University of Alberta varsity athletes have given their all to become a Golden Bear or Panda. Financial constraints shouldn’t hold them back from achieving their athletic and academic goals.

Your support ensures every U of A student athlete has the resources and opportunity to compete and excel at the highest level in both sport and school.

Your gift will impact Golden Bears and Pandas in several areas, including:

• Increased access to high-performance training resources and support

• Budget for team performance and training apparel and equipment

• Budget for competition, travel and meals

• Academic supports

Being a student - athlete today comes with a set of pressures and needs that haven't existed before. That pressure isn't more or less than what student athletes have faced in years past, but the pressures of today are certainly different than they were in 1985 when the Adopt-An-Athlete Program was launched by the Faculty of Physical Education and Recreation, now the Faculty of Kinesiology, Sport, and Recreation. That program successfully provided financial assistance for the varsity sports programs for over 30 years, but the needs of student athletes have changed, as has the landscape and competitiveness of Canadian university sport. What hasn't changed is the extraordinary amount of dedication both academically and athletically, well beyond the normal university student experience, Golden Bears and Pandas must make. With an average of 17 hours per week dedicated to training in addition to being full-time students, Golden Bears and Pandas often do not have the time for part-time jobs, which makes it difficult for student athletes to pay the expenses associated with competing and achieving in high performance sport.

Support The Sport will remove financial barriers from the path of our Golden Bears and Pandas. It will enable and empower U of A student athletes to achieve great things and fully develop as students and athletes, while also ensuring they create their own legacy as they continue the lasting legacy of Golden Bears and Pandas excellence.

Today, the Golden Bears and Pandas alumni, friends and family can build champions together.