94% of female CEOs played a sport. Girls in sport gain experience in teamwork, build confidence, learn empathy, and in baseball especially, they learn resilience.
Dana Bookman
Founder and CEO
Canadian Girls Baseball
In 2016, when my daughter was 6 years old, she joined a local baseball program and was the only girl among 400 players her age. The administrator told me to tell me daughter she was so brave. It occurred to me – why should a girl need to be brave to play a sport she loves. My daughter played the season out and held her own, but she didn’t love the social experience of being the only girl.
When that season ended and my daughter said she didn’t want to play anymore, I wouldn’t let her give up. We decided to invite some friends to play at the local diamond. Word spread and 44 girls showed up. We did the same thing a year later and 350 girls came out to play. That’s when I knew this was about way more than my daughter. It was missing on a much larger scale.
Every time I’m recognized it’s an honour, and it’s important to have a face behind a mission, but I know it’s not about me. We have a huge community of players, staff, coaches, parents and supporters that make the Canadian Girls Baseball possible. It’s only by working together that change is possible.
94% of female CEOs played a sport.
Girls in sport gain experience in teamwork, build confidence, learn empathy, and in baseball especially, they learn resilience.
In baseball, they have to stand up in front of their team and family members and fail, and then they have to do it over and over again.
Even the best baseball players in the world fail 70% of the time. Learning how to lose and try again in sport carries over to the rest of their lives.
Canadian Girls Baseball is all about creating future leaders. We spend a lot of time focusing on team building – cheering others on, picking them up when they’re down, working together and celebrating the achievements of others.
Along with the benefits of team sport in general, at Canadian Girls Baseball we work hard to instill confidence in trying, win or lose, and empathy for others. Those are the soft skills that create great leaders.
The work Dana Bookman is doing with Canadian Girls Baseball is amazing. As a former athlete, I agree that sport is such an important part of a child’s life. It teaches resilience and strength, and gender should not be a barrier. Dana Bookman is striving to break those barriers and encourage girls everywhere to get involved. What began as a way to involve and encourage her daughter has had an impact on thousands of girls. Dana’s message that “a love of the game lasts forever, so instilling that in players of any age and any ability level is the most important thing” summarizes the importance of sport participation.
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