Meet the Inaugural Starting Five

Five remarkable athletes. $6,000 in funding. And a new program built to support women as they figure out what comes next.

When we launched the SHE’S GOT NEXT Starting Five Award earlier this year, we said we wanted to get behind athletes who lead, contribute and make the people around them better.

Today, we’re incredibly proud to introduce our very first Starting Five.
They’re outstanding athletes, but that’s only part of the story. They’re captains, mentors, community builders, advocates, researchers, future coaches and future leaders.

Emma Campbell, a Western University hockey player, is combining her background in Kinesiology with a Master of Management of Applied Science as she works toward a career in sport healthcare. Tia Jordo, a UBC rugby player studying in the Faculty of Arts, is working toward the Senior National Team. Jessica Kim, a Western flag football player completing a double honours degree in Business Administration and Political Science, is looking toward a career in business. Ellie Saplywy, a UBC cheerleader and Kinesiology grad, is pursuing research in fandom and women’s sport. And Kylee Speedy, a UNB basketball player completing her MA in Experimental Psychology, plans to continue coaching and stay connected to the game.

Five athletes at a pivotal point in their journeys, with five very different ideas of how to take what they’ve built through sport and succeed in whatever comes next.

They’re exactly the kind of people we created the Starting Five to support, and exactly the kind of people worth investing in.

Each member of the Starting Five receives $1,200 in funding, a SHE’S GOT NEXT membership, visibility and introductions across our network, and a place in The Huddle, our small-group mentorship program connecting recipients with accomplished women who have navigated their own transitions beyond competing.

As SHE’S GOT NEXT co-founder Julie Smulders puts it:

“The transition from being an athlete to life after sport can be brutal. The Huddle gives our Starting Five the opportunity to learn from women who’ve already made that transition through real conversations, real relationships and a community that will show up for them.”

One of the things we’re proudest of is how this award came to life.

Since day one, one-third of SHE’S GOT NEXT membership fees have gone directly to women’s athletic programs. This year, our members voted to expand that support to individual athletes, making the Starting Five possible.

Meet Emma, Tia, Jessica, Ellie and Kylee — our inaugural Starting Five.