Dr. Arlene McGinn: My Friend and Advocate for Women in Sport
I first met Dr. Arlene McGinn in 1970 when we were both coaching high school girls’ basketball—she at Bishop Carroll and I at Western Canada. At that time, girls’ sports lacked the same opportunities as boys’. For example, girls’ basketball games were played after school with six-minute quarters and student referees, while boys played eight-minute quarters at night with certified officials. Additionally, girls’ teams were often relegated to auxiliary gyms, while boys had priority in main gymnasiums.
Arlene was a strong advocate for equal rights in athletics, especially for girls’ basketball. In the early 1970s, she and I faced off in the Junior Girls’ City Basketball Championship, which my team won. After the game, she approached me and asked if I would join her in advocating for equal opportunities for girls in high school sports. I immediately agreed. The following year, our teams met again in the City Semi-Finals, and this time, Arlene’s team won. Her star player that night scored over 30 points, more than the rest of her team combined. That player? Hayley Wickenheiser, who went on to become one of Canada’s greatest athletes. Today, the Calgary Booster Club honors her legacy with the Hayley Wickenheiser Scholarship Award, presented annually at Bishop Carroll High School to an outstanding student-athlete.
Fighting for Equality: The North/South Selects Game
In 1971, the CSHSAA launched the North/South Selects Basketball Game to promote high school sports. Each school selected one player from its senior boys’ team, and the two coaches were chosen based on first-place standings in the North and South leagues by December. The first game was held at Crescent Heights High School in January 1972, with a preliminary matchup between the Calgary Stampeders and the Calgary Police.
At the CSHSAA Board of Governors meeting in June 1972, Arlene and I proposed adding a girls’ Selects game as the preliminary matchup the following year. The motion was defeated, with the reasoning that the girls’ skill level was not high enough to be entertaining.
Undeterred, we tried again in 1973, this time with support from Sheila Iversen, the P.E. Department Head and girls’ basketball coach at James Fowler. We met with our principals beforehand to explain why girls deserved the same opportunity. This time, the motion passed, and in 1974, the first North/South Selects Basketball Game for senior girls was played. I coached the South team (which won), while Roy West from St. Francis coached the North team.
Today, the North/South Selects format remains a successful tradition, now including multiple sports for both boys and girls.
Honoring Arlene’s Legacy
In 1981, as a tribute to Arlene McGinn’s contributions to girls’ basketball, the Calgary Booster Club created the Dr. Arlene McGinn Outstanding Female Basketball Student-Athlete Award, originally a $500 scholarship. Today, it has grown into a $1,000 annual scholarship, continuing her legacy.
Sadly, on February 20, 2024, Arlene passed away in White Rock, B.C., at the age of 91. From 1967 to 1988, she had an exceptional career in Calgary as a coach and Assistant Principal, teaching at Bishop Carroll, Bishop Grandin, and St. Mary’s High School.
Her many honours include:
- Saskatchewan Sport Hall of Fame
- YWCA Woman of Distinction
- Past President, ASAA (Alberta Schools’ Athletic Association)
- Vice President, Western Canada Summer Games
- Past President, Lindsay Park Sports Centre
- Past President, Parks Foundation Calgary
Arlene’s dedication, leadership, and advocacy led to multiple City Championships in both junior and senior girls’ basketball. Her impact on young female athletes was profound, and her legacy will live on through the generations of athletes she inspired.
She will be greatly missed.