INTRO TO GEORGETTE REED

CapU’s new Athletic Director on life, inclusivity and the struggles of POC women in athletics

Matt Shipley - Co-Editor-In-Chief Anais Bayle - Illustrator

Georgette Reed was hired as CapU’s new Athletic Director in April 2022, becoming the first woman to hold the position. As someone with a diverse background in sports, academia and municipal well-being, she has the experience to not only support and empower the Blues, but to look forward and foster positive change in the athletic community at CapU and beyond.

“It takes a lot of effort to build change,” said Reed. “We have the all-gender washrooms, you know, the ‘you are welcome’ stickers… I want to go deeper and actually work to create a space where everyone feels included, no matter their gender, their age, where they came from, or the colour of their skin.”

While many archaic aspects of institutional sport have been altered and improved over the years, there is still much to learn. Reed elaborated on this, speaking of past programs she had seen and participated in. “A lot of programs get stuck on tiny changes or none at all, but if you do that, the result doesn’t change. Stepping away from the status quo and building something better, you know, it takes a lot more effort, but that’s what makes it even more special, and that’s something we want to be a part of.”

While athletic performance is evidently a goal of Reed’s, she places more emphasis on the importance of welcoming and inclusion. In her office, she has a small, warmly lit meeting table, a Keurig machine for coffee and tea and a comfortable resting pad for her dog, Rudy, who has already become another smile-maker at the Centre for Sport and Wellness (CSW) and is an enthusiastic greeter for any who visit Reed.

“We have a lot of informal staff meetings, you know, just unplanned chats where we don’t have to have prepared notes or anything,” said Reed, speaking to the supportive work environment inside the CSW.

“We don’t clock in or clock out — I know when everybody comes and goes, of course, but if someone’s schedule means they come in at noon and leave at eight or nine p.m., that’s okay. If someone has to step out for half an hour, that’s fine — life happens.

“I have a firm belief in paying attention and doing the little things,” she continued, noting that showing up and being present is crucial to a positive student-athlete experience. “If you’re coming to practice, going to classes, doing the work you need to do, everything else will fall into place.” She explained that a fixation on one thing — whether it be classes, sports or anything else — tends to come at the expense of other facets of a student’s life, and that a welcoming environment dilutes much of the anxiety that students face in any particular area of their lives.

Today, while slow improvements have occurred, the athletic spectrum in Canadian grade schools is still dominated by Caucasian men and boys. Knowing this, Reed stresses the importance of community outreach and visibility: “Growing up, I rarely saw coaches or teammates who looked like me, who I could see as a role model. I think that’s one of my favourite things about this role — the ability to be a role model and someone people from not only the university, but the wider community can see and believe that anyone, no matter their race or gender or age, can participate and succeed in sport.”

One singular quote populates a whiteboard in Reed’s office: “Remember Your Why.” Reed touts it as a resonant theme in her life, and three words that everybody could benefit from, whether in sport or otherwise. “It’s just a reminder to remember why we’re here and what we’re here to do — to create change, to leave our places better than we found them.”