Where We Find Meaning as Athletes

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Winning is amazing, but often where we find the most meaning is not in the points we score but in the relationships and the differences in people’s lives that we make. My journey from SABAH to BAWSI.

Earning my first podium position at an international figure skating competition is one of my favorite figure skating memories. We were in Slovenia, proudly wearing our Canadian Junior National Figure Skating Team jackets, and everything came together for me on the ice. I still have my medal hanging in a special place, but it isn’t the win that makes me smile when I look at it. What I remember most is the incredible support from my coach, our team leader, and my fellow Team Canada teammates and the joy they felt and shared with me in that moment. 

As athletes, it’s easy to get caught up in the points, the statistics, the win-loss ratios. It’s easy to feel great when we win—and it’s easy to feel lousy when we lose. But when we look back at our careers—even if we’re still in the midst of them—quite often the memories that surface most quickly are the ones where we shared time and experiences with others. As athletes, we have the incredible opportunity to pass on the good feelings we’ve experienced through sports by building relationships and sharing our experiences with others.

My first opportunity to pass on the joy of figure skating came at an early age, when my mom and dad encouraged me to volunteer for the Skating Association for the Blind and Handicapped (SABAH), in Buffalo, New York, where I grew up. I was nervous and a bit scared of the unknown, but it ended up being one of the most powerful experiences of my life. For several years I worked one-on-one with an amazing little girl who challenged me, inspired me, and, yes, frustrated me at times, but pushed me to grow as a person, teacher, leader, and mentor. Later, I coached groups of SABAH skaters and watched kids and adults who were told they’d never walk learn to move on the ice and then go on to walk despite the odds. I saw individuals gain confidence they’d never had before and see them realize that they could participate in sports and be good at them even with their personal obstacles. 

Earlier this year, I had the great fortune of joining the team at the Bay Area Women’s Sports Initiative (aka BAWSI, pronounced “bossy”). After five years as a magazine journalist, I felt an intense pull to be working in the world of sports and to be making a difference like I was doing when I was volunteering at SABAH. I craved the feelings of meaning and purpose that come from helping others. BAWSI’s mission—to strengthen the women’s sports community by mobilizing female athletes to inspire and lead through service—struck a strong chord. 

As an Athlete Engagement Coordinator at BAWSI, serving the San Francisco Bay Area’s Peninsula region, I run the BAWSI Girls after-school fitness and life skills program at three underserved elementary schools and work with female athletes at local colleges and high schools who volunteer as coaches at the BAWSI Girls sites. Our goal is to show these athletes, by having them come out to BAWSI Girls, what an incredible platform they have to make a difference in their communities and to inspire them to continue on a path of service and doing transformative work as their careers or as part of their lives.

Right now, we are in the midst of launching our Spring 2012 BAWSI Girls sites. We’ll be blogging throughout the season about the athlete's experiences and the meaningful moments they have during their time on the playgrounds with the BAWSI Girls. We invite you to check back often, share your comments and thoughts, and help us build and strengthen the women’s sports community. Find all of the BAWSI blog posts at womentalksports.com/bawsi.

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• Adaptive
• Sports
• Inspiration
• College
• Career
• High School
• Student-Athlete
• Figure Skating
• Cause/Charity
• Coaching
• Personal

This post is related to an ongoing story:

• Bay Area Women`s Sports Initiative - BAWSI

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