In 2024, an estimated 30,500 Canadian women will be diagnosed with breast cancer—a staggering number underscoring the importance of awareness and action.
The Women’s Soccer team hosted the Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU) Bold in front of a home crowd at Richardson Stadium on Oct. 5. The game was lopsided for the Gaels, scoring seven goals to the Bold’s zero.
Getting a win was important for the Gaels’ playoff odds. However, this game was bigger than just a regular-season game; it also hosted the fifth annual Kick for the Cure game.
Hosted every year since 2019, Kick for the Cure is an initiative started by former women’s soccer player, Christie Gray, Comm ’22, to raise awareness and money for breast cancer research.
Since its inception, the program has raised over $21,000, a huge success in rallying the community to a valuable cause.
Gray has since graduated, but the foundation she laid has allowed other players to continue the initiative she started, including star keeper and team captain, Kirstin Tynan, ArtSci ’25.
“Christie Gray championed [Kick for the Cure], and she was [an] incredible student athlete from here at Queen’s. […] I was really fortunate to learn a lot from her and gain a lot of guidance,” Tynan said in an interview with The Journal.
One key resource in getting the program off the ground was the Canadian Cancer Society, Canada’s largest national cancer charity.
“We’re very fortunate for the from the Canadian Cancer Society and Kelly Marah Hugh, specifically, she’s been incredible. […] They help set up our donation pages, and this year, they’re helping us find a donor match, and we’re dedicating our funding to a specific cause,” Tynan added.
Despite the help from other organizations, Kick for the Cure stuck true to its roots within the Women’s Soccer team. The most came from players, who made sure their message was sent to the entire Kingston community.
“This is our team really making this an important ideal within our group to raise this money to people,” she emphasized.
This year, the Women’s Soccer team raised close to $10,000 dollars by Oct. 5rt of the team’s motivations comes from their personal experiences with cancer.
“We understand that cancer touches everybody in some capacity. I’ve had grandparents who had cancer, not breast cancer, specifically, but who have fought those battles. Also, a lot of my teammates have been really closely touched by this,” Tynan mentioned.
That sense of purpose translated powerfully on the field during their commanding performance against TMU.
“We’re talking about our goal setting before the game, everyone emphasized the fact we’re playing for something more than ourselves. Here, we’re playing for people’s families. We’re playing for the community,” she added.
Their motivations are rooted in an understanding of their role and power as student athletes. Something that’s mentioned in every Queen’s student athlete meeting is how they have an increased ability to represent the school—a message that Women’s Soccer has taken to heart.
“We have an opportunity here as a group to make a difference, to be able to people, whether we know them or not, going through these difficult times. Why wouldn’t we take the opportunity,” she emphasized.
“It can extend to the entire community as well, which is why the Kick for the Cure game for us is so exciting.”
From its inception to now, Kick for the Cure and Queen’s Women’s Soccer have raised over $31,000 for Breast Cancer Research.
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