A game of flag football is filled with risk-taking; players must make split second decisions when defending and advancing the ball toward the goal line. Ruby Pearson, a second-year in the Athletic Therapy program, is one player who faces her opponents head-on and without hesitation.

"Playing defence, it is a lot of 1vs1..." says Pearson, who plays safety for the Women's Flag Football team. "The game is fast, and you don’t have time to think about everything that’s going wrong, you need to consistently move forward and forget the previous play."

The Women's team finished with a 5-7-1 record in the 2024-25 season, reaching game four at the OWIFA Championships. For Pearson, the postseason was an opportunity to play against other talented athletes; describing the environment as one that fosters growth within the sport. "I always love the opportunity to play alongside my teammates, even if we don’t get the outcome we want."

Pearson started her flag football career in 2020, when she was in her second year of studying kinesiology at the University of Waterloo. As someone who grew up playing a variety of sports, Pearson was awarded Female Athlete of the Year in all four of her years in high school. However, once in university, Pearson realized she missed being part of a team and so began her search for potential athletic opportunities. She tried out for the University of Waterloo's flag football team without any experience and quickly fell in love with the game's intensity and competitiveness.

"I wasn’t very good when I started, I didn’t understand what was going on most of the time and could barely catch a ball. The only thing I had going for me was my competitiveness and willingness to learn and practice."

Her determination and dedication to flag football eventually paid off as Pearson became the 2022 Offensive MVP of OWIFA; part of the ‘AA’ 2021 and the ‘A’ 2022 Women’s National Touch Football Championship teams; the Offensive First Team All Star for the 2021-2022 OWIFA season; and was the Defence First Team All Star for the 2023-2024 OWIFA season.

"Ruby is our defensive captain, bringing in her previous experience and taking the rookies under her wing," says Head Coach Melissa Grieco. "She is a natural leader and is an outstanding teammate by always being approachable on and off the field, offering insight to her teammates, engaging in meaningful conversations with coaches regarding film and play calls, and having persevered through adversity... we look forward to having her continue with the team for her career here at Sheridan."

After studying at the University of Waterloo, Pearson learned about Sheridan's Athletic Therapy program from speaking with other athletic therapists about their experience at the college; what the program offered, the resources, and the pathways that were available post-graduation. "I like the hands-on experience given through placement and labs," Pearson says. "Being able to practice what you’re learning really helps your skills become second nature."

Having been named the Defensive Captain in her first year with the Bruins, Pearson has been in Double-Blue for two seasons now. "I think being someone that gets back up after being knocked down is an important quality you need to play the sport... I would tell someone starting out [to] not be of afraid of making mistakes. The sport is about taking risks and not playing scared."

Off the field, Pearson continues to live an active lifestyle and works out during her free time. As she works toward completing her degree at Sheridan, the flag footballer plans on writing the CATA exam to become a Certified Athletic Therapist and aspires to work in a high-level sporting environment.