When Amy Doerksen started her Fierce Female Hockey camp for young girls, it was an act of faith that it would work out.
It was an instant success, so the Brandon advocate for female athletes is trying it again, this time with Equity In Sports: Why Different Is Good, a supper event on March 8 that will feature Brandonite Leah Hextall as the keynote speaker.
“I feel blessed,” Doerksen said. “With Fierce, I thought if we build the camp they will come and they did, and they’re coming to the next camps. The same thing seems to be happening here. People seem to be excited and interested in listening to Leah Hextall’s story, and also just interested in celebrating International Women’s Day.
Amy Doerksen, left, organized a fundraising dinner titled “Equity In Sports: Why Different Is Good” for March 8 at Assiniboine Community College’s Victoria Campus. (Perry Bergson/The Brandon Sun)
Feb. 14, 2022
“It’s important to always raise awareness about that day and what it’s meant for.”
Individual tickets are $30, a table of eight is $200 and a parent-player package is available for $50. The event, which will be held in the ACC gymnasium for anyone 13 and over, is set for 6 to 9 p.m.
There will be a capacity of 200, with more than 150 tickets already sold.
The event essentially came about due to a happy confluence of events.
When Doerksen realized her employer, Assiniboine Community College, had Hextall doing a presentation at a professional development day, she wondered if the broadcaster would be willing to speak at a community event in the evening as well. Hextall was interested, and the event quickly came together.
“This really came about because of opportunity in terms of where I work,” Doerksen said. “I’m super fortunate that Assiniboine Community College got behind the community event, and are a major sponsor helping offset some of the costs.
“I think the other part is that there is a need for us to have positive conversations and real conversations about how we can make sport more inclusive. This is something I wanted to bring to our community in some capacity, and with Leah Hextall being able to come and share her story, it’s a really nice natural fit.”
It certainly is. Hextall is a longtime broadcaster who currently does play-by-play for National Hockey League games on ESPN, and brings a wealth of experience.
One of Hextall’s talks is about not being one of the boys, which echoed Doerksen’s experience and resonated with her.
“It’s the idea of realizing that you are different but that’s OK,” Doerksen said. “There is incredible value in you being different. I spent a huge part of my experience in sport trying to fit in or conform, and I think a big part of the message of how we make sports more inclusive is being open to doing things differently and recognizing that different is good and we want different perspectives, different people around the table and different systems.
“All of those things help make it more inclusive and make people feel more engaged overall.”
Doerksen added the second part of what makes Hextall ideal is that she’ll be relatable to the people in the audience because she has an understanding of Westman.
“She has strong roots here in Brandon and that resonates with individuals,” Doerksen said. “Sometimes you can bring in speakers from the GTA (greater Toronto area) and their experience is really hard to relate because the GTA is really different than rural Manitoba or Brandon.
“I think because she lives here, she has a good sense of the culture and will be aware of some of the unique challenges that we face here as opposed to in a bigger city.”
Although Doerksen’s roots are in hockey, she has reached out to other sports associations.
She said it’s also important that men are at the inclusive event to hear the message, and thinks it’s something many of them are open to accepting. She admits it’s likely not a message for everyone, however, because some people just aren’t ready for it.
“I’m hopeful, which is why I’m getting behind creating an event like this,” Doerksen said. “Do I think that some of the people who need to hear this message are going to be in the room? No, I don’t. I think there are going to be some voids in our crowd. All I can do is invite them and welcome them.”
She is seeing change in the community, however, noting she is in her sixth year coaching Timbits hockey. Last fall, she had an encounter during a practice that gave her a lot of hope.
“At one of our ice times, I had a fellow coach from another team skate up, introduce himself and shake my hand,” Doerksen said. “He said ‘Hey, I’ve heard a lot about you and I think what you’re doing is great.’
“I’ve never had that. I’ve never had a male coach skate up to me and shake my hand at the start of a season. I like to think maybe that’s a tipping point.
“That’s an event I’ll always remember as kind of a turning point.”
The supper isn’t all Doerksen has on her plate. She will also be holding her second annual Fierce Female Hockey camp in Brandon on June 3-4, with all 200 spots already spoken for by players from across the province.
Last October, Doerksen won a $20,000 grant from Fusion Credit Union — a program they call Community Infusion — for the Fierce Female Hockey Camp venture. As a result, she’s branching out this spring, with a two-day camp that will be shared between Roblin and Russell on April 15-16.
They have 75 girls registered so far.
Both camps are for youngsters born between 2012 and 2018 who play in the under-seven, U9 and U11 divisions.
Doerksen isn’t holding any summer camps, however, because she’s not a fan of the way hockey is becoming a 12-month sport.
“I’m not having any more,” Doerksen said. “I think spring and summer should be for other things.”
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