Levelling the playing field for women student-athletes

Dr. Hayley Wickenheiser knows the impact of support. The hockey legend, who earned multiple degrees from the University of Calgary, has seen what it means to a team and how it inspires every corner of the dressing room.

“When someone invests in you, you stand a bit taller,” she says.

Now one of the top programs in the country, the UCalgary Dinos women’s hockey success would not have been possible without support that started with Joan Snyder. The philanthropist donated $500,000 in March 2011, then watched as Wickenheiser and the rest of the student-athletes responded to the backing.

In captivating fashion, the players showed their appreciation, thriving and claiming the 2012 U SPORTS title.

“Those girls I played with, they started to believe they were more than what they were,” recalls Wickenheiser, BKin’13, MSc’16, Hon. LLD’18, MD’21. “They started to perform better and elevate. And it was a big reason why we won the national championship.”

The impact of donors, of course, extends well beyond wins and losses, and well beyond the ice. One of the assistant general managers of the Toronto Maple Leafs, and an emergency and family physician away from the ice, Wickenheiser says forward-thinking generosity at UCalgary is an investment.

“It is important that we continue to fund student awards and open up the door for more athletes,” says the highly regarded namesake of the Dr. Hayley Wickenheiser Athletic Award, which goes annually to three students competing in Dinos women’s sport.

“When women have a chance to be a student-athlete and get an education, they will excel.”

Female graduates become leaders in the community and the workplace. They are contributors to society, according to Wickenheiser, because of the support of donors.

Meeting new gender equity mandate

Now, with U SPORTS’ new policy to enforce equity, female student-athletes will get even more of a boost. For the 2025-26 school year, the governing body of Canadian university sports is mandating that each school distribute at least 45 per cent of its total athletic awards to women.

UCalgary, thanks to philanthropic support, is closer to compliance than many universities. Last season, the Dinos’ split sat at 40-60 in favour of men.

To meet the required threshold, UCalgary is committed to raising an additional $150,000 every school year for 20 more full scholarships for female student-athletes.

“We’re already committed to bridging the divide in award funding,” says Dr. Nick Holt, PhD, dean of the Faculty of Kinesiology. “We are proactively making strides towards levelling the playing field, which aligns with our strategic plan, Together, Stronger. As advocates, we are committed to empowering women in sports and fostering a supportive and inclusive environment.”

Part of the Dinos’ gap in award distribution is due to the men’s teams having more philanthropic support, with established alumni groups to spearhead fundraising efforts. The relatively large roster size in football also skews the student-award ratio.

An equitable 50-50 split is now the ultimate goal. For that, Christine Biggs applauds the U SPORTS mandate, which, in addition to demanding fairness, is raising public awareness about the current gap.

“Whenever an established organization is making decisions — especially with a level of follow-up that they’re actually able to monitor — that’s very helpful,” says Biggs, coach of the Dinos women’s volleyball team. “But context is really important. I would hate to see cuts to men’s programming in order for us to receive the equity we’re striving for.

“There’s definitely a sense of valuing women’s sport and creating equity at UCalgary that is tangible, that is noticeable.”

Student awards help attract top talent to the university and city

With the aim of being the premier women’s varsity program in Canada, the Dinos are cultivating a culture of excellence. The creation of more student awards advances that cause, especially when it comes to attracting the best student-athletes. 

“One of the largest factors for success — coaches of any program will tell you this — is our ability to recruit,” says Biggs. “We want to be able to provide scholarships that enable our student-athletes to be successful at school and successful out of the classroom.”

Coaches and players know that gifts of all sizes matter. Maybe not every donor is able to offer levels of support like the late Joan Snyder, but all contributions add up to make a difference, according to Wickenheiser. “You can see your impact,” she says.

An example of that is Wickenheiser herself. Widely regarded as the best female hockey player in the world at one time, she turned down offers from Harvard University and other schools to pursue athletics and academics as a member of the Dinos — and she appreciated the support here.

“I owe everything that I basically have achieved in my sporting career and my life to the time I spent at the University of Calgary,” she says. “You can be a great athlete and get an excellent education — and you don’t have to sacrifice one for the other at the University of Calgary.”