A special ceremony was held in Muskoka on Saturday to honour aspiring female athletes thanks to Olympic gold medallist.
Maddison Hughes is 13 years old and every week she spends about 20 hours at the gym. Hughes competes at the highest provincial level in artistic gymnastics and has her sights set on going far in the sport.
“My dream has always been to make it to the NCAA level and maybe compete for a university or college somewhere,” says Hughes.
At her age, not many girls can do what she does.
“There are probably 30 girls in the province at her age at her level,” says Madison’s mom Erin.
But as with any young athlete, it can cost a lot to pursue her dreams.
“In gymnastics there are a lot of competitions and each competition has a fee at about $100 and there are also travelling fees,” adds Hughes.
But thanks to a local athlete and worldwide celebrity, Madison is getting a little help. Olympic gold medallist Dara Howell is paying it forward. After her big win in Sochi, Dara and her family started a fund to support and encourage young female athletes.
“The idea just came from being from a small community and wanting to girls that extra chance to make their dreams come true,” says Howell.
This year four young women were selected for the award from several applications. Each of them were recognized at a packed event in Huntsville and given $500.
“Money can go towards travel equipment, competition, entry fee just kind of anything that they really need help with to make it to the next level is what we want to provide,” adds Howell.
Dara wasn’t the only Olympian on hand, 1968 gold medallist Senator Nancy Greene Raine was also on hand to help make the presentations. She says this kind of support can make all the difference.
“This is important because it gives the young athletes in this community a chance to get a little bursary, a little grant to help them with their training and we all know there is never enough money to go around with junior athletes and so it’s going to be really great,” says Greene Raine.
