step.”
In addition to these moving videos, this research works to unpack valuable insights for the next generation of women coaches.