THE GAME CHANGER
Chatelaine (English)|Winter 2023/2024
Carly Fennell is slowly making NFL football a safer game-one tackle at a time 
Rosemary Counter
THE GAME CHANGER

IN THE SUMMER of 2022, a group of women gathered in Brooklyn to discuss the science of athletic performance. The Women in Sports Data Symposium's panel comprised two directors of performance science, one from the Detroit Tigers and another from the Los Angeles Dodgers; the performance-data analyst from the Indiana Pacers; and, in what her industry might call a trick play, the senior director of health and safety data management at the NFL, Carly Fennell a 38-year-old based in London, Ont.

Currently on mat leave, Fennell is most often found these days walking her newborn daughter and her rescue dog, Lenny, around the park. But when this tired mom's phone rings, it could be NFL bigwigs calling for her thoughts on very tall orders: How can football be made safer for players? How can the league prevent injuries before they happen? When and how should the rule book be tweaked to protect the game's integrity and appease diehard sports fans who resist change?

Fennell's methodical take was on full display in a talk she gave in 2022 at her alma mater, the University of Guelph, about women in sports analytics. Typical of a data scientist, Fennell had charted her career trajectory ("graduate biological engineering." "masters in mechanical engineering") and her life's milestones ("travel across Canada," "become a parent") into a graph. She organized those moments by her confidence level at the time; the further south on the graph an accomplishment landed, the more clueless she felt. But "that sometimes paralyzing feeling just means you're in a high-intensity growth period," she tells me.

Denne historien er fra Winter 2023/2024-utgaven av Chatelaine (English).

Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.

Denne historien er fra Winter 2023/2024-utgaven av Chatelaine (English).

Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.

FLERE HISTORIER FRA CHATELAINE (ENGLISH)Se alt
THE TRICK TO QUICK TURKEY
Chatelaine (English)

THE TRICK TO QUICK TURKEY

TURKEY IS MY FAVOURITE PART OF THANKSGIVING: IT DELIVERS RICH, SAVOURY FLAVOURS AND LEFTOVERS FOR DAYS.

time-read
3 mins  |
Fall 2024
A SPLASH OF UMAMI
Chatelaine (English)

A SPLASH OF UMAMI

Reach for this pungent amber liquid when you want a savoury hit of flavour in just about anything, from stir-fries and soups to chili.

time-read
2 mins  |
Fall 2024
Our game plan this Thanksgiving starts early: From slow-cooker stuffing to celeriac soup, everything is almost entirely made ahead of time.
Chatelaine (English)

Our game plan this Thanksgiving starts early: From slow-cooker stuffing to celeriac soup, everything is almost entirely made ahead of time.

AFTER THE RUSH of maxing out summer, cooler months slow our pace-and our eating.

time-read
8 mins  |
Fall 2024
MOMS BEHIND BARS
Chatelaine (English)

MOMS BEHIND BARS

A government program that houses incarcerated women with their children was created to keep families together and reduce recidivism. But some participants say it set them up for failure.

time-read
10 mins  |
Fall 2024
Canadian Junk Food Is My Taste of Home
Chatelaine (English)

Canadian Junk Food Is My Taste of Home

When I moved to the U.S., I thought the junk food would be better. I thought wrong.

time-read
4 mins  |
Fall 2024
BOTOX CURIOUS?
Chatelaine (English)

BOTOX CURIOUS?

All your questions, answered.

time-read
2 mins  |
Fall 2024
SHARP FOCUS
Chatelaine (English)

SHARP FOCUS

Can an acupressure mat really help you stress less and sleep better?

time-read
2 mins  |
Fall 2024
Why Creatine Is Causing Such a Stir
Chatelaine (English)

Why Creatine Is Causing Such a Stir

Like protein powder before it, creatineoften used by bodybuilders-is going mainstream. As it turns out, it has lots of potential benefits, even if you don't use \"bench\" as a verb.

time-read
2 mins  |
Fall 2024
THE ART OF BEING Mélanie Joly
Chatelaine (English)

THE ART OF BEING Mélanie Joly

She's gone from unknown Montreal mayoral candidate to foreign affairs minister in just a decade. Some say she could be the next prime minister. Inside the monumental rise of a political powerhouse.

time-read
9 mins  |
Fall 2024
True Brews
Chatelaine (English)

True Brews

Whether it's drip or pod or hydraulic pump, there are dozens of ways to make your morning buzz. Here are our favourite machines for every method.

time-read
2 mins  |
Fall 2024