Amy Connell
Cross-Country Team

For the past 3 years I have been a member of the varsity cross-country team here at Queen’s University. Not only has this experience provided me with the opportunity to meet a lot of fantastic people, but it has also allowed me to contribute to Queen’s Athletics in many ways. Queen’s Athletics has given me a great deal over my years here, so I am so excited to be able to give something back to the school. Being a member of such a competitive varsity sport such as long-distance running, I noticed that there was a lot of pressure among the girls to be healthy and fit. As a result, I have encountered a few teammates that have put too much emphasis on body appearance and size, and have become sick both physically and mentally as a result of over training and not eating a healthy diet.

With the money that we will be receiving from the Girls@Play MVP Grant, the Queen’s Golden Gales Athletic Committee (GGAC) is going to organize an information panel/campaign regarding healthy training and well being targeted at Female varsity athletes. I am very excited to organize such an event as over my years here at Queen’s I noticed that there was a need to bring greater awareness to the issue of healthy training and well-being among female athletes. There are a great deal of pressures to perform and look good in our society, and this can often lead to many feeling unhappy with their own body image. With this grant we will be able to effectively reach more female athletes and hopefully make a difference in some people’s lives.

We owe great thanks to Nike/CAAWS for helping to support women in sport and physical activity here at Queen’s. It will certainly be beneficial and appreciated by many individuals.

Canadian Association for the Advancement of Women and Sport and Physical Activity contact us