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University of Indianapolis student-athletes Shanese McGregor, Kristin Turner and Nicole Duncan are now primed to carry the torch for women in athletics. Lee Morrison, NACWAA member and Lifetime Achievement Award recipient, sponsored the three women to attend the 2011 Women of Experience Brunch, co-hosted by NACWAA and the Women's Sports Foundation April 4 in Indianapolis. Attendees young and old were inspired by stories, memories, experiences and laughs over brunch.

Additional photos from the brunch can be found at the NACWAA Facebook page. Testimonials from the student-athletes:

Shanese McGregor
"First off, I would like to thank you for choosing me to attend this magnificent gathering of women who value women's spots. I was amazed by all of the stories that the women told. I was blown away when Dr. Sue Wiley told us all of the jobs she had in the start of her career. She and other women who were coaches stated that they drove to games, they coached many different sports, they had to schedule games on their own and other obligations. I was really saddened by the story from Anucha Browne-Sanders. But I was also happy that she overcame her obstacle and she was victorious in the end because she stood firm in what she believed in. Overall I really enjoyed the time spent at this gathering because young women like me really need to hear inspiring stories from women who went through the same situations, but met their goals. This brunch was a great experience for me."

Kristin Turner
"During my time at the Women of Experience brunch I learned many things about the history of women's sports. Women had to go through tough times on a regular basis and these struggles are what it took to get women's sports where they are today. The older women spoke of their hard times trying to make it in the sports world and being looked at as a competitive athlete. They went through many struggles in order to do this such as men not taking them seriously, not getting scholarships for school and being paid the minimum for coaching multiple sports and teaching at the same time. Some women had hard times making it in the administration side of sports, while others were looked down upon by being mistreated and sexually harassed by men in the workplace. All of these situations are why women come together and talk about their experiences. They try to explain to younger generations the history and why we should not stop fighting to keep women sports on the radar. It was very eye-opening to hear some of the ways the older athletes played their sports and how much the sport has evolved in today’s time. I was very thankful for this opportunity and I plan on continuing the fight for women’s sports."

Nicole Duncan
"I do not think I have been more inspired than I was at the brunch. It was incredible to see how far women’s sports have come since the beginning. I think hearing from people who were around when girls were simply not allowed to play sports is something that every female athlete should hear at some point in time. When we began talking about contracts and how some women had to coach seven sports along with teaching, it just makes me realize how far women have come. Some portions of the brunch were funny; such as when I saw the penny that women had to wear for sports back in the 60’s and 70’s was brought out, it was just incredible. Some portions of the brunch were also very inspiring; such as when the Knicks sexual harassment suit was brought up, it is just inspiring to see how women have overcome obstacles to be where we are today. I think, in a sense, it is comforting to know that there are women fighting for Title IX every day and I know they are fighting for my ability to play college sports. I do want to join this organization in the future; because I felt like everybody there was connected to each other under a common cause and I would love to be a part of something like that. I hope that in 20 years, I can be sitting at that brunch talking about my experiences. I do think that one of the major differences, though, is that when I am talking about my experiences I won’t have to mention as many struggles and obstacles I have had to overcome, because these women have already paved the way for me to have a gateway into the collegiate sport world. I am forever grateful and indebted to all of these women."

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• Discrimination/Title IX
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• Coaching

View Original Post at nacwaa.org | View NACWAA's Full Profile

There is 1 comment on this post. Join the discussion!

anngaff says:

I was inspired by these women as well! Fantastic stories, from humorous to sad to everything in between. Thank you so much for putting on this event. Looking forward to the next one!

Thursday, April 7, 2011 at 7:04pm EDT

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