Vancouver FC is excited to host the second annual Women & Girls in Sport night at their upcoming home game on Sunday, August 18th. Prior to the 4 p.m. kick off, fans will have a chance to meet local, empowering women who participate and/or work in the sports industry. VFC is thrilled to introduce the Women & Girls in Sports panelists for 2024: Shallon Olsen, Emmy Curtis, Jenaya Robertson, Drew Mechielsen, Coco Suavé, Sarah Parker, Ava Van Santen, and Laura Armstrong.

Shallon Olsen, Olympian from Surrey, B.C.

Olsen is a three-time Canadian Olympic artistic gymnast, making her debut at the 2016 Rio Games as the youngest member of Team Canada. Her strongest event at the Olympics has historically been the Women’s Vault, finishing in the top 10 in all three of her Olympic appearances, with Olsen’s best ranking of seventh happening at the 2020 Tokyo Games. 

Olsen is returning to B.C. from Paris after representing Team Canada this last month on the global stage. Olsen and her teammates Ellie Black, Cassie Lee, Ava Stewart, and Aurélie Tran brought home fifth place in the Women’s team final which matched Canada’s best ever result in Women’s Artistic Gymnastics, previously set at the London 2012 Olympics. Olsen herself qualified for the Women’s Vault finals and ranked eighth in the world.

In addition to the Olympics, Olsen has competed in global competitions including the Canadian Championships, Pan-American Games, Commonwealth Games, and World Championships where the native of Surrey, B.C. earned a bronze medal with Team Canada in 2022. Olsen is an Alabama University alumni, representing the program from 2019 to 2023 and helped to lead the team to a Southeastern Conference championship in 2021.

Emmy Curtis, Reporter & Content Creator from Abbotsford, B.C.

Curtis is a sports reporter and content creator currently working for TSN as a multimedia creator on Sportscentre. After growing up in Abbotsford and getting her first taste of the sports broadcast world with the Vancouver Bandits, Curtis moved across the country to study at University of Toronto. 

While there, Curtis managed the athletic’s social content, volunteered for Canada Soccer, TSN , and utilized social media platforms such as TikTok to grow her personal brand and network. Curtis’ big leap in the industry came when she took on the role of Media Operations Team lead for 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar, where she spearheaded a group of volunteers to ensure all media operations were in order. 

Since then, Curtis has been the digital host for TikTok at the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup in Australia, floor director for the 2023 IIHF Women’s World Cup Championships, and becoming an ambassador for women in sports. 

Curtis’s most memorable moment in her career so far was, “After a 24-hour solo-travel day, I remember walking into Al Thumama Stadium in Doha, Qatar, for the very first time. The seats were empty, the pitch was perfect, and it was so quiet you could hear a pin drop. I stood there thinking, ‘I’m just a normal girl from Abbotsford, B.C., and now I’m standing in a brand new stadium about to lead a team of volunteers at the biggest sporting event in the world.’ That moment always reminds me that everything in life is possible.”

Jenaya Robertson, Assistant Coach & Soccer Player from Delta, B.C.

Robertson is a local soccer athlete who has played international professional soccer in Germany, Spain, and Ireland. Robertson grew up in Delta, B.C. and graduated from Delview High School before starting her varsity soccer career with Trinity Western University. She spent five seasons in the Spartans’ athletics program from 2015 to 2019, where she played in the Canada West final in four of her five years. 

By 2021, Robertson made the trip across the pond to sign her first professional contract with FC Würzburger Kickers before representing CP Cacereño Femenino in Spain the following year. Robertson moved to Ireland to pursue her career but eventually returned to B.C. and most recently presented Unity FC of League1 BC, scoring three goals in the 2024 season. Robertson is also listed as an assistant coach for Trinity Western University.

Outside of her soccer career, Robertson is also the Marketing & Communications Manager for TeamUp, an organization dedicated to helping underserved communities find hope, belonging, purpose, and community through sports programs, community support, and training opportunities for leaders. 

One of the services TeamUp runs is a sports program which creates and funds soccer teams for underserved communities in Malawi. Robertson’s role includes promoting and marketing TeamUp both at home and abroad through initiatives such as the boot drive Vancouver FC was delighted to support at the club’s match on July 26, 2024. For more information on TeamUp, including how to provide your support, please visit their website at https://teamup.world/.

Drew Mechielsen, Retired Elite BMX Racer from Langley, B.C.

Mechielsen is a retired Elite BMX racer who competed on the World Cup stage for seven years. She began riding when she was only three years old but eventually made the Canadian National Team and competed on the international stage. Mechielsen won the Canadian National Championship in 2016, 2017, and 2019 and in 2018 the native of Langley, B.C. ranked eighth in the overall World Cup series standings.

Mechielsen is also an Olympian, earning a spot on Team Canada for the 2020 Tokyo Games. She advanced to the finals in her Olympic debut and came in eighth place to make history as Canada’s best ever Olympic result in the Women’s BMX race. 

“Making it to the Olympic Games is undeniably the highlight of my career. This was a goal that I had for such a long period of time and it was accompanied by many periods of doubt. To make that dream come true and represent my country on the largest stage was the biggest accomplishment of my career,” said Mechielsen.

Coco Suavé, Manager of Sales & Services at Vancouver Bandits from Vancouver, B.C.

Suavé works for a fellow Langley Event Centre team, the Vancouver Bandits, as the club’s Manager of Sales & Services. She joined the professional basketball team in 2020 first as an intern during a bubble season where fans were not allowed to watch the games live. 

Suavé was promoted to a permanent position that same year and since then, she has worked to build an enthusiastic fan base and garner awareness for professional basketball in B.C. A former collegiate basketball player herself, Suavé represented Langara College from 2016 to 2018 before moving to George Brown College. 

“A motto I’ve lived by for years has been ‘hard work beats talent when talent doesn’t work hard.’ You need to be willing to work really, really hard and work for what you want or it’s never going to happen,” Suavé shares for anyone with an interest in pursuing a career in professional sports.

Sarah Parker, Entrepreneur & Photographer from Surrey, B.C.

Parker is a local entrepreneur who runs her own photography and media business called Match One Media. She has become a recognizable figure in B.C.’s sporting industry, capturing images from the sidelines of nearly every sport in nearly every league in the Lower Mainland, including the B.C. Lions, Vancouver Bandits, Vancouver Whitecaps FC, and Vancouver FC. 

Parker is also a retired soccer player having previously played at the U SPORTS level for University of Fraser Valley and semi-professionally both in the United States and England. She suffered a career-ending injury in her senior varsity season but it was through that experience where Parker found a way to continue her love for the game by capturing the special moments.

“My advice of other girls and women in sports is to stay passionate and resilient. Embrace challenges as opportunities for growth, seek out mentors, and build a supportive network. Believe in yourself because your dedication can lead to incredible achievements, both on and off the field.”

Ava Van Santen, Rugby Player from Aldergrove, B.C.

Van Santen is a student-athlete currently heading into her third year at Trinity Western University studying psychology and playing for the Women’s Rugby team. Van Santen only began playing rugby while at DW Poppy Secondary School but won the B.C. Provincial High School Rugby Championship in her senior year. She has since played two seasons with the Spartans and was awarded Trinity’s Women’s 7’s Rookie of the Year.

Most recently, Van Santen was selected to join Rugby Canada’s Maple Leaf Academy, a development pathway for future Olympians and National Team athletes, in a series of matches against the United States’ development squad in March 2024. Her experience there was followed up by Van Santen’s first call up to Canada’s U20 National team for the Women’s U20 Transatlantic Quad Series in Wales. The 15-a-side tournament featured Canada going undefeated against USA, England and Wales.

“The most memorable moment of my career was my debut game for Canada U20’s against the USA. This game was my first time putting on a Canada jersey and representing my country. I scored my first international try in this game and was the MVP for it as well which made it extremely memorable and special.”

Laura Armstrong, Senior Director of Communications at CPL from Ottawa, Ont.

Armstrong is the Senior Director of Communications at the Canadian Premier League (CPL) and for Canadian Soccer Business (CSB). She joined the CPL in 2022 at the onset of the League’s fourth season and has since helped to oversee two CPL Finals and the launch of the inaugural CPL ‘On Tour’ series in Kelowna, which came to successful fruition in June 2024.

Prior to joining the CPL, Armstrong was a sports reporter for nearly eight years at the Toronto Star, covering teams such as Toronto FC’s MLS Cup appearances, Toronto Raptors NBA Championship in 2019, and was the beat reporter for the Blue Jays. The University of King’s College alumni also covered global sporting events from the Olympics and the Men’s National Soccer Team’s road to Qatar in 2022.

Armstrong has experience in front of the camera as well, being featured as an analyst on Sportsnet and OneSoccer, where she covered the CPL’s Island Games in 2020. 

Vancouver FC fans will get a chance to meet and chat with these empowering women to learn from their first-hand experiences in the industry. Make sure to get your tickets to the match on Sunday, August 18th online here and be there for when gates open at 3 p.m. to have enough time to meet all eight panelists.