Ashton Bell couldn’t help but look around at the Fierce Female Hockey Camp at J&G Homes Arena on Saturday and marvel at how much has changed, and how quickly.
The 22-year-old women’s gold medallist from Deloraine was part of what’s slated to become an annual non-profit event targeted at female players. Three dozen volunteers — virtually all female in an event organized by Amy Doerksen — put 133 girls in the under-nine and U7 divisions through the paces.
“It’s definitely really exciting to see this many girls sign up for this event,” Bell said. “Back when I was playing at this age, there were no events like this. It’s awesome that Amy organized all of it and all these girls are here and so excited to be out here.
“Amy is doing an amazing job empowering them and making them believe they can go farther and be involved in sports and hockey.”
- Ashton Bell | Gold Medalist
The session actually had 134 girls registered but one was injured and couldn’t attend. There were close to 40 volunteers on hand, and with parents also in attendance, the new arena was a busy place.
Boissevain’s Kara Paradis is another strong supporter of the event. She first met Doerksen at a rink where Paradis was coaching a U9 team.
“She was like ‘Hey, there’s not many female coaches out here,’” Paradis said. “I obviously stood out to her and she pitched her idea to me. I was like ‘Absolutely,” because it’s rare. When do you see this? The odd time in September you’ll have a little camp but this has all the bells and whistles too so it’s very girl-oriented and unique.”
Joel Whiteside, a co-owner of Brandon Source for Sports who has six-year-old daughter Langley involved, was another person Doerksen reached out to early in the planning stages for the event. He enlisted the help of CCM to pay for jerseys, and also talked to Bell about attending as part of his company’s efforts to support grassroots sports in Westman.
“I think it’s huge,” said Whiteside, who also manages the under-13 Westman Magic softball team. “I think something like this really shows that there are a lot of like-minded people who really want to see females gain the confidence and especially for these young girls.
“If we can start them young and keep them in the game … it’s super important to have people like Ashton Bell and some of the other amazing females who are out on the ice. It only helps, and they’re so great with kids. It’s going in the right direction for sure.”
(Original story from Discover Westman: https://www.discoverwestman.com/articles/fierce-female-hockey-camp-lands-first-place–40000-through-community-infusion)
Bell is a strong believer in the powerful impact that team sports can have on people. While not all of the girls will make the Olympic team, she thinks there’s a real value to the sessions.
“There is a big social part of team sports and just getting to know other girls your age,” Bell said. “I’ve met some of my best friends through hockey. Just being involved in any sport gives you that sense of being a part of a team and makes you feel like you’re part of something. That’s really special.”
Bell posed for pictures with every youngster who asked, and autographed a photo for them. It’s still a little bit weird for the modest Bell to be the centre of attention.
“It’s very humbling,” Bell said. “It’s so exciting to see the big smiles on their faces and hopefully inspire them to dream big and keep reaching for their goals. Hopefully they keep going with hockey and potentially playing at a high level as well.”
Credit for the event certainly lies with Doerksen, who has emerged as a strong proponent of the female game in Brandon. Her hard work and passion have been noticed and are apparently contagious.
“She’s been the driver of the bus on this,” Whiteside said of Doerksen. “She’s unbelievable with just the whole organization aspect of it and really bringing people together to make something like this happen. This is a huge event that started from nothing and she has been unbelievable at getting this going.
“I think there are a lot of people who have rallied behind her because they see her enthusiasm and passion that she brings to the table. It’s easy to get behind that and fill in support roles for her.”
Bell met Doerksen for the first time on Saturday morning and came away impressed.
“She’s just so passionate about women’s sports and women’s hockey and growing the game,” Bell said. “On the ice, she says ‘Who are we?’ and everyone screams ‘We are fierce!’ It’s pretty cool to see them scream that and believe it as well.”
Paradis noted the event sold out quickly, and suggested it will only get bigger and future in the future. A sense of community was already developing among the young players, and that too will only grow in future years.
“It’s so important,” Paradis said. “I think there was a need for this because we sold out in two weeks. That just screams need. It’s so important for girls to feel comfortable and this is an environment where it’s friendly, inviting, there is female leadership so the girls, the skaters, are comfortable where they are and then they can find that love for the sport.”
A workshop series developed through partnerships with female leaders at Sport Manitoba and Skate Canada also took place at the arena. It was aimed at women who may consider coaching in the future.
Doerksen said she is already being offered ideas about how she can further expand the event.
“I have been asked if I’m running summer camps, I’ve been asked if we have older age groups,” Doerksen said. “There was a massive void and this is filling it. What I love is that all of these women who want to be a part of it have never met and have volunteered to come out on ice. We had some great players on the ice coaching. It makes my heart happy.”
(Original story from The Brandon Sun: https://www.discoverwestman.com/articles/fierce-female-hockey-camp-lands-first-place–40000-through-community-infusion)