“If I didn’t have them, I would have been a wreck, I’d probably be in jail, and I’m serious about that,” she said.
As an adult, she’s found a passion for tennis, and now she wants to introduce more in the community to the sport. While she’s got a particular focus on youth, she wants to create an organization that can facilitate access to tennis for Kahnawa’kehró:non of all ages.
“It’s a sport for absolutely everyone,” she said. “We’ll have children, teenagers, adults, we’re looking at everyone.”
Right now, McGregor is in the process of securing sponsorships and coordinating volunteers to help launch the club in time for tennis season next year, most likely in May or June. One of their first tasks will be purchasing equipment, like tennis rackets, nets, and sportswear for players – something that she said can often be an obstacle to getting involved in the sport.
“Tennis is a really expensive sport. Most parents can’t afford the fees, they can’t afford the equipment. In town with hockey, there’s a lot of sponsorship so people can afford it, and that’s what I want to be able to do with tennis,” she said.