Having a daughter, it is important that she is able to find and identify girls or woman, like her, who figure prominently in her world. One of the easiest ways for her to do this is through entertainment, such as film. So it is no coincidence that on International Woman’s Day, March 8th, the new movie Captain Marvel came out. The first Marvel comic book movie fronted by a female Superhero debuts to the world (although the excellent DC film Wonder Woman already had Marvel beat by almost two years in releasing a female superhero, so nah nah nah nah nah nah). And while she may be a little young for this type of movie, it still holds cultural significance for many young girls all over the world. Plus, Spirit’s Halloween store will be raking in buku dollars this fall with a new girl’s-themed costume.
While movies provide great inspiration, an even larger part of mine and my daughter’s world is sports. Three sports that we watch a lot of are baseball, hockey, and car racing (Nascar to be specific). She watches quite a bit of all three of these with me, yet one thing that is common in all of them is the overabundance of men who partake in these sporting events. While this is not an inherently bad thing, it would be nice for there to be someone my daughter can relate to that she can see up there on the screen that can help her realize that one day, “Hey, I wanna do that.” Fortunately, there happen to be just those sort of ladies out there in 2019 who can do this: Jessica Mendoza, Kendall Coyne-Schofield, and Hailie Deegan.
Jessica Mendoza is a former U.S. Olympic Softball player who has entered the broadcasting world and become a member of a front office to a Major League Baseball team. Jessica was a four-time First Team All-American Outfielder at the University of Stanford, then went on to medal in 2 Olympics for Team USA in 2004 (gold) and 2008 (silver). In 2007 she went to work for ESPN, and in 2015 she became the first woman to appear as a broadcaster during a National televised baseball playoff game. In 2016 Jessica was made part of ESPN’s Sunday Night Baseball telecast team, firmly recognized as one of the premier positions in the sport. Her analysis of the game and players marked her as one of the freshest voices in the game, and demonstrated the intellect and knowledge that she brought to telecasts. This has led to her becoming a member of the New York Mets Front Office, as an advisor to the General Manager, where she will focus on player evaluation, roster construction, technological advancement, and health and performance. While she is not the only woman in baseball, being front and center on national TV on the pre-eminent sports broadcast network, gives her a voice unlike any other females out there in the game. At only 39 years old, she is someone my daughter can grow up listening to calling baseball games, much like how I grew up listening to Harry Caray and Steve Stone call Cubs games. The voice during a ball game is vitally important.
Kendall Coyne-Schofield is a member of Team USA Hockey. She is a member of the reigning Olympic Gold Medal team. While serving as Caption of the USA squad on the national stage, she is also a member of the National Woman’s Hockey League (NWHL) Minnesota Whitecaps. Recently, she was invited to take part in the National Hockey League’s All-Star Game festivities, where she participated in the Fastest Skater challenge. Before a national audience, Kendall completed her lap in a time that placed her 7th out of 8 skaters (the other 7 were all NHL players), propelling her to a little more prominence and recognition. She has parlayed this notoriety into national gigs on NBCSports, acting as a sideline reporter during NHL games, and taking on a role as a Studio Analyst for the NHL Network. Her abilities both on and off the ice show that she is more than capable of holding her own in a sport that is very much dominated by the men who play it. She is a very worthy example for young girls and women everywhere, that you can indeed chart your own course anywhere.
Hailie Deegan is a 17 year old stock car driver. To say her star is on the rise would be an understatement. This young lady has been racing for years, and winning in series that have been dominated by males of all ages. She became the first woman to win in Nascar’s K&N series and finished in the top 10 in all but two of the races she started, all as a rookie. That year shs won the K&N Series West Rookie of the Year honors. The K&N series is known as the proving grounds for young race phenoms who are sought to race in the premier series one day. The fact that she is competing, and winning, in both the K&N Series West and East tells you all you need to know about what her aspirations and expectations are.
So what is the difference between a woman like her, and say, Danica Patrick, who was known for driving stock cars and being popular despite a clear lack of success (GoDaddy commercials sure helped, eh?)? Hailie has grown up in the stock car and dirt track circuits that ready a driver for the rigors of the Nascar series. Danica transitioned from Indy Car racing, a stark contrast from driving stock cars. Hailee has a distinct advantage at learning the cars at an early age and molding her craft against others in her range. Her learning curve is much higher and her ability to grasp the Ins and Outs of stock car racing has amazed even the top racers in the industry, including Nascar Champ Kevin Harvick. Hailie’s future looks bright and after a few years, we very well may be watching her compete with the Big Boys on Sunday afternoons. Not just competing, but very likely winning with the talent she displays.
So there you folks. Three to watch in 2019 for all the young girls in your life. I remember how excited I was when Danica Patrick announced she was going to be racing in Nascar. I didn’t have a daughter back then, but I just thought it was cool a female would be battling the boys every weekend. (Unfortunately, I didn’t realize how much she would crash, but still, cool.) But it is exciting to see that there are females rising up to be seen and heard for my daughter to follow, in the sports that I followed as a little boy and into adulthood. I wish them all the success.
