Haley Daniels

SPORT

HALEY DANIELS

Olympic Athlete, Canoe Slalom, Advocate for Gender Equality Haley started paddling at the age of 6 and competing at the age of 12 in both canoe and kayak. Family has always been very important to her. Both Haley’s parents were actively involved in all the major decisions and were her biggest SupportHERs. Her father became a certified international official so that he could be with her at international events including Rio 2016 where her father was selected to be a judge for Tokyo 2020.

Haley won a historic bronze medal at the Toronto 2015 Pan American Games. In the first Pan Am Games feature Womens canoe events Haley earned a spot on the podium in the Womens C-1 slalom event. Her path was not an easy one. Even through women’s canoeing was added to the World Cup circuit , there was a long wait for the Olympic program to become gender equable.

Haley was a vocal advocate for gender equality in her sport and among the female paddlers who lobbied for women’s canoe events to be added to the 2020 Olympic program in Tokyo. She was one of the first women to complete in the Olympic canoe slalom program.

During the pandemic, Haley and her dad broke down barriers and biases in sport and LGBTI+ community as they came out together, herself as a trans ally and her dad as a transgender woman and the first transgender judge to officiate in the world.

What is your definition of

success? Loving your job and finding purpose in your daily vocation while being determined to continue to grow and become better.

What is your definition of a

woman of Inspiration? Women of Inspiration are pioneers in their field who are breaking down barriers of adversity. They have had struggles with success along their given path and they always take time to give back to their community.

What have been some of the barriers and biases you faced on

your journey? Funding for female athletes and women not taken seriously in this sport. Until the sport was official for women, female athletes would have to come up with funding ($50,000 - $90,000) where men were fully funded. There was no support for women and the men made it hard for women to complete.

What words of wisdom would you tell your 14-year-old self?

Keep it simple. Over complicating things make it harder. List three thigs and then focus on these three things. Show up every day be present.

What does the future hold

for you? I have decided to retire from sport. It is bittersweet as I love the sport and the people in it and my body is strong. I have decided to transition to a new career as a firefighter in Calgary. This is another industry underrepresented by women I look forward to breaking down the biases and rising others up.