Elite female athletes encourage girls to stick with sports
Girls aged 8 to 18 got to train and chat with Olympic and Pam Am Games athletes in Dartmouth
Kimiko Zakreski says she was involved in a number of different sports when she was younger before she zeroed in snowboarding — a sport that took her to the 2010 Olympic Games in Vancouver to represent Canada.
"I was on every single team. I used to competitively horseback-ride, of all things, and I didn't narrow down my sport until I was closer to 16," said Zakreski, a female athlete ambassadors for Fast and Female, a non-profit organization aimed at empowering young female athletes between the ages of eight and 18.
The program, which held an event with four ambassadors at the Mic Mac Amateur Aquatic Club on Sunday, is meant to encourage girls to stick with sports.
"We know that in the teen and preteen ages, girls are more likely to drop out of sports than boys," said Una Lounder, program manager for Fast and Female in Atlantic Canada.
"Whether it's social pressures, lack of female role models, body-image issues, there are lots of different things that affect girls differently than boys."
About 40 girls signed up to spend the day with Zakreski, Olympic sailor Erin Rafuse, Pan Am Games sprint kayaker Hannah Vaughan and Olympic sprint kayaker Jill D'Alessio.
After introductions, the girls got to circuit train with the athletes and talk about setting goals for the future.
"The first time you say that to a girl, 'Have you ever thought about what life is going to be like when you're 25?' to a 15- year-old, they kind of are like stunned," said Zakreski.
"But when we start to break it down and get into what life is going to be like, it's so exciting to see them light up and start setting 10-, five- and three-year goals."
After the circuit training, the girls got a milk break, had a more in-depth question and answer period with the athletes, and then did some yoga.
Somer MacEachern, 16, has done the Fast and Female program before when it was held at the Canada Games Centre. The paddler and snowboarder said she does it to keep her motivated to stay in sports and to support women in sports.
"It was a lot of fun," MacEachern said. "Stay in sports because it's great."
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