KAITLYN’S SPORT STORIES RECAP: JANUARY 22

Welcome to Kaitlyn’s Sport Stories Recap – a weekly feature on what’s been happening in the sport and physical activity world for girls and women in Canada (and beyond)! 

In this eighth edition, we learn more about: Angela James, the award that she is being honored with; the most significant wins for Canadian women’s curlers during the Co-op Canadian Open. We also learn more about Canadian high school senior Syla Swords, how she is taking over the basketball scene in the United States, and the upcoming girls’ and women’s sport events in Ontario within the next month. 

The stories of the week show young girls in sport and physical activity that:

• It is a special moment when we can honour pioneers of a sport and celebrate their dedication and their impact. Awards also allow a special opportunity to showcase athletes and changemakers and learn more about their history.
• Canadian women’s curling is in a great place, evidenced by the number of Canadian athletes leading the way in the curling space. Seeing sports aside from the prominent ones, like baseball, basketball, soccer, and hockey, shows that young girls can gain inspiration in a sport like curling because of the representation of Canadian athletes succeeding.    
• Whether Canadian athletes stay within their country to further their sport careers or go beyond Canada, both avenues are great for Canadian athletes as they showcase the game’s potential to grow and expand an audience. It’s important that athletes can hopefully choose between getting paid in their sport with options available within Canada and its sports infrastructure or in another country with their respective sports infrastructure. 

PWHL MONTRÉAL HOSTS ITS SOLD-OUT SEASON HOME OPENER GAME

PWHL Montréal hosted their season home opener on January 13 in front of a sold-out crowd of 3,245 fans at Verdun Auditorium in Montréal, Quebec. As part of the commemorative season opener game, the team invited some trailblazers in women’s hockey to be part of the puck drop. Some of the big names included:

• Danielle Goyette
• France St-Louis
• Kim St-Pierre
• Caroline Ouellette
• France Margaret-Bélanger
• Danièle Sauvageau

PWHL Montréal played against PWHL Boston. The game’s final score was a 3-2 overtime win for PWHL Boston. It was reported that after the first ten games of the inaugural 2024 PWHL season, the total attendance numbers amongst the league and its six teams is 50,856 fans!

LEYLAH FERNANDEZ ADVANCES INTO THE SECOND ROUND OF THE AUSTRALIAN OPEN

Canadian tennis player Leylah Fernandez is starting strong during the 2024 Australian Open tennis tournament in Melbourne, Australia. 

In the first round on January 13, Fernandez played against Czech tennis player Sára Bejlek. The game was a win for Fernandez with a score of 7-6(5), 6-2. With this win, Fernandez now moves into the tournament’s second round. She will be going up next against American tennis player Alycia Parks. To follow updates on the upcoming second-round match, click here. 

With this strong start, Fernandez could advance to the tournament’s third round for the first time. Previously, the furthest she progressed in the Australian Open was into the second round. Go Leylah, Go!!

FIELD HOCKEY WOMEN’S NATIONAL TEAM MOVES ONE STEP CLOSER TO HOPES OF QUALIFYING FOR 2024 PARIS OLYMPICS

The Canadian Women’s Field Hockey team is one win away from qualifying to compete in the 2024 Paris Olympics. During the FIH Olympic Qualifier event in Valencia, Spain, the Canadian women’s team advanced with a 3-0 victory against the Malaysia Women’s Field Hockey team on January 14. A recap of the game can be found here. 

The January 13 game against Great Britain’s Women’s Field Hockey team resulted in a 0-2 loss for the Canadian team. A win is imperative for their next game as a two out of three-game win is the criteria to secure an Olympic spot. A victory in the next game would also mean that the Canadian national team will have qualified for the Summer Olympic Games for the first time since 1992.

The Canadian team will have their next game on January 16, facing off against Spain’s Women’s Field Hockey team.

U18 WOMEN’S NATIONAL HOCKEY TEAM TAKES HOME BRONZE MEDAL AND SETS MULTIPLE NEW RECORDS

The Canadian U18 Women’s Hockey Team finished their battle in the 2024 Ice Hockey U18 Women’s World Championship with a bronze medal win and set no shortage of records during the match either. 

On January 14, the Canadian U18 women’s team faced off against Finland’s U18 women’s team, and both teams competed for a bronze medal in Zug, Switzerland. The game’s final score was an 8-1 victory for Team Canada. 

 

Many Canadian U18 players also set new records during their 2024 women’s world run and from the bronze medal match:

• Canadian U18 player Caitlin Kraemer set a new record as the all-time leading scorer with the Canadian women’s U18 team, with 34 points after the January 14th game.
• Canadian U18 player Chloe Primerano set two new single tournament records. The first record had the most points by a defender at a single U18 women’s worlds, with 16 points. The second record had the most points by a Canadian at a single U18 women’s worlds, also with 16 points.
• Canadian U18 player and goalie Hannah Clark also set two new records. The first record had the most wins with the Canadian National Women’s U18 team, with 11 wins. The second record had the most shutouts with the Canadian National Women’s U18 team, with five shutouts.

Congratulations to the team!

Kaitlyn’s Sport Stories Recap are written by Kaitlyn Lehbert, a passionate and driven sport advocate for girls and women. Kaitlyn holds her Bachelor’s degree in Sports Management from Brock University. Learn more about Kaitlyn by clicking here!

 

Have a sport story you want to share? Contact info@fastandfemale.com and it may get featured in Kaitlyn’s next feature.