Mindset
Looking Back to See Progress
“The success of every woman should be the inspiration to another.”
– Serena Williams
Thirty-five years ago this month, I began working at Concordia University in Montreal, my alma mater. I had graduated three years earlier, certified as both an athletic therapist and a strength and conditioning coach.
The first two years after graduation I worked in a private clinic, until the clinic could no longer afford to keep me on. I took a job managing a sports store, and to be honest, I was not far from giving up on my career and trying something else entirely.
One day, the man I had interned under at Concordia Athletics walked into the store. He mentioned he was looking to hire an assistant. As I listened to him talk through who he was considering, it suddenly dawned on me that the role could be reshaped—someone who could serve both as a therapist and a strength and conditioning coach. He loved the idea. The only problem: he barely had two pennies to rub together to make it happen.
We figured out a way to get me paid, and the rest, as they say, is history.
Today, those humble beginnings came flooding back as I sat down to watch the Women’s Rugby World Cup final between Canada and England. Here I was, watching an international women’s sporting event in front of 82,000 fans in England, broadcast globally on TSN. Incredible.
When I started at Concordia, Canadian universities were just beginning to push for gender equity in sports. But women’s teams were still drastically underfunded, and there was no clear blueprint for supporting them.
Most of the women athletes had never trained in a weight room, hardly trained in the off-season, and in many cases were still learning the games they were playing at the university level. Soccer, basketball, and volleyball had some established culture, but preparation models were thin at best. Women’s rugby and hockey were truly in their infancy.
I was fortunate to work with some remarkable pioneers. I’ll never forget watching future Hockey Hall of Famer Cammie Granato and her teammate Karyn Bye suit up at Concordia. You could see the future of women’s hockey in them.
Over my eight years at Concordia, I worked to instill off-season and in-season preparation habits across women’s teams—strength training, conditioning, standards, and expectations. At first there was stigma around women lifting weights, but soon enough some became hooked on the empowerment of building strength and seeing it show up in their play.
Slowly but surely, things began to change. The games changed as the athletes changed.
Still, it was bittersweet. When players’ university careers ended, so too did their athletic ones. There was no next step. No professional leagues. A career in sport beyond school was little more than a dream.
I remember endless debates with colleagues, athletes, and coaches about the future of women’s pro sport. The discussions were always a mix of frustration, hope, and disbelief. At the time, the games simply weren’t seen as entertaining enough. Who would pay to watch? It felt impossible.
When I left Concordia in 1998, I stepped back from women’s sport directly, but I watched quietly as it grew. National programs expanded, women’s sport began to excel, and I was fortunate to work with some extraordinary female Olympians. I saw how hard they worked, often for little to no financial reward, purely out of love for their sport.
Over the years I witnessed women push for equity, claw for legitimacy, demand financial support, and chip away at recognition. I watched the WNBA launch in 1996, tennis grow into a financial powerhouse, and other sports begin to claim space.
Athletes became more physical, more powerful, more skilled. Their games became undeniably entertaining. Slowly but surely, people—and money—started to pay attention. Professional leagues started to form. Dreams became possible.
And so today, here I was—wearing Rugby Canada gear, watching our women’s national team, including some Concordia athletes, compete on the world stage. Playing in a sold-out (that’s tickets with a price tag!) professional rugby stadium.
Broadcast around the world.
Tears welled up in my eyes as I sang O Canada. Because 35 years ago, this was nothing more than a dream.
You did it, ladies.
