Blake Bolden’s “emBolden.her” Girls Mentorship Program Taking Applications Through Feb. 10

MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA (January 31, 2023) – Play It Again Sports and Winmark – the Resale Company™ are partnering with Blake Bolden, a trailblazer in women’s hockey who competed in the National Women’s Hockey League (NWHL) and is a pro scout for the Los Angeles Kings, to sponsor her inspiring girls mentorship program – emBolden her. The free six-month mentorship program will welcome 30 female athletes, ages 13-16, from across the United States and Canada and support and empower them as they navigate and become trailblazers in the world of sports.

The application period is now open through February 10, 2023. Lucky winners will be selected by Bolden and Winmark and announced via email. The program will meet virtually once per month for 90 minutes, starting March 4, and continuing through September. Discussions will include a variety of topics, from mental preparation and goal-setting to self-motivation and time management and will have a guest speaker.

Bolden’s hockey journey began at age 6 when she got her first set of hockey gear at her local Play It Again Sports. Since then, Bolden has gone on to make history as the first Black women’s hockey player to compete in the NWHL and the second woman to ever scout in the NHL. She is also part of ESPN’s NHL coverage team as a reporter/personality and she will receive the 2023 Martin Luther King Jr. Human Dignity Award.

This program will support girls and young women by empowering them toward success. To learn more and to apply, please visit playitagainsports.com/embolden-her. Play It Again Sports and The Winmark Corporation have been NSGA members since 1990.

About Play It Again Sports

Play It Again Sports is your neighborhood sporting goods store. We buy, sell and trade quality used and new sports gear and fitness equipment. Our goal is to provide value to our customers, first by helping them recycle their quality used sports gear and then by passing along the savings to them when they need to update their gear. To learn more visit playitagainsports.com.

About Winmark – the Resale Company™

A nationally recognized franchising business, Winmark Corporation champions and guides entrepreneurs interested in opening one of our award-winning retail resale brands: Plato’s Closet®, Once Upon A Child®, Music Go Round®, Play It Again Sports® and Style Encore® For more than 30 years, Winmark has been at the forefront of the sustainability movement. We have made resale retail our business by selecting franchise partners that believe in the model of buying and selling locally sourced, quality used products that bring value to their communities and leave our planet better for generations to come. Visit winmarkcorporation.com for more information.

About Blake Bolden

Blake Bolden is a former women’s professional ice hockey player who has broken many barriers in achieving many firsts in the sport of women’s ice hockey. Bolden joined the Los Angeles Kings in 2020 as their Growth and Inclusion Specialist and pro scout, the second woman to ever scout in the NHL, and is part of ESPN’s NHL Coverage Team as an NHL reporter. Learn more at blakebolden.com.