When Astrid Göth moved from Sweden to Montreal three years ago, hockey became a way to learn a new country and language.
But it wasn’t an easy transition.
Inside a rink full of echoes and background noise, the young girl struggled to hear her coaches’ instructions for drills. English was still new to her, and hearing loss added to the challenge.
“I had to learn how to communicate clearly, ask if I did not understand or I didn’t hear,” said Göth, who’s now 13 and a forward for the Westmount Wings program.
Studies show women and girls are significantly more likely to quit playing organized sports, especially as they reach adolescence. Recent research from the non-profit organization Canadian Women & Sport found as many as half of Canadian girls are likely to stop playing by age 17.
There are all kinds of reasons why that happens, ranging from feeling like they don’t belong in sports, to the time commitment involved.
A new mentorship program from the PWHL is trying to change that, and Göth will be one of the first girls to benefit from it.
Göth, along with 119 other girls in Grades 8 and 9 across all eight PWHL cities, will be mentored by PWHL players throughout the season. They’ll also attend virtual workshops aimed at improving “mental wellness, self-belief and teamwork.”
The program is a partnership with Strong Girls United, a non-profit aimed at empowering girls, and Kyndryl Canada, an IT company that serves as the program’s founding sponsor.
With research showing 14 is a key age when girls drop out of sports, the PWHL targeted that age group for mentorship.
It’s a rare chance for young girls to have a direct line to a pro player who’s been in their shoes, with the hope that it will help foster belonging for girls who aren’t sure if hockey is for them.
Sharing struggles
Astrid’s mother, Fia Göth, applied to the program after seeing an ad on Instagram.
She sees it as a chance for her daughter to talk to a pro about how to handle adversity, such as a tough loss. How do you act in the locker room after that happens? And how do you get past it?
“I just feel this is an incredible opportunity, having these women athletes taking time from their probably super busy schedules, and seeing how they can be role models for girls who are in the sport,” Fia Göth said. “They will make a bigger impact than they think.”
Her daughter will cycle through mentorship sessions with three different players from the Victoire, her favourite PWHL team, over the season.
In one of her first two sessions, she had a chance to work one-on-one with Victoire forward Jade Downie-Landry.
The player signed up to be a mentor because she thinks it could help grow the game.
“A lot of girls at this time, at this age, kind of drop out of sports and I think that’s unfortunate,” Downie-Landry told CBC Sports. “I think if we could just have these conversations with them, have someone to look up to, make them feel more confident, I think that could go a long way.”
At that first session, Downie-Landry talked about the challenge of overcoming an injury. She’s been on long-term injured reserve since the beginning of the season, after signing with her hometown team this past summer.
It may be different than the challenges Göth has faced on the ice, but Downie-Landry felt it was important for the girls to hear that you can struggle even at the highest level.
“Just knowing that they’re not alone could take a lot of weight off their shoulders,” Downie-Landry said.
‘A special conversation’
Downie-Landry’s words have stuck with Göth.
“Even though she’s injured, she hasn’t given up,” she said. “She’s still working hard and still being positive.”
That’s exactly what Göth has been doing over the last three years, even though it’s been difficult at times.
Hockey Canada is hoping to ramp up the world of female hockey in the next few years. As CBC’s Nicole Healey explains, the organization has published what it considers to be a blueprint for building women’s and girls’ hockey.
She’s still playing hockey in Montreal. She’s also refereeing and volunteering to coach younger girls, so they’ll have another female role model in the game.
“It’s just that I really like hockey,” Göth said. “The sport has kept me going because I always wanted to get better. That’s what has motivated me.”
The conversation with Göth had an impact on her mentor, too.
“I remember getting off the phone and thinking to myself, wow, this girl has such good energy,” Downie-Landry said. “She was so enthusiastic and you could tell that she just really loved the game. It was just a really special conversation.”
