Condors Helping Ottawa Girls Soar

Jim Perkins growing up in a household where he observed first hand how a physical disability can take a toll on enjoying sport. Perkins would go on to help form the Capital City Condors, an Ottawa-based hockey organization whose mission it is to help those with cognitive and/or physical disabilities have the opportunity to lace up their skates hit the ice and enjoy the game of hockey.

“I grew up in a home where my dad was a paraplegic,” Perkins said. “He’d been an athlete and a farmer, but he was then struck by polio. My whole life, I heard his sports stories and everything. How he had played baseball and goalie and all those kinds of things, along with running the farm. But then he ended up walking with crutches and braces, so I spent so much of my childhood wishing that sports could be adapted somehow.”

Later in life, Perkins found himself regularly within the cold confines of local hockey arenas, observing as kids, who would have normally been overlooked due to their perceived limitations, were flourishing. 

“I went over to one mom and I said that it looked like her son was having a blast,” Perkins fondly recalled. “She said that I should go and ask him myself, so I went over and he was telling me it was the best thing ever. It was at that moment that I realized these kids had the same dreams as any other kids do.” 

Afterwards, Perkins returned to the child’s mother who was now overjoyed and tearful about how proud she was of her son. “He has found a place where he belongs and our whole family’s life has changed,” she said. It was this moment, along with a conversation with his wife on the car ride home, that served as the catalyst to set the wheels in motion to create the Capital City Condors program, a program which continues to change the lives of local youth each and every day.

With the emergence in popularity for women’s hockey, fuelled by the enthusiastic and passionate response for the PWHL and the Ottawa Charge, the Capital City Condors have seen an increase in demand from girls in the community. With that increased demand came the realization that the organization would have to adapt to ensure their participants felt as comfortable as possible coming to the rink and participating.

“The girls were starting to play with the boys and the boys could be a little bit rough, or weren’t passing, for example,” said Courtney Rego, Director of Coaching for the Condors. “The girls were growing up, and they had to change in the same dressing rooms as the boys. They weren’t comfortable with that, so that’s why Jim and I wanted to start the all girls team and it was the best thing we’ve ever done!”

That “all girls” team features Brianne Jenner as honorary captain. Jenner also serves as captain for the PWHL’s Ottawa Charge, and was immediately enthusiastic about becoming involved. 

“Brianne immediately had such a heart for it and wanted to hear more about it,” said Perkins. “She has this gentle influence that pours out of her and the compassion she has for people, it was just the perfect fit! When we asked if she wanted to meet the girls, it was an immediate ‘Yes.’” And for these young girls, who have never had female hockey role models to look up to and have been playing on boys teams since they first laced up their skates, having the opportunity to step out onto the ice with someone like Brianne Jenner was something they’ll never forget. 

“I just remember there was a buzz around the arena. The girls were super excited that Brianne was coming,” Rego said. “I still vividly remember Brianne just walking down the hallway with her gear and I remember turning to one of the Condors and saying that she's coming. ‘She's here!’ And this Condor player is very chatty, you know. She's a very bubbly type of player, and I just remember her quiet. I've never, I think in all my years, seen this player quiet.”

The impact, Jenner, as a role model, has on these girls transcends the game of hockey.

“She teaches the players so well,” said Rego. “She has really powerful messages that the girls still talk about and bring into their practices. They’ll talk about how friendship is important or how their teammates are important. It’s bigger than the game.”

The Capital City Condors set out 17 years ago with a mission to create an inclusive and welcoming space to enjoy hockey regardless of one’s cognitive or physical disability, but their impact goes much deeper than that. With the help of players like Brianne Jenner, along with their own incredibly compassionate and supportive team, the Condors have created an organization where young girls can feel included, and inspired to become just like the players they see on the ice in the PWHL.

And as Jim Perkins himself said, “There are no limitations to what we can accomplish when we do so together.”

For more information on how you can get involved or support the Capital City Condors, visit their website at https://capitalcitycondors.org/.