Women's Sports Foundation's NGWSD https://www.womenssportsfoundation.org/get-involved/ngwsd/about-ngwsd/
NGWSD recognizes student-athletes, champion athletes, coaches, administrators and lawmakers committed to providing equitable access to sports for all girls and women. Hear from a few Three Rivers Rowing athletes about their journey as a girl & woman in sport.
Laurie Montgomery, Coach, Pittsburgh Paddlefish, Hearts of Steel:
"Joining a dragon boat team in 2008 at the age of 47 changed my life.
It isn’t easy for busy moms to find time for themselves but when other people are depending on you we tend to take it a little more seriously. I loved going to practices and seeing the improvement I was making.
Going to races was fun and exciting and winning was a great reward for all the hard work. A reward made sweeter because it was shared with women whom I absolutely loved paddling with.
Joining the 2019 USA Worlds Senior B Team for an international competition in Thailand introduced me to people who loved the sport as much as I do. I was, and remain, in awe of how hard so many of my new friends worked and how strong they were! Being in such company was humbling!
It makes me so happy to see young women enjoying and excelling in sports. They are developing skills and friendships that will last a lifetime. I wish I had known about the value of team sports earlier, but if there is one thing my story can illustrate – it is that it’s never too late!"
Noreen Liebrock, Pittsburgh Paddlefish:
"I really appreciate the exciting opportunity to paddle on a dragon boat! It’s great exercise and we have a fantastic team - Pittsburgh Paddlefish. It’s a challenge (sometimes) to be motivated to practice three times a week but once I get there, I'm glad I did it!! It’s so rewarding to be with incredibly bright and talented women on the team and to be able to participate in the races."
Danielle Farinella, AA Masters Assistant Coach:
"In sports, I've found a confidence and strength I don't think I would have found otherwise. Being around, and learning from, other strong women in sports has raised the ceiling of what I thought my limits were. Not only have my teammates inspired me to be strong and tough like them, but my friendships with them drove me to rise to any occasion in order to support them.
In college, I rowed for a small club team organized by the students. When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, we were left without a coach, erg space, or allowance to use our boats for a year. However, surprisingly, not one student quit the team, and we instead arranged our own training plan, erged outdoors under a tent, competed in virtual regattas, and shared access to one single. The women on this team truly rose to the occasion to overcome the seemingly impossible, and have given me the confidence to do the same."
Kari Carbone, A team masters rower:
"Being in sports at a youth level provided confidence as well as failures, great learning experiences that stay with one for life.
Sports creates bonding experiences for women, demonstrating to other women and girls a culture of support and friendship among females is possible and does exist."
Rachel Gress, Assistant Rowing Coach at RMU and Head Coach of A-Team:
"I rowed at RMU for 4 years and before that played tennis, threw discus and javelin, and earned my 1st degree black belt. Being a woman in sport, to me, means that I recognize all the hard work that was done before me to allow me to even participate in sport at all. But it also means, doing work now so the women after me have a bit of an easier time and can come in and be their true authentic selves without having to fit in a box of how they should act. When I did karate, there were very few women in that space. More often than not, I would be the only woman in the black belt category. But the joy I got from seeing young girls come up to me and ask me to watch them compete, even if I had never really met them before. In those moments, I recognized the power of seeing somebody like you, having that representation in your sport. "