WINNIPEG, March 5, 2025 – The Winnipeg Jets are recognizing women who are changing the game and enriching their community with the launch of a new scholarship and their annual Celebrating Women in Sport game on March 11.
The Celebrating Women in Sport scholarship will award $2,500 to a woman who is pursuing post-secondary education and has made a difference in sport and her community. Fans can nominate their family, friends, teammates, players, coaches and students or self-nominate now at winnipegjets.com/scholarship. Nominations will close March 31, and the winner will be announced in April 2025.
The team’s Celebrating Women in Sport game will highlight local female athletes Leanne Taylor, Skylar Park, and Sara and Kate Manness as part of a special pre-game puck drop recognizing the inspiring impact they’ve made within their sport and their support for other female athletes in their communities.
After an accident in 2018 that left her paralyzed from the waist down, Leanne Taylor set a goal to complete a triathlon. Just six years later in 2024, she won a bronze model in the triathlon at the Paris Paralympics, becoming the first Canadian woman to earn an Olympic or Paralympic medal in the event. Taylor now advocates for others in the disabled community and is a peer mentor for Spinal Cord Injury Manitoba.
Having come from a family of 16 black belts, it’s no surprise that Skylar Park is one of the most celebrated Canadian taekwondo athletes. Park brought home a bronze medal at the 2024 Olympics, making her the third Canadian to win an Olympic medal in the sport. She also runs taekwondo and self-defence clinics for girls, helping them build confidence and stay in sports.
Twins Sara and Kate Manness won gold at the 2025 IIHF U18 Women’s World Championship and were the first sister duo to play together on Team Canada. Originally from LaSalle, Man., the sisters represented Balmoral Hall and Team Manitoba and have now committed to play Division 1 hockey at Clarkson University in New York.
Media can download images for the Celebrating Women in Sport scholarship HERE.
Tickets to the Winnipeg Jets Celebrating Women in Sport game are available at winnipegjets.com/tickets.
