Believe and you will make a difference, Campbell says at dinner celebrating women in sport

Everybody has an important role to play, whether it’s as president of the company or the rookie on a team,
said Olympic gold medalist Cassie Campbell at the first annual women in sport dinner in Charlottetown March 13.
Campbell, captain of the Canadian women’s hockey team in the 2006 Olympics, spoke about her experiences as a
hockey player and gave many inspiring words to Holland College and UPEI female athletes.
Campbell told the crowd of about 200 she once went to a sport psychiatrist who told her everyone on a team
makes a difference, even if they’re not the main scorer.
“In order to make a difference, you have to believe you are making a contribution,” she said.
Her encouragement and inspiration didn’t end with her stories. It continued through videos she put together
of the Canadian women’s Olympic hockey team playing and winning the gold medal game.
This helped everyone understand how it felt standing on the blue line, being a Canadian woman, accepting
such a great victory, she said.
The women’s Canadian hockey team wasn’t always successful. In 1998, their first time in the Olympics, they
won silver, and in 2002 they lost to the U.S. eight times in a row. They only won the ninth and last game.
But that wasn’t their only challenge they faced that year, said Campbell.
There were also two injuries, and their own Canadian media were telling them in their last game against the
U.S. they weren’t going to win.
“We were challenged so much in that Olympic season that it didn’t matter what would happen in this game,” she
said.
When they finally won the gold medal in 2006, it didn’t come easy, said Campbell. The team went through a lot
of hard work and effort to get to the gold medal game.
To be successful, Campbell said her team had to be able to face challenges, to come out of their comfort zone,
to train hard and prepare, and to have fun.
“The more you have fun together, the more you trust each other, and the more ability you have to play your
role on the team.”
Of all the places Campbell travelled during her life as an athlete, from North America and beyond, Campbell
said there’s no place like P.E.I.
Although she is a retired athlete she loves giving back to her sport and to young athletes, and encouraged them
to do the same.
“Never let your memories be bigger than your dreams.”