THE 2018 recipient of the Bobbie Steen Legacy Foundation Award in Sport is Jasmine Mander, ProMOTION Plus, a committee of Sport BC, has announced.
This $2,000 annual award is presented to an emerging female leader who is making a difference for the advancement of girls and women in sport through their actions, passions, and commitment in the area of physical activity, sport and recreation in BC.
As a player, Mander was a nominee for UBC’s rookie of the year in 2015, an eventual captain of the women’s soccer team where she was a member of two CanWest Conference Championship teams and one National Championship winning team while finishing her Bachelors in Kinesiology.
Nominated as a YWCA Woman of Distinction, the former Canadian Youth National Team and Vancouver Whitecaps FC player was a three-time Academic All Canadian and recognized as BC Soccer’s 2019 Woman of Distinction.
“Jas is my hero and I want to be just like her when I’m older. Jas is my coach and friend; she teaches and guides me and my team through the steps of our life,” said 12-year-old Stella Smith. “It’s amazing…being coached by her has helped my work ethic and ability to think faster so much, not only in sports but school and life too!”
“The $2,000 award would be really great for Jas because she would spend it on her tuition and coaching courses. She has to pay a lot to UBC because she is working on her Masters in Physiotherapy. She wants to get her A soccer coaching license but that costs $5,000 so it will be difficult for her to get that kind of money and pay for school, while she dedicates at least 10 hours a week for Fusion girls soccer,” explained Smith.
Mander joins over 25 other young women who have been honoured with the Bobbie Steen Foundation Legacy Award through ProMOTION Plus since 2003.
Mander said: “It is a tremendous honour to even be in the conversation for any award, especially the Bobby Steen Legacy Foundation Award in Sport for all it embodies and exemplifies for women in sport. I am grateful for so many aspects of this experience. The continued commitment of ProMOTION Plus and the Bobby Steen’s Legacy Foundation to develop sport, and the words from Stella.
It is a privilege to work with young people in sport and to create an environment where the lessons and beauty of competition can reach people is every reason I love coaching soccer. I would like to sincerely thank everyone involved for believing that I could be worthy of this recognition. I hope to do right by all award stands for.”
“Jasmine exemplifies the spirit, determination and commitment of an emerging female leader in sport,” said Erin Wilkins, Chair of the ProMOTION Committee. “We are so pleased to present this award to Jasmine so that she can continue her aspirations in coaching.”
THE Bobbie Steen Legacy Foundation has been created to provide financial support to charitable activities dedicated to advancing gender equity in physical activity and sport and / or the community betterment resulting from female involvement in physical activity and sport in BC.
Bobbie left a lasting impression on BC through her passionate dedication to advancing girls and women in physical activity and sport. As part of her legacy, an award has been established to keep Bobbie’s vision alive.
