International Women’s Day – Amy Burk

Friday, March 8th is International Women’s Day and to celebrate, Sport PEI would like to recognize some of the women who are actively representing PEI as athletes! We asked them how they feel about being a leader for young female athletes on the island and what message they’d like to share.

Anyone in attendance of her acceptance speeches at December’s awards ceremony can testify Amy Burk isn’t shy about letting the world know who she is and where she comes from.

The reigning Senior Female Athlete of the Year winner captained Team Canada’s goalball squad to a gold medal at the 2023 Parapan Am Games. While the former Goalball World Championship MVP has a major impact individually, it’s relationships with her teammates that provides Burk’s competitive fire.

“I love to win and be the best that I can be,” said Burk about being a leader. “I love being apart of a team and helping and motivating my teammates to aspire to be their best. Pressure is a privilege and I love being put in those situations.”

The four-time Paralympian cherishes the opportunity to compete and captain her team at the highest level while also prioritizing life as a mom to two sons and her career as a medical lab technician. She encourages female athletes to not succumb to the pressure of choosing needing to choose sport or personal life.

“Don’t be afraid to go after your dreams but still want other things in life,” says Burk. “You are still able to be a high performance athlete and a mom or have a career If that’s what you want to do. It will be a lot of work, but so rewarding.”

Growing up with a visual impairment, Burk was initially reluctant to get involved in sport of any kind, but credits getting over the hump of acceptance and starting goalball as propellants to success in all aspects of her life. While she had her own unique obstacles to overcome, her message of accepting who you are can resonate with any athlete searching for an identity.

“Don’t be afraid to be yourself, don’t let something label you, or hold you back,” said Burk when asked what message she would have for her younger self. “I was always the different kid growing up because of my visual impairment. I wouldn’t want to try something new because of being afraid if I didn’t see something quick enough. When I finally accepted my VI, I finally enjoyed everything that I did.”

Sport PEI is also hosting a “She’s Good” event, sponsored by Maritime Electric, on Friday at Bluefield High for girls in grades 8-12. For more information, contact lboudreau@sportpei.pe.ca. To register, click here: