The luncheon also featured a Q and A with former professional players Blake Bolden and Haley Skarupa. Bolden won championships in the Canadian Women’s Hockey League (2015) and National Women’s Hockey League (2016) and gold in the 2008 and 2009 IIHF World Under-18 Women’s World Championship. Skarupa won gold in the 2018 Pyeongchang Olympics, the 2015, 2016 and 2017 Women’s World Championships and the 2011 World Under-18 Championship. Each knows the importance of having proper role models in helping grow the women’s game.
“It’s huge,” Bolden said. “I think for me, I think it puts a little fire in my belly to be a better person, to be a better service to the game, to be a better role model, to give back.
“The game is such a gift. It was given to me when I was 6 years old, and it’s changed my life for the better. It’s allowed me to meet wonderful people like Haley, and to travel the world and win and lose and learn so much about myself. So to be put in this position and to be surrounded by women who are so powerful and like-minded, it’s a privilege and an honor, and I know that if we do well, the next generation is going to do well.”
The NHL, Blue Jackets, ESPN and Ohio State University hosted numerous youth hockey community events this week, including multiple Learn to Skate and Learn to Play clinics. On Friday, ESPN also announced a grant for Ohio State’s LiFEsports (Learning in Fitness and Education) program. Since 2009, it has supported the community by providing positive programming for youth development. It supports girls and boys of all ages.
“We brought in a bunch of local leaders, youth girls, athletes just from this area, in tandem with the Stadium Series,” Skarupa said, “and then some incredible leaders in hockey and sports, just to talk about the importance of sports and hockey in young females, young athletes, and where it can kind of take you. So it’s been awesome to get to know these people.”
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