National Girls and Women in Sports Day is February 2, 2022. We are featuring Meadowridge alumni and teachers who have made an impact on and off the field (or pitch, piste, or pool!). Hear from these varsity athletes about how their unique sport has impacted their lives and what has kept them with it.
Meadowridge, keep an eye out for exclusive interviews with these eight athletes in our upcoming Gryphon Magazine! Not subscribed? You can secure your copy here.
Lauren Crawford '13
Rugby at the Durham University
It’s corny, but rugby really has made me the person I am today, and I would have missed out on so many opportunities without it. Rugby is an amazing sport that requires you to be strong, fit, and have the endurance to last a match while using your brain to read the other team’s plays. Rugby has meant that, no matter where I am, I have a guaranteed 15 friends from joining a team and all of these women have always been extremely accomplished, impressive and wonderful to play with and for.
Ms. Anne Bolyard, Teacher
Basketball and Track & Field at Ohio University
[In basketball], you learn how to persevere, how to strategize, and how to plan. You learn how to be a gracious winner, but also how to learn from losing. Through basketball, I’ve developed lifelong friends with who I am still in touch with today. You go through so much together. Basketball is not an individual sport, so you have to rely on your teammates. You develop a trust in them, and they in you.
Ms. Darcie Hook, Teacher
Rugby at the University of Victoria
I like the teamwork aspect of [rugby]. It’s not a game where just one person can excel and carry the team. In basketball, you can have one or two players who are the stars and score the points. That’s not possible in rugby. Having someone who is good at running and dodging tackles doesn’t matter when you can’t get them the ball.
Katlyn Richardson '14
Soccer at Quest Universtiy Canada
I love how team-oriented soccer is. I enjoy working towards a common goal with the support of a team that often becomes more like friends and family. The friendly competition really pushes you above and beyond anything you would likely do if training or competing in an individual sport. This team dynamic also brings great opportunity for leadership. Not to mention, I enjoyed being able to get outside and be active—even if it meant being rained on most days!
Danika Kotylak '13
Water Polo at the University of Hawai'i
[In water polo], unlike a lot of sports, there is opportunity and a place for every body type. Where some sports need one specific body—runners are quick and lean, gymnasts stocky and small—in water polo you can have such a diverse team. I played with the strongest women I’ve ever seen, but also the smallest. In my position as an attacker, it’s all about being sneaky and an instigator. Water polo is also great for cardio and strength training and requires really knit-picky skills, like understanding and honing even the smallest of movements like the flick of a wrist. It is also an incredibly mental game, requiring its athletes to memorize and execute numerous plays, study game tapes, and develop a quick game sense.
Emily Mason '18
Fencing at Queen's University
Fencing is a niche sport. A lot of people call it ‘physical chess’ because there is so much strategy involved. I definitely love that aspect of it, but what really draws me to the sport is the technique. I think it’s quite similar to performance sports because in order to learn a new skill or action, we repetitively practice single skills until they’re strong. I love the feeling of perfecting those movements.
Natalie Coates Wiens '21
Dance at Queens University of Charlotte in North Carolina
I think that throughout my life dance has been an outlet. I love dance because it is so creative. People can express the way they feel through movement and sometimes moving around, can make one feel so much better. I hope to always have dance in my life in one way or another.
Chisom Obioha '20
Track & Field at New Mexico Highlands University
Track and Field is very difficult sport that requires discipline so for anyone interested in getting involved, you need to push yourself and not slack off. That’s one thing I learned very quickly and pushed me to be the best student athlete I can be today.