Trinity Western Spartans head coach of women’s basketball Cheryl Jean-Paul is among a team of Black women coaches who are heading up a special U SPORTS women's basketball tournament to strengthen Black, Indigenous and racialized women athletes’ participation in collegiate sports and coaching.
The event Athlete Women Empowered Classic, hosted Oct. 20-22 at York University in Toronto, is a unique four-team U SPORTS women's basketball tournament. The teams competing are currently the only four basketball teams in U SPORTS led by Black women coaches.
A vision to create pathways
Trinity Western’s Cheryl Jean-Paul, together with Tamara Tatham (U of T), Tenicha Gittens (Concordia), and Christa Eniojukan (York), envisioned this pre-season event to encourage BIPOC athletes in their path towards leadership in sports.
The four coaches started this vision together during the thick of COVID-19 restrictions. Coach Jean-Paul expressed that their purpose is to help create pathways for women of colour to pursue greater opportunities in collegiate sports and coaching.
Coach Jean-Paul expressed that their purpose is to help create pathways for women of colour to pursue greater opportunities in collegiate sports and coaching.
Inspiring others
In an interview with The Canadian Press, coach Jean-Paul voices her desire to inspire young female athletes, especially young Black women, and encourage them to pursue professional excellence and leadership, saying, "You can't be what you can't see."
She added, "…I've taken that responsibility, I've taken that obligation very seriously, in terms of not just helping an athlete see what can happen but also younger female Black coaches by saying that if this is something that you really want to do then go and pursue it."
The three-day basketball tournament will feature five games, plus workshops and networking events for athletes, coaches, and industry leaders to interact. As well, a dinner and awards ceremony will honour sports excellence and leadership. Tickets are free and available online through Athletes Women Empowered Classic.
About Spartans Athletics at TWU
The Spartans compete in 13 sports in the Canada West conference, including women's and men's soccer, volleyball, basketball, hockey, cross country and track & field, as well as women's rugby sevens. TWU also competes as an independent team in men's rugby and women’s and men’s disc golf. Learn more at TWU Athletics and Trinity Western Spartans.
About Trinity Western University
Founded in 1962, Trinity Western University is a global Christian liberal arts university. We are dedicated to equipping students to discover meaningful connections between career, life, and the needs of the world. Drawing upon the riches of the Christian tradition, seeking to unite faith and reason through teaching and scholarship, Trinity Western University is a degree-granting research institution offering liberal arts and sciences as well as professional schools in business, nursing, education, human kinetics, graduate studies, and arts, media, and culture. It has campuses in Canada in Langley, Richmond, and Ottawa. Learn more at www.twu.ca or follow us on Instagram @trinitywestern, Twitter @TrinityWestern, on Facebook and LinkedIn.