In the world of sport, many talk about it's importance -not as an end - but a vehicle for the development of individuals and society as a whole. While this is espoused by athletes, coaches and fans alike, some claim this is a 'praiseworthy ideal,' than a day-to-day reality. With growing problems of drugs in sport, fair play issues, fan violence, and female body image concerns, many advocates have struggled to maintain the importance of intrinsic values in sport. Some will say that sport is not to blame, but problems are a reflection of societal challenges with individualism, materialism and competition.

While this debate will rage on from the newspapers to the locker rooms - we have individuals that are stepping up and influencing both sport and society. In the world of Canadian Thai boxing their is a group that has created something unique in many respects.

Collectively known as the 'Chicks that Kick,' this group are fast become known in the world of ring sports and the general public. They first developed as an all female Muay Thai 'collective,' with the mission to:

This group of women represent various CASK Thai boxing clubs from across Ontario. They all work as a team on move their mission forward. Beyond promoting women's involvement in the sport, they have also committed their projects to raising funds to support charity.

On September 30th, the Chicks that Kick hosted their 2nd annual Thai boxing competition that was held at the classy Eglington Grand Theater in Toronto. The event was a fundraiser for the Yellow Brick House. YBH is a shelter in York region that provides innovative programs and outreach to women and children. Much of YBH programming is dependant on contributions from the general public. Many Thai boxing clubs put forward female athletes for the event, in addition to contributing money and resources to this important cause.

CASK is very proud to be associated with the Chicks that Kick and more importantly respect their efforts and commitment to humanitarian work. We all hope that their work will influence those within our sport to also become involved in volunteer groups, support charities, and otherwise become agents of social change for a healthy and equitable community.