Women’s Panel Provides Insights For Student-Athletes
Feb 01, 2020Posted by james
The growing influence of women in athletics over the last handful of decades has provided significant benefits for women, for men and for our younger athletes who participate in sports programs at all levels. Professional athletes, college and high school scholar-athletes, weekend warriors and millions of boys and girls who are enrolled in grade school and private programs all are becoming better athletes from the improved training, conditioning, dieting and sports IQ insights offered by their men and women coaches and trainers.
An outstanding illustration of the increasing influence and impact of women in athletics is the Class of 2020 induction of four sports pioneers — Dr. H. Jean Berger, Ruth Gracey, Jeannette Rogers and Annamae McKeever-Kress — in the Suffolk Sports Hall of Fame. Another example of the significant advancement by women is the inaugural women’s athletics panel that was offered by Fordham University just a few months ago.
Five outstanding women – Fordham Women’s Head Basketball Coach Stephanie Gaitley, Fordham basketball player Danielle Padovano (now business operations manager at Home Team Sports), financial consultant and decorated marathon swimmer Elizabeth Fry, former Dartmouth University director of athletics Josie Harper and Fordham’s Graduate School of Education clinical assistant profession Shannon Waite – dialogued with the university’s student-athletes last November. The panel was formed by the Fordham Women’s Philanthropy Summit, an annual community–building and networking event at the Lincoln Center campus.
Stephanie participated in the 2018 summit and she was inspired to coordinate a similar event specifically for student–athletes. The goal of the gathering was to provide women with the opportunity to meet and learn from athletes who created successful careers in various fields.
Shannon’s path to a rewarding profession in education was not a straight line. Her plans changed dramatically after she tore her ACL one week before she was to finalize plans to play volleyball at the collegiate level. She now is training principals and other aspiring school leaders.
Josie spoke about her experience as the first woman in her position at Dartmouth and in the Ivy League. She acknowledged that more doors are opening for women and she urged students to learn key skills, including humor, to address challenges.
Elizabeth said swimming continues to influence many areas of her life, including her volunteer commitments. For more than five years, she has been the marathon director for Swim Across the Sound, an annual fundraiser for St. Vincent’s Medical Center in Bridgeport, Connecticut. The event raises funds to offer cancer prevention education and screenings to the community, and to provide financial support for people affected by the disease.
The event that brought together these athletic-minded and successful women resonated positively with the student athletes. An outfielder on Fordham’s women’s softball team plans to major in Italian Studies and now has decided to seek a mentor. Her teammate, who is majoring in digital technologies and emerging media, realized the importance of surrounding herself with positive influences offered by both women and men.
by james on Feb 01, 2020 |
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