ESTEVAN — From Aug. 6-9, Affinity Place became the hub of female empowerment in sports as it hosted the first-ever All Girls Hockey Camp, a landmark event that brought together young female athletes from across southeastern Saskatchewan and beyond.
The inaugural camp, organized through a partnership between local fitness expert Meg LeBlanc of Meg LeBlanc Fitness and Melissa Deitz with Lemon Wedge Marketing Group, was hailed as a resounding success, setting the stage for future initiatives aimed at fostering female talent in hockey.
"I couldn't be happier that my dream camp finally came to life here," said LeBlanc, who has long envisioned creating a space specifically for young female hockey players. "It honestly worked better than I could have even imagined."
The camp featured a comprehensive program that combined on-ice skill development with off-ice training and personal growth activities. For LeBlanc, the most rewarding aspect was witnessing the progress the participants made over the course of the camp.
"It's so fun being able to watch them come in on the first day and see all the progress they made by the end of the week," she said.
Deitz emphasized the significance of providing a supportive environment tailored to girls.
"This camp wasn't just about improving hockey skills," Deitz explained. "It was about giving these girls the confidence and support they need to succeed in all aspects of their lives."
The idea of the camp was born after a trip to Regina with local young hockey players for the U.S. versus Canada women's hockey series in February.
"The atmosphere there was electric. … And all these girls had role models to look up to with all of these women who were playing in the PWHL [Professional Women's Hockey League]," Deitz recalled. "And on the way home, a great friend of mine said, 'Why don't we do an all-girls hockey camp?' And I called my business partner, Robert [Godfrey], and I said, 'Does Lemon Wedge Marketing Group do hockey camps?' He was super supportive, and said, 'We can do anything that we want.'"
The next day Deitz reached out to LeBlanc, and the wheels started turning. Many female entrepreneurs got on board with the idea, adding bits and pieces to the holistic project, and by April the All Girls Hockey Camp was open for registration.
The camp attracted 100 participants in under-9, U11, U13, U15 as well as U18-U22 groups – the capacity for this year. While the younger athletes had a full-day camp experience, the older ones had a chance to take upon group leader roles during the day, and then have some training time in the evening.
"It just teaches [older athletes] some leadership skills and is the opportunity to spend time with these young athletes. We've had feedback from all of those girls, and they had a great experience, which is very heartwarming. And young athletes get to look up to girls that are just a little bit older than them, who have some really great experiences too," Deitz noted.
Besides LeBlanc and Deitz, helping to make the camp a reality were Kim Mayuk, Brady Johnson, Kim Pastachak, Trina Battersby, Sidney Wanner, Tricia Debruyne, Chloe Sorenson and others.
A highlight of the camp was the participation of three-time Olympic gold medalist Colleen Sostorics, who served as a guest speaker and coach. Sostorics brought her wealth of experience and inspired young athletes with her journey from small-town Saskatchewan to the pinnacle of international hockey. She also spent a lot of time on ice practising with the athletes.
"These girls are flying. We have some girls that are rookies and some girls that have clearly been playing hockey for a long time. But I wasn't really concerned with that. I was just concerned that whatever level they are at today, tomorrow we get them to just a little bit higher level," Sostorics said.
The camp was not only about honing hockey skills but also about building a strong community. LeBlanc pointed out that the collaboration with local businesses and female entrepreneurs was instrumental in creating a holistic experience for the participants.
"It's better when you work together," she said, highlighting the various partnerships that brought yoga, nutrition, mental health and motivational talks into the camp's agenda.
"One thing that Meg said that I loved is that our joint venture was a perfect partnership. We brought our respective businesses together to create something special. So much collaboration," Deitz said, also noting the support from local female entrepreneurs.
"I feel like we accomplished exactly what we set out to do, and I'm very, very proud of all the women and of course, we have some men in all-girls camp as well, and I'm very, very proud of what we've all accomplished together."
Camp organizers also praised the partnership with the city and noted that they were able to utilize almost all facilities at Affinity Place. Sostorics also praised Estevan's venue.
"Shout out to the facility and Estevan for having a facility where we can put on this and for opening it up to an all-girls hockey camp. Doing these things is going to pay dividends in the years to come in your community. And I'm just happy to be a part of it, to come down here and to experience this. It is my first time in this building and it's amazing," Sostorics said.
As the camp concluded, the organizers were already looking ahead, with plans to continue and expand the program.
"Absolutely, we are going to continue," LeBlanc confirmed, excited about the future potential of the camp.
"We definitely are going to have All Girls Hockey Camp 2025, and I think we have some other irons in the fire as well," Deitz added.
For the girls who attended, the camp was more than just a training ground—it was a place where they felt seen, supported and empowered. As Sostorics noted, it's crucial for these young athletes to know they have the community and a hockey community behind them.
Deitz thanked everyone who helped make All Girls Hockey Camp work.
"I really want to thank all the women who teamed up with us for this camp. I feel very humbled by that. I'm very excited that every woman that we called to be a part of this camp had huge enthusiasm and agreed right away to do so, that means a lot to me," Deitz said. "I also want to thank the families for bringing their daughters and for taking a chance at this camp. And we want to thank the girls for making this the most unforgettable experience."
She noted that All Girls Hockey Camp is a new brand they've created, and they plan on improving and growing it. As part of the project, they created a website - allgirlshockeycamp.ca, which will continue to be updated. People can also follow All Girls Hockey Camp on social media.
