Squash BC is thrilled to share the program for our second annual Women in Squash: Leadership Conference. The event will feature engaging sessions with industry experts and a fireside chat with BC’s top professional squash player: Nicole Bunyan! The Women in Squash: Leadership Conference is taking place Saturday, March 9 at the Vancouver Lawn Tennis & Badminton Club alongside the Richardson Wealth Women’s PSA Open.
Register on Club Locker until March 8th at 12:00PM: Women in Squash: Leadership Conference Registration. The Women in Squash: Leadership Conference is $49.00 + GST or FREE for all women playing in the Richardson Wealth Amateur Draws.
Squash BC thanks our Women in Squash Partner Buntain Insurance for sponsoring this event and providing our annual Emerging Female Leaders Grant (which will be announced at the event).
Conference Program:
10:30 – 11:00 AM: Registration, Coffee & Light Refreshments (Burrard Room)
11:00 – 11:45 AM: Fireside Chat with Nicole Bunyan (Burrard Room)
Squash BC’s Natasha Doucas will sit down with Nicole Bunyan for a fireside chat to kick off the conference. Nicole is BC’s top-ranked professional player and the second seed in the PSA event. She has a wealth of experience playing on the PSA Tour, achieving a career-high world ranking of #39 so far.
Nicole’s resume includes consistently representing Canada on the international stage. Recent highlights include 2 silver medals at the 2023 Pan-Am Games and another at the 2023 Pan-Am Squash Championships. Nicole was also the runner-up at the 2023 Canadian Squash Championships, hosted here in Vancouver. Nicole is also a NASM Certified Personal Trainer, a Precision Nutrition Coach and the founder of her own squash programming and coaching business, Squashletic.
We look forward to hearing her thoughts on athlete development, female engagement, and more!
12:00 – 1:30 PM: Conference Break – Note: Attendees playing the tournament may be scheduled for a match during this time.
1:30 – 2:30 PM: Sport Nutrition with Cristina Sutter 
Christina Sutter of Elite Dietitians will lead participants through a workshop on sport nutrition focused on female Sport for Life stage athletes. Cristina has 20 years of experience working as a sport dietitian and is the founder of Elite Dietitians.
Christina was also a University instructor at UBC, SFU, and Langara College. She has worked with various sports organizations, including: the Vancouver Canucks, Canadian Women’s Elite Underwater Hockey National Team, the Canadian Sport Institute Pacific, and several Canadian Olympic Athletes. Christina currently works with many WHL, College, and AAA junior hockey players in BC.
2:30 – 3:30 PM: Best Practices in Women & Girls Programming with Jeannie Rohr & Rachel Gould (Burrard Room)
Jeannie Rohr (Tennis BC’s Director of Coach Education) and Rachel Gould (Co-Founder of Inspire Through Sport) will share best practices from their experience designing, planning, and delivering successful programs that target, engage, and retain women and girls in sport.
Jeannie Rohr is a staple of the BC tennis community and has coached for over 30 years in clubs, community programs and schools. One of Jeannie’s most significant contributions to tennis in Canada is her effort to make it more accessible and inclusive. She has implemented many programs including the Girls in Action program in BC and has mentored many young female players to stay in the sport and become coaches. In addition to her work in tennis, Jeannie is on the Canucks Autism sport advisory committee and has been a Director for a non-for-profit organization in the field of child and youth mental health.
Rachel Gould is the Co-Founder of Inspire Through Sport, an organization with the mission to develop female leaders through sport. She has 20 years of coaching experience across all sectors of the tennis industry, including working as a Tennis Director, Manager of Coach Education for Tennis Canada, Course Facilitator, and Community Tennis Specialist. Rachel managed the launch of various national and provincial community initiatives, including University Tennis, Tennis in Schools, and Team Tennis. Rachel also competed on the Flagler College tennis team, where she received a full NCAA scholarship.
4:30 – 6:30 PM: Richardson Wealth Women’s PSA Open Semifinals (Squash Court Area)
Conference attendees are encouraged to stay and watch the incredible squash action of the PSA draw semifinals. With multiple Top 40 players in the draw, the semifinals promise to be top-quality matches.
6:00 PM Onwards: Tournament & Conference Social (Burrard & Cyprus Rooms)
All Conference Attendees are welcome to attend the event social.
Join us for the 2024 Women in Squash: Leadership Conference. Register now on Club Locker.