Paralympic snowboarder Lisa DeJong, Olympic hockey player Emily Clark, Olympic hockey official Alexandra Clarke, high performance soccer coach Jennie Waldner and national-team physio and athletic therapist Rhonda Shishkin highlight the Women in Sport Breakfast hosted by celebrity guest emcee Tara Slone.
The Women in Sport Breakfast is slated for Fri. Jan. 27 at the Hilton Garden Inn in Saskatoon. A breakfast buffet will begin at 8 a.m., with the panel to follow at 9 a.m.
Slone will lead the group of women in a discussion on how sport has impacted their lives and what it means to be a woman in the industry.
The breakfast follows the Saskatchewan Sport Awards, which will be held the night prior on Jan. 26. The annual awards program celebrates the achievements and dedication of individuals in Saskatchewan’s amateur sports community in 2022. Six Excellence Awards will be handed out, including Male and Female Athlete of the Year, as well as seven Recognition Awards for deserving recipients who show dedication to volunteering, coaching and inspire through sport.
Tickets to attend both the Women in Sport Breakfast and the 2022 Saskatchewan Sport Awards are $30.
Emcee Tara Slone
Tara Slone was most recently the co-host of the NHL broadcast Rogers Hometown Hockey alongside Ron MacLean. While at Sportsnet, she also helmed the weekly Sportsnet series Top of HER Game focusing on stories of empowered women in the world of sports. Slone now works as a content contributor with the NHL’s San Jose Sharks.
Emily Clark, 2018 and 2022 Olympic medallist
In eight years playing for the Canadian women’s hockey team, Clark has won many international medals including gold at the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics. It added to the silver medal from the 2018 Olympic Games in PyeongChang. She has been a part of seven medal-winning teams at the women’s world championships – three of those gold.
Alex Clarke, hockey official – men’s and women’s
Last year, after becoming the first female to officiate a game in the Western Hockey League, Alex was selected as a linesperson for the Beijing 2022 Olympics. Along with those accomplishments, she worked games in the American Hockey League along with several other international events.
Lisa DeJong, 2022 Paralympic medallist
At the 2022 Beijing Paralympic Games, Lisa won silver in the women’s snowboard cross event, which was Canada’s first-ever medal in the event. Along with her Paralympic achievement, Lisa won a gold and two silver medals at the 2021 World Para Snow Sports Championships.
Rhonda Shishkin, national team physio and athletic therapist
As the director of physiotherapy at Craven Sport Services, Rhonda has worked with high-performance athletes for more than 20 years. And recently, she served as the physiotherapist and athletic therapist for the national women’s basketball team at the Tokyo Summer Olympics. Rhonda has also been on medical teams for the Pan Am Games and Commonwealth Games. She has worked with Canada Basketball and Athletics Canada, along with her alma mater the University of Saskatchewan.
Jennie Waldner – soccer coach
Jennie currently serves as an assistant coach with the University of Regina Cougars women’s soccer team in the role of individual and team performance analyst. She also works with the regional EXCEL program, which is a collaborative partnership between Canada Soccer and Saskatchewan Soccer that creates a pathway for the province’s top players to get to the national team. Jennie was also recently the recipient of the High Performance Women in Coaching Mentorship Grant. She’s coaches several club, academy and provincial programs, while also serving as a coach for Saskatchewan at multi-sport games including the Canada Summer Games in 2022.