'Everyone' needs to be a role model to young girls, says Heather Moyse

Like many growing up, Heather Moysewas a young girl when she found her role model.

The two-time Olympic world champion and hall-of-fame rugby player had looked up to her sister while the two bobbed and weaved through sports in Summerside, P.E.I.

"My sister was three years older than I was and she played and I just wanted to play in her footsteps," Moyse said."I wanted to keep up so I could play with her and her friends."

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Although her sister was her inspiration when she was young, even at that time the scope of possible female role models in her life was limited.

She wasn't much for watching sports on TV, but even if she hadthe number of role models readily available for girls was slim to none, she said and not very much has changed in the years since.

"Boys have the role models on TV and have the possibilities and opportunities visually ready for them all the time. They see where they could go," she said. "For girls, it's not on TV all the time or sometimes not at all."

She's changingthatand said it's especially important for young Island girlsto see someone like them achieve great things someone from their own community and be inspired by their character.

And she can't do it alone.

'Everybody is a role model'

Not only has Moysebecome a local role model herself, she said in today's ageeverybody has the responsibility to be a role model and inspire youth.

"I know a lot of people look up to me as a role model but everybody is a role model," she said. "Everyone needs to consider themselves as role models a little bit more instead of just the people that are very visible on TV."

Because of her journey through sport, she hasthe platform to encourageyoung girls on P.E.I. to dream big and, she said, what's most important is that it'sa local example of what youthhere can grow up to accomplish.

"By me being here on P.E.I. the more they realize that it's people from here who can go do great things. It's very important to me," she said. "Just because you come from a really really small place doesn't mean we can't do really big things."

On Saturday, Heather Moyse will lead a discussion about inspiring women in sport, including an hour-long Q&A session at the She Leads event hosted by Sport PEI.

"It's going to be amazing. There's going to be a panel discussion with a lot of influentialrole models here in the community. That'll be great," she said.

Everyone needs to consider themselves as role models a little bit more instead of just the people that are very visible on TV. Heather Moyse

But being an inspiring figure is more than just what happens on the pitch, or in the bobsled she said she hopes young girls are just as motivated by the character of the role models around them.

"I take that responsibility to heart. I feel very privileged to be in that role as someone who young girls can look up to. It goesbeyond sport," she said.

"I hope it goes to the point where it's about making authentic decisions that are right for you, and it's about pursuing things that you're passionate about and taking chances without knowing for sure that there's a guaranteed outcome."

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