She's The Moment - Inspiring Her to Lead

For Ontario University Athletics (OUA) and McMaster University Women's Basketball team stand-out, 2022-2023 U Sports Female Athlete of the Year and current Finnish (Korisliiga League - Torpan Pojat team member) professional basketball player Sarah Gates, sport has always been her go-to happy place.  A place through which she has experienced a tremendous amount of success as a player; built her strong sense of self; and created for herself an extensive community collective of like-minded friends and mentors alike. 

 

OUA Sports: OUA honourees add to historic seasons with U SPORTS athlete of the year recognition

See How She Got Started: OUA & McMaster University Basketball Player Sarah Gates

 

Sarah's own personal reflections on what sport has meant to her together with her involvement in student athlete leadership and strong appreciation for knowing what it's meant to have and not have female coaches and role models throughout her basketball career, have collectively fueled the spark and her efforts to create She's The Moment in 2024. 

 

For Sarah, the message she wants to get out to all is simple - girls who play sports become women who lead.

 

Designed with the mission to "grow female leaders in Canada through the power of sport", Sarah knows first hand how having female leaders in her life has shaped her role as an elite level athlete and her everyday existance as a Canadian. For Sarah, the message she wants to get out to all is simple - girls who play sports become women who lead.

 

She's The Moment - In Her Own Words - Sarah Gates, Founder

SeeWhatSheCanDo sat down with Sarah to learn more about She's The Moment and the backstory that has shaped Sarah's passion and commitment to helping more women and girls embrace the role of leader throughout Canada through the events hosted by the She's The Moment platform. 

 

 

Q: Tell us what’s your ‘why’ is behind creating “She’s the Moment”. What are you hoping to accomplish through it?

A: She's the Moment sprung up from me feeling the personal impact of the female leaders around me. I never had a female coach growing up. So when I had both a head coach and an assistant coach that were both female during my time playing basketball at McMaster University, its impact on me was huge.

Both of my coaches helped me find my voice. Not only as a basketball player, but as a leader too. It definitely had a domino effect on how I wanted to get involved with female leadership. In fact it inspired me to start a Women's Athletic Leadership Committee where we ran events that created opportunities for like-minded women to come together.

 

 

I found passion in this initiative and had ideas post graduation so decided to launch She's the Moment. A brand designed to keep girls in sport and to help them to understand how best to leverage the many skills they've learnt through sport into their professional futures as an adult.

Personally, when people ask me who I am and how I describe myself, for so long I would always say "I'm Sarah Gates and I'm a basketball player" and like most women, that's selling myself short a lot. We want to build platforms and ways to empower women to use the skills they have learnt through sport to become capable and confident professional leaders.

 

 

Q: How have your own experiences in sport shaped you and your own perspectives in how you see yourself and She’s The Moment helping others in their lives?

A: Sports have been everything for me. They have taught me skills and values that I will carry with me for the rest of my life. Values like passion, determination, teamwork and so on have been able to translate to every aspect outside of sport.

She's the Moment builds the platforms to help facilitate girls and women to learn their core values and learn how to translate these skills off the court, field etc. Additionally, She's the Moment events are an opportunity to connect with like-minded women and role models. We know the impact of visibility and mentors can be immense, so our goal is to make access to connection and community easier and more accessible for more females who participate in and play sports.

 

 

Q: Who are the people in your sport career that helped shape who you are today? How do you feel they made a difference for you?

A: All my successes are credited to my role models. They helped me not only become a better basketball player, but a better person too. I have had amazing coaches, teammates and family members who helped me push me to new heights; shaped me as a leader; and instilled values and a strong work ethic. I am forever grateful for that.

Without them, I might be still have been a great basketball player. But, I know for a fact that the woman and leader I am growing to be currently would not be who I believe I am today.

 

 

Q: You are currently playing professional basketball in Finland. What’s it been like for you to have the chance to play at the pro level of your chosen sport? Is it what you expected? What advice would give others who might aspire to play pro-level basketball and/or pro-level sport in general?

A: Playing professional basketball has been my dream for as long as I can remember. So to say I am living the dream is pretty incredible. In terms of advice for young girls, I would say continue to be your authentic self through it all and stay coachable. To expand on that, I believe being myself has allowed me to build key relationships with my coaches and teammates which has lead to my successes. In terms of being coachable, it's important to always want to get better and reach new heights, as well as to take in every piece of advice and learn from every set back.

 

 

Q: How are you using the many skills you’ve gained through sport in the world around you?

A: I love this question because there's not one day that I don't use the skills I've learn through sport. For me personally, determination is a big one. It helps me to stay on track everyday with my goals and continue to expect more from myself as I continue to navigate my professional, personal and sports worlds.

Another critical skill I feel strongly about is communication. Sport teaches you how to communicate with all different types of people and how to say things differently to achieve one common goal. This alone impacts how I build personal and professional relationships.

I also believe it's important to understand how your mindset can impact one's success. While I know mindset itself is not a skill, but learning to have a growth mindset has shaped how I have learned to turn setbacks into positive growth opportunities.

Overall, the skills one can develop through sport are endless. One thing I will always want to point out is that the impact these skills have on your life are endless too. So often, it's more about having real, positive and productive ways to learn how to leverage them.

 

 

Q: What’s one way current sport leaders, professionals, and business operators can do to enhance and grow their support for young girls and women’s sports? What role do you think they play in influencing the long-term/lifetime participation in sports by women and girls?

A: Reflecting back on the sports leaders and professionals that had the biggest impacts on myself, I believe it all comes down to building authentic relationships. Each and every person and player is unique and that is their strength. Learn things about the people around you and find ways to help them find their voices outside of sport and athletics. If you act as a positive role model to them, they will want to be a positive role model for the next girl and the lasting impact this will have can really change the game in the long run. 

 

 

Connect with She's The Moment on Instagram - @shes_themoment

 

She's The Moment - Upcoming Events for 2025

 

1. She's The Moment Professional Development Conference

 

Helping women leverage the skills they have learnt through sport into their professional futures through workshops, keynote speakers and panel discussions. Lunch is included. Head here to register.

 

When: Sunday June 8th, 2025, 10:30am - 4:30pm

Where: Aurora Town Square, Aurora, ON

 

 

2. She's The Moment Coaching Clinic

 

The goal of this event is to give females a high level coaching experience and the opportunity to connect with amazing females leaders. Lunch is included. Head here to register.

 

When: Saturday June 14, 2025, 10:30am - 3:30pm

Where: David Braley Athletic Centre, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON

 

 

 

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