Supporting the GirlsCAN National Athlete & Coach Camp
© Leah Hennel
Beat the Streets was proud to support the second annual GirlsCAN National Athlete & Coach Camp, a powerful gathering that brought together athletes and coaches from across Canada and the United States for a truly shared learning experience.
Hosted January 1–2, 2026, in Calgary, the camp welcomed participants from the USA, British Columbia, the Northwest Territories, Yukon, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Quebec, and Ontario, creating a rare national space for connection, reflection, and growth within the women’s wrestling community.
What made this camp exceptional was its intentional pairing of athlete development and coach education. Rather than separating the two, GirlsCAN created an environment where technical training, values-based coaching, and thoughtful reflection could happen side by side, strengthening the sport from every angle.
Supporting Coaches to Coach with Intention
Seventeen coaches participated in the camp, engaging with GirlsCAN coaching content focused on:
teaching and learning techniques
effective feedback loops
body image and confidence
gender-intentional coaching within a co-ed landscape
Coaches praised the camp’s accessible structure and long-term relevance, describing sessions as:
“organized into small, manageable chunks,”
“introducing innovative tools that can be integrated into ongoing professional growth,”and helping reframe familiar concepts in ways that surfaced previously overlooked habits and assumptions.
This kind of reflective, values-based coaching is essential to building safer, more inclusive, and more effective sport environments, and it’s exactly the kind of work Beat the Streets is proud to support.
© Leah Hennel
Building Confident, Values-Driven Athletes
For athletes, the camp emphasized a growth mindset, understanding personal baselines, tracking and celebrating small wins, using feedback as a tool for improvement, and defining success through a values-based lens.
Athletes left with not only new technical skills, but renewed confidence and motivation. When asked how they felt after the camp, responses included:
“Energized,”
“more confident and stronger in my wrestling,”
“Fantastic,”
and “stronger and more interested in learning new things.”
Strengthening the Wrestling Community, Together
Together, the camp reinforced GirlsCAN’s commitment to developing confident athletes and thoughtful, reflective coaches, strengthening the wrestling community through shared language, intentional practice, and a clear focus on long-term development.
Congratulations go to the following groups and individuals for holding and contributing to such an incredible event:
Leah Ferguson (Olympian) for her leadership and organization
Erica Wiebe (Olympic Champion) for bringing athletes from Quebec—many from underserved communities—as part of the Women in the Spotlight Grant
Carol Huynh (Olympic Champion) for her continued leadership and support of girls in wrestling
Calgary Dinos for hosting and partnering on this national event
👉 You can read more about Erica Wiebe’s Women in the Spotlight Grant and its impact here.
Supporting GirlsCAN Beyond the Camp
© Leah Hennel
Merchandise supporting this work is available through GirlsCAN Apparel via Takedown Distribution.
And be sure to follow @girlscanmovement on Instagram to stay connected with this growing movement.
At Beat the Streets, we are proud to invest in initiatives like the GirlsCAN National Athlete & Coach Camp, because when we support girls and women in sport, we strengthen the entire community.
About Beat the Streets:
At Beat the Streets, our mission is to advance the education of low-income children and youth in the Greater Toronto Area through fun and unique wrestling, life skills, and employment-based development programs. Since 2015, we have served over 28,000 young individuals through our Wrestle 4 Fun, Level Up, You Grow Girl, Work it Girl, After-School and Open Mat Sessions programs, providing them with opportunities to develop their physical, mental, and social well-being. We believe in empowering the next generation by breaking down barriers and creating pathways to success.
Join us in our mission to impact youth:
Join us in making a difference by supporting our cause and learning more about how you can contribute to the education and growth of children and youth in need. Together, we can shape a brighter future for all.
