On June 13, 2015, the OUIHC Women’s Blues were awarded an annual Atalanta’s Trust Grant of £250 for use towards the 2015-16 season. The grant had been applied for by the previous season’s captain, Linda Perkiö, and was officially received during a cocktail reception on the Roof Terrace of the Varsity Club by current captain, Jenn Lawrence, and club president, Lisa Choi.
The Atalanta’s Society is Oxford University’s club for elite sportswomen, founded in 1992 with the aim of promoting women’s sport and bringing together female athletes at Oxford. It hosts a range of events and activities each year celebrating sporting achievements of Oxford University athletes, and awards around three individual grants and three team grants each year. Both Lawrence and Choi have recently become members of the Atalanta’s Society, which extends membership to any woman who has competed in a Varsity Match in her respective sport. They hope to encourage more of their teammates to join in an effort to boost the involvement and visibility of the OUIHC Women’s Blues on Oxford’s campus, following their recent successes.
This year’s grant will be used towards buying new high-quality Bauer ice hockey helmets for the OUIHC, in the hopes of recruiting new talent for the 2015-16 ice hockey season and beyond.