This is It. This is Our Moment in History. (espnW Retreat Reflection)

We are champions of a female sports culture. We are passionate about cultivating a national sports conversation for women. We will celebrate the athlete icons of today who inspire girls and women to do great things, and we'll introduce you to the next generation of sports heroes. We will show girls how to channel their love of sports into the skills and opportunities that will make them strong, successful, confident women. We will motivate women to never rest until they've achieved their personal best.

In short, we've dreamed up a whole new world for female athletes and fans, and it's by women, for women.

It wasn't until I'd taken everything else out of my espnW goodie bag that was placed in my room prior to my arrival and admired the Under Armour gear, lululemon yoga mat and water bottle, Billie Jean King book and Mission Skincare samples, that I finally opened the red folder with the espnW logo on the front to see what this retreat was going to be all about. I pulled out the square-shaped brochure with a rusty red, gray and white color scheme, and unfolded it to read the words above. 

Certainly doesn't sound like they want to "pinkify" men's sports so we can "sound cool to your crush," now does it? If you were in attendance at Torrey Pines this weekend, that thought would never have crossed your mind. Unfortunately, however, the USAToday article announcing the retreat and the subsequent launch of espnW chose to take this quote from ESPN vice president Laura Gentile as the punchline of the article:

"The retreat, where we talk about women finding self-esteem in sports and about getting a pedicure, is a reflection of what we want to do with the espnW brand — find a more holistic way of looking at sports."

If you had been in attendance at the retreat, this comment would make you laugh, as it was probably tongue-in-cheek. The weekend was filled with sarcastic remarks and laughter. And yeah, some people got pedicures. Some of the same ones also participated in a two-hour Navy SEAL boot camp session. So what? Can't a woman get her nails painted after sniper-crawling in the sand? 

I could go into detail about the discussions the panels and the attendees had at the retreat, but the real point here is the culture espnW is trying to build. It is a culture that has been around for awhile, but no one thought it "appealed to the masses," and therefore it has been largely ignored. I think they're starting to figure out they were wrong. 

It is a culture where Laila Ali gives Hannah Storm a hard time for making her answer all of the questions on a four-athlete panel first. "Why do I have to answer that one first? Let someone else go down answering that one." Storm kept on asking the questions and then raising her eyebrows..."Laila?" Ali would put her head in her hands, feigning hesitancy before blurting out her ever honest and blunt answers, to the delight of the crowd.

Photo courtesy of espnW on Facebook

It is a culture where Julie Foudy and Billie Jean King sit on the stage and recount BJK's countenance of Foudy during the national team's negotiations for the first-ever professional women's soccer league. "Billie would say, 'You have the leverage, you cannot back down! What do you want for the next generation?' and I would go back to the team and say, 'Billie said we can't back down!'" exclaimed Foudy. "It is about the money - men never apologize for it, why should we?" said King. And the crowd went wild.

Photo courtesy of espnW on Facebook

35 of us (probably 30 women and 5 men) then got on a bus to the beach, where we participated in a two-hour Navy SEAL boot camp, complete with holding a rope over our heads for at least half an hour (ouch), doing countless planks and other related core exericses, sniper-crawling in the sand and doing squats in the sub-60 degree water (ice bath as you squat, anyone?). Keep in mind that we all chose this over the massage and nature walk options.

At lunch, paralympian Amy Palmeiro-Winters spoke to us about how she manages to hold down a day job, be a single mom to two kids and train and compete in ultra marathons (that's 50 miles and longer, folks)...and beat all of the women and men, by the way. We all left feeling relatively inadequate!!

The afternoon workshop sessions covered a variety of topics, such as "Sex, Beauties and Bodies," where Amy Acuff and Lolo Jones discussed posing nude or semi-nude and the consequences thereof. Some sessions were informal conversations while others were more lecture-like, but they all covered topics that espnW will explore. Essentially, we sampled some of their brew and it tasted good.

For the second physical activity of the day, I went surfing with about 30 other women. Most of us were total amateurs but just about everyone got up a few times on the perfect Pacific waves. It was a blast. 

Friday evening, Summer Sanders moderated a panel of three young female athletes - Maddy Shaffrick, the youngest member of the 2010 US Olympic snowboarding team (at age 16), Kendall Coyne, the youngest player to make the US Olympic hockey team and Skylar Diggins, the 2009 Gatorade Female High School Athlete of the Year and now sophomore guard at Notre Dame. As these young charismatic ladies spoke about their experiences as athletes, their family background and their determination, I thought, We have to put these types of role models in front of young girls. There are too many negative role models that get overwhelming media attention these days. We have to give the next generation strong and confident women to look up to. We have to show them their true potential.

At dinner, the ten people at our table introduced themselves one at a time and eventually we were having a lively discussion about the differences between the ways in which male and female athletes are portrayed in the media and the possible reasons behind those differences.

Photo courtesy of espnW on Facebook

Next, we were treated with a private concert by Jewel, who also happens to be an old friend of Michelle Beadle's (of SportsNation, who attended the retreat). Jewel wasted no time cracking jokes at Beadle's expense as well as dropping other witty and funny interludes between her songs. She also dedicated "Life Uncommon" to the women in attendance, which was touching. Her voice was incredible and even inspired Carolyn Peck to get up and clog during one of the songs. Make sure you check out Jewel's new album "Sweet & Wild."

The rest of the night was spent dancing on a patio to everything from Michael Jackson to Katy Perry. I witnessed the best imitation of MJ in his Billie Jean video I've ever seen by a 50-year-old white woman as well as some very stiff competition in the wooden beam pullup contest. I haven't had that much fun since college.

I didn't realize until leaving Lincoln, Nebraska, where I had attended college and competed on one of the best track and field teams in the country, that you don't find that environment just anywhere. I found the need to filter myself much more in the "real world" and tone down my bravado, my attitude and my voice in order to not intimidate or surprise others. I'm pretty good at that, because I've had to do it in many situations throughout my life. But all it ever did was hold me back. College was where I felt free. I was surrounded by some of the best athletes in the country - even in the world - and there was no pressure to downplay one's abilities or apologize for success. In that type of environment, the standards are raised and people step up to them. It is liberating and empowering.

This is one of the main reasons I felt compelled to found WomenTalkSports.com with Jane Schonberger and Megan Hueter. They too were concerned about the void in terms of women's sports coverage and therefore the lack of positive role models for young girls today. We know firsthand how both playing sports and looking up to female athletes has empowered us or our daughters. We could not stand by and do nothing.

A good leader brings out the best in her people, whether they are her employees, daughters and sons, friends, mentees or just fellow human beings. I hope espnW is a place of leadership, the enabler of a movement for the visibility of better role models for the next generation. For this to happen, we have to give the role models (the athletes) a place to shine, a place to be appreciated and showcased, a place where the standards are raised and where the attention and expectation is on them. I'm confident they will rise to the occasion. They've been waiting for this for a long time.

At the Navy SEAL boot camp, the instructor went from his tough-guy act in the beginning to telling us he wished he could work with people like us every day at the end. "Me too, sir," I thought, "me too."

"This is it. This is our moment in history," Billie Jean King said Friday morning. She's right. We cannot drop the ball.

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cgaff3

Thanks for the synthesis, Ann. I just hope ESPN W is able to harness all the positive energy from their weekend retreat as they launch their new venture. I'll be rooting for its success, that's for sure.

Wednesday, October 6, 2010 at 8:09pm PDT