Blackmore wins Rivalus Scholarship

Raise you stick Kayla, another goal conquered.
Photo Courtesy Dylan Buell

Hard work and determination have paid off for Kayla Blackmore. After applying for the Rivalus Student Athlete Scholarship a few months ago and pulling everything together to gain support, she found out this week that she had earned the lucrative award. Bill Hunt of the Fredericton Daily Gleaner caught up with Blackmore recently and reported the following.

It's not as if Kayla Blackmore won the lottery - she earned the big prize after all - but the 21-year-old St. Thomas University women's hockey star won the Rivalus Student-Athlete scholarship. One male and one female from Canadian Interuniversity Sport and one male and one female from NCAA schools were chosen.

Blackmore's credentials were impeccable: she was the team captain and leading scorer with the Tommies women's team this past season, a four-time academic all-Canadian, and the winner of the Student-Athlete Community Service Award in Atlantic University Sport.

Her Facebook page drew 726 'likes.' Nevertheless, 'it was kind of unexpected,' said the 21-year-old Fredericton native. 'I had kind of put in the back of my mind that I wasn't going to win it.' It's a $5,000 scholarship and $5,000 in product from the sport supplement company. She got a call from the company's Halifax-based marketing representative, Mike Barbour, Monday night.

'He told me that my application was everything they were looking for,' she said. 'I was speechless.' STU athletic director Mike Eagles, for one, is not surprised.

'I coached Kayla in atom competitive hockey,' he said. 'I know what a hard worker she is. I've known her since she was 10 years old. I have nothing but respect and admiration for her as a person and an athlete. It's a big surprise, but it's not surprising to me. She's a hard worker, she's a wonderful ambassador for the game, for the school and for her program. I'm thrilled for her.'

Congratulations to Kayla and job very well done for earning this prize. We are very proud of you and feel very lucky to have such a great young lady representing our school.