EUGENE, Ore — Several non-profits dedicated to empowering female athletes are raising awareness about women’s challenges in sports. The collaboration will feature a week of impactful events, including Olympic athlete meet-and-greets and empowerment workshops.
Empowering women through advocacy, engagement, and representation: Four non-profits, each founded by resilient female athletes and mental health professionals, are working to honor the unwavering strength of women in the sports world at the USA Track and Field Olympic trials.
“All of the burden and responsibility that’s tasked to female athletes, we have to alleviate some of that pressure so that they can show up and be the athletes that they are,” says Katie Steele, Co-founder of the Athletes Mental Health Foundation.
Track Girlz, Bras for Girls, the Athletes Mental Health Foundation, and &Mother are uniting their efforts to support the mental, physical, and social development of female athletes and advocate for gender equality.
“What we keep finding out is women are up against a significant amount of abuse and mistreatment,” says Dr. Tiffany Brown, Co-Founder of the Athletes Mental Health Foundation. “They’re in a constant power struggle with not only the systems but also the men that run the systems,” she adds.
Dr. Brown points to cases like Simone Biles, who spoke out against former USA Gymnastics team doctor Larry Nassar for sexual abuse. Brown also referred to instances of women being pushed out of sports after a certain age or during pregnancy.
At a panel discussion Sunday afternoon, titled “Empowering Women and Girls Through Sports,” the founders of each organization discussed the continuous fight for gender equality in sports, highlighting pay equity, maternity leave, and the hidden mental health crisis among female athletes.
Steele says, “In the process of writing ‘The Price She Pays,’ I found some gaps for mental health resources for athletes and wanted to make sure that parents, coaches, and athletes have the resources they need to learn how to integrate mental health into their programs or family systems.”
“The Price She Pays,” a book co-written by Steele and Eugene native Dr. Brown, features interviews with female athletes who have struggled with mental health and offers practical solutions for the sports community. Visitors can attend a book signing on June 29th at the non-profit’s festival tent.
Track Girlz, founded by a 2008 USA Olympian, works to provide an empowering environment for teen girls to accomplish their athletic and academic goals.
“I hope that the next generation of female athletes understands that in any sport, they can be themselves to their fullest potential,” says Track Girlz Founder, Michelle Lewis Freeman. “Whether their skill set, their interests, body types, just really having the confidence to go out there and be themselves and thrive in doing that,” she adds.
On Tuesday, June 25th, the coalition will partner with Ophelia’s Place in Eugene, a non-profit dedicated to supporting at-risk young women. Girls will participate in an empowerment workshop and receive a free sports bra.