Hi friends,
If you've known Sam and I long enough, you've undoubtedly heard the story of Sam being excluded from a front office golf outing. That's right, one of her past employers took team staff golfing...but only invited male employees. The (ridiculous and outdated) assumption was that women didn't or couldn't golf and so they weren't even asked. Needless to say, when she told me that story I was absolutely appalled. In September 2024, about a year into our empowHERed journey, we decided to do something about it.
We hear all the time how golf can be an important networking tool. In fact, many client meetings and corporate outings take place on the golf course, so knowing how to play can be critical for relationship-building and career advancement. Given empowHERed's goal of creating more opportunities for women in sports, a learn-to-golf event seemed like a great opportunity to provide students and young professionals with a much-needed skill. And so, our Future Female Leaders Golf Clinic was born.
Teaming up with HERClub, a company devoted to teaching women the game and eliminating some of the barriers to entry, we planned a half-day event. In September, we hosted 30 high school and college-aged women, all sports industry professionals and leaders, at Ed Oliver Golf Club in Wilmington, DE. The morning consisted of an interactive and educational workshop focused on demystifying the game of golf. After all, if you haven't played before, seemingly simple questions regarding what to wear, where to play, when to talk vs. remain quiet, how much it costs, and what clubs to use can be overwhelming. Honestly, those questions are the reasons Sam and I had never played before our own event. We were intimidated and didn't even know where to start.
After the workshop, we were joined by two incredible female golf pros and got to put our learnings into practice. We headed out to the course, where we spent over an hour practicing driving, chipping, and putting, plus how to mark your ball, the proper etiquette when on a green, and how to operate a golf cart (yes, I struggled. I blame Sam!) and more. Best of all, attendees had the chance to meet and connect naturally while on the course.
Following the on-course instruction, we returned to the clubhouse for lunch and a fireside chat with the University of Delaware Athletic Director and an absolute powerhouse woman in sports, Chrissi Rawak. Speaking about her leadership journey, Chrissi shared more about her collaborative approach to leadership, how it has evolved over the course of her career, and her advice for the next generation fo female leaders.
We closed the day with a Q&A with three more sports industry leaders: Brittany Redman (Director of Fan Services, Philadelphia Union), Jeanmarie Biemer, (Senior Partnership Services Coordinator, Philadelphia 76ers), and Katie Godfrey (Athletic Director, Salesianum School). The trio provided insight into their current roles, how they confidently navigate a male-dominated field, and their advice for cultivating your authentic leadership style.
It was, for lack of a better term, awesome. Sam and I left feeling energized and way more confident in our ability to learn to golf (though trust us, that's still a major work in progress). We also loved having the chance to expose the next generation of female leaders to the game and empower them to confidently enter any situation - even a company golf outing. Years after Sam's experience, it felt like a full circle moment and allowed us to reinforce an idea that we can often forget: we belong in this industry..
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