BlackJacks Host Women in Sport Night

On Tues., June 2, the Ottawa BlackJacks will host a Women in Sports night, celebrating all the women behind-the-scenes, that allow the BlackJacks to be successful.

A big part of that is Jessica Zarowny, the Operations Executive of Community and Basketball. Zarowny has been with the team for three seasons, starting as an intern and quickly getting promoted to her position now.

“It should be the norm that anyone who’s capable of doing the job, can do the job,” said Zarowny. “Whether it’s male sports, female sports, or not sport-related.”

As the only female on the bench during games, Zarowny’s success as a woman is a prominent view for fans to see. But for her, she just sees it as a job, regardless of her gender.

“I think the assumption is that a man is probably doing my job,” said Zarowny.

She says the next step in equality for women in sports is just that, not assuming a man is doing the job, but asking the question beforehand.

“Ultimately that should be the only thing that matters in building your career, is your capability. Not male or female,” she said.

Another woman who stands behind Zarowny on the bench is Head Athletic Therapist, Finley Miller.

Miller has been with the team since 2024, when she started as a fresh grad. She says that while her experience with the BlackJacks has been good, she can sometimes still struggle with imposter syndrome.

“It's a very male dominated sport and lots of healthcare professionals are also male,” said Miller. “Sometimes it's hard to be like, ‘oh, can females even work in this sport and survive in this sport?’”

She says the biggest key to overcoming the challenge of a male-doinated industry is to be confident and show you belong in the room.

Dahlia Ali, the BlackJacks Media and Merchandise Coordinator, says that while her experience with the BlackJacks and in sports in general has been rewarding, she believes that women often feel the need to work harder.

“They feel they need to prove their expertise, to prove their abilities, and their experience in order to earn the same amount of recognition that their other [male] peers would be receiving,” said Ali.

The BlackJacks have also hired two female operations interns to support the team this summer. Isabel Langridge and Lola Aduroja feel honoured to have been hired by the BlackJacks, what they assume to be a competitive internship program.

Langridge agrees with Zarowny, that it shouldn't matter the gender of the person doing the job, as long as it gets done right. She notes that many times during games, she’ll have to run to get the food for players after the game and entering the locker room to drop it off, hasn’t been a problem.

“There’s not really a barrier,’” said Langridge. “There’s no, ‘you shouldn’t be here, you’re a woman.’ It’s like ‘you have to be there’.”

She has noticed the double standard that comes with being a woman in sports, both as a career, and an athlete herself.

“A guy can be rude, because he's just tired, he's had a long day, but if a girl does it, then she's being very moody,” Langridge explained.

She believes part of this is due to both the stigma of women’s health as well as the lack of knowledge about it. For her, that’s the next step to complete equality in the industry.

Aduroja shares that her time in the sports industry wasn’t approved by her father at first, because of the harassment he’d seen women endure.

While she hasn’t experienced that herself, she does feel that women’s voices aren’t heard enough just yet.

“For example, being the only woman in a men’s boardroom, you’re probably struggling to break the boys club,” she said. “Before they listen to you, they probably listen to 10 men.”

So while strides have definitely been made in the sports industry, there are still steps to be taken, like nights like these.

The BlackJacks are proud to hire and showcase the talents of women and celebrate them.

Join us tonight for Women in Sports night!

BlackJacks 2026 season-seat memberships are available now. For additional details, fans are encouraged to email ticketing@theblackjacks.ca or call 613-294-1133.