Renee Montgomery is a point guard for the Atlanta Dream of the WNBA. Following the police killing of George Floyd, Montgomery announced she was opting out of the upcoming WNBA season in order to focus on social reform. She spoke with Just Women’s Sports about what went into that decision, and how she plans to use her platform to drive real change. 

You announced that you are opting out of the 2020 WNBA season in order to focus on social reform off the court. What was the motivation behind your decision? 

As you know, there was a string of murders — Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery and then George Floyd. Once George Floyd was murdered, you could see that America reacted. The world reacted. I reacted, too. I think we are all just tired. We are tired of seeing this. We are tired of the same story. We know how it ends. The movement happened because, like me, everyone is tired.

What prompted you to focus specifically on social reform during this time?

I started to think about all of the problems within the system. It’s not just police brutality. We have problems in the prison system, too. And, then, I thought about the educational aspect of it. A lot of people are latching onto my story — they understand my decision because they know my story. That’s why I want to go into education reform because I believe that if people know more, they will understand more, and they will be more sympathetic.

Were your coaches supportive of your decision to opt out? 

Absolutely. They were surprisingly supportive in that basketball is a business and I was talking to them about something that could upset their jobs. But they took it in stride. And they actually ended up making Juneteenth a paid holiday. They didn’t only say that they were going to support me, but they actually acted on it.

A couple of other players have chosen to not play in the 2020 season for a mix of reasons, such as COVID and fighting for social reform. What do you think about other players choosing to opt out?

I love that athletes now have a choice on what they want to do. Whether they opt out for COVID reasons, or because they just don’t want to leave family members, or because they have any other reason, it’s the athlete’s choice, and I’m happy to see that athletes now have that option. If you want to opt in and you want to play, that’s your choice as well and, by all means, do that.

What more do you think the WNBA can do to support their Black athletes and important movements like Black Lives Matters?

I think it’s important that they listen. Listen to what the players want to do. Listen to the ideas that the players have. A lot of the players in the WNBA are not new to taking a stand. We’re not new to making a statement. So now the league needs to listen and follow the players’ lead.

Historically, the WNBA is a pretty progressive league. A lot of players fight on the forefront of different social issues and, this time around, players are sacrificing their craft for change. Why do you think that is?

I think Candace Parker is the one who told me that we’re the majority of the minority in the WNBA. The league is 80% minority and, when it comes to sexual orientation, we have a lot of players in the LGBTQ community. So, we are the majority of the minority. I think understanding that and living that in our everyday lives makes us, as players, more vocal — it inspires us to take a bigger stand.

When you were making the decision to opt out, did you have any concerns that you would lose some of your platform by not playing?

Absolutely. Every time I went on an interview that was the first question they would ask me. I understand what Caron Butler meant when he said that there is a difference between ‘former athlete’ and ‘current athlete.’ When you walk into a room, people look at you and talk to you differently if you are a current athlete than if you are a former athlete. I understand that and I’m fine with it because if I lose my basketball platform, it doesn’t mean that I’ve lost my voice.

Why do you think it’s important for athletes in particular, whether former or current, to speak out about social injustices? 

I think that now everything should be generational in the sense that you don’t want the next generation to have as many hashtags as our generation has. You don’t want the next generation to have to deal with the politics that we have to deal with. You don’t want the next generation to go to school and not learn a part of their history. Everything we do now should focus on that. Athletes aren’t just tasked with being role models, we are tasked with helping the next generation. People inside the bubble are going to use their platform just as people outside the bubble are going to. It’s important that we continue thinking of the next generation.

You started the Renee Montgomery Foundation and recently held a celebration of Juneteenth. Can you tell us more about your foundation and your fundraising efforts? 

The mission statement of my foundation is to spread positivity and to teach people using skills I learned in sports — i.e. confidence, teamwork, discipline. My foundation is an extension of me. I took my foundation’s mission of spreading positivity and I went out and showed how I can be a good teammate. By deciding to opt out of the WNBA season because I felt that it was the best decision for me, I showed how to be confident.

For Juneteenth, I wanted to throw a feel-good event because there has been a lot of sadness recently. We just watched these murders on TV. I was thinking about what holidays were coming up and Juneteenth seemed perfect. I realized, though, that a lot of people don’t even know what Juneteenth is. I named my event, “What is Juneteenth?” Not only was it a pop-up block party celebration, but it was also an educational process. Everyone knows about the Emancipation Proclamation. A lot of people don’t know that all of the slaves weren’t freed until two years later. So, not only was the event a party and we had fun, but a lot of people left understanding more.

There is a lot going on right now, but what is next for you in terms of basketball and your foundation?

I’m not going to play in the WNBA because the season is so time consuming, but I will still be working and doing different things. That doesn’t mean that I’m only going to be working on social reform. You might see me on TV calling a game or you might see me on TV talking about social reform. I’m still going to be involved in basketball while also helping push the movement forward.

Aleshia Ocasio is a professional softball player for Athletes Unlimited, a new, player-focused pro league coming to the Chicago metro area this August. A graduate of the University of Florida, Ocasio helped lead the Gators to the 2015 WCWS Championship. Below, she spoke with Just Women’s Sports about what it means to her to be a LGBTQ athlete, why she signed on with Athletes Unlimited, and the importance of using her platform to push for social change.

What does it mean to you to be openly part of the LGBTQ community in sports?

I think for anybody it is important to stay true to yourself, and understand that you are unique, and that what’s normal in other people’s eyes is not necessarily always the case. I feel like, more now than ever, people are normalizing being in the LGBTQ community because you look at history and you look at how it was taboo to even speak about being gay, lesbian, bisexual. So I’m openly bisexual and I’m proud to be in the community and to be playing a sport that is so open. There’s a lot of representation in the game of softball as far as LGBTQ. I’m happy to be part of a sport that is open arms.

Do you think that being an athlete helped give you the confidence to come out and to be true to yourself?

I don’t necessarily think so. I have a great support system. Before anybody knew, I told my parents, and that was it. They were so open. They were like, I love you. I don’t care who you love. And I think that gave me the confidence to kind of be more open to living in my own truth. When you have a support system that welcomes you with open arms and unconditional love, I think that lays the foundation for you being comfortable with who you are.

How do you think attitudes towards LGBTQ athletes have changed during your lifetime?

So I came out openly in college and I don’t necessarily remember anybody talking about being gay, being lesbian, as necessarily a bad thing. And I’ve known plenty of people that have been in the community growing up as well. It’s never been something that was frowned upon. I just feel like I found myself growing up and figuring out who I was and what I liked and what drives me. So I feel, like I said, in softball, there’s a wide community of LGBTQ athletes, and I’m just happy to be in a place that has open arms.

In a recent Athletes Unlimited video, you talked a lot about how there’s a wide representation of LGBTQ athletes in softball but how there’s also a lot of stereotypes. Can you speak to that? 

I think that growing up, you look at softball, you look at basketball, and you automatically think, well, they’re gay. Like that’s the stereotype, no matter what you look like or even if you are straight. Cool, but, you know, there’s always a stereotype there. Even in high school, I remember people coming up to me, “You play softball, so you must be gay.” And at that time, I wasn’t fully aware of who I was. So I’m like, you know, whatever. I never really fought against it. I was just like, “You know what? You think what you think.” I know that there is a wide representation of both straight and LGBTQ women in the sport. And I hope that people are open to understanding that not only in softball are there LGBTQ representations, but in every sport, whether you know it or you don’t.

I do see in the world that it’s becoming more accepted. As I grow older, I realize that. I feel like people are starting to understand that every sport, including softball, has large representations of both straight and LGBTQ athletes. So I don’t necessarily see the stereotyping as often as I used to. But like I said, in high school people would tell me I play softball, so I have to be gay.

How inclusive do you feel like softball is as a whole? What can it do to improve?

When I think of softball and inclusion, I automatically think how much equipment is needed in order to even play the game. So my head automatically goes to adolescent kids who don’t necessarily have the means to buy these loads of equipment. We have the opportunity to play it, but some lower income areas don’t necessarily have the funds in order to provide the equipment to play the game. I’ve had talks with multiple people throughout the past couple of weeks about diversity and inclusion. And I think it starts with our youth. I think we have to give them the opportunity to play these team sports that require so much equipment.

You look at softball and you see your one or two black players on a softball team. I hear people talk about it all the time, the tokens on the team. We have to be above average to be considered average on a team full of our white counterparts. We’re stereotyped in our own community. We’re on a team and we’re looked at as the fastest. And some of these stereotypes aren’t necessarily negative, because a lot of times we are the fastest, but we’re put into a bubble of what we have to be because of the color of our skin. You see that a lot. I saw that a lot. I’ve heard that a lot. I’ve dealt with it a lot. But as far as inclusion, to get more diversity in the game of softball, I think it starts with our youth and giving them the tools in order to be able to play in the lower income areas. We have to focus on equity. We have to infiltrate those communities with the equipment, so they know that it’s accessible.

Do you feel obligated as an athlete to use your platform to speak out about these issues?

I feel more than obligated. I feel like it’s a priority to be able to, and it’s a privilege to be able to use my voice, and I’m taking full advantage of it. Being a woman of color, being in the LGBTQ community, it is so important that I’m able to use my voice so that I can represent people who look like me and feel the way that I do. Having a platform as an athlete, it’s so important to be the voice for people who don’t necessarily have one, so they can know they have somebody to look up to.

And I have seen a lot of people speak up in the softball community. A lot of our white counterparts are reaching out and they’re educating themselves. I see a lot of talk on social media. I see a lot of forums and Zoom calls going on, but I just want to challenge everybody to remember that this isn’t a sprint, it’s a marathon. And we’ve got to have stamina to be able to create change. But I think now more than ever, the timing matters… As far as this movement and then Pride month, I think that they’re both important. I feel that we’re both communities that are lacking. So I’m running with my BLM. I’m advocating for my LGBTQ community. Right now, I feel like my calling is to educate people and to allow them to see the systemic racism and the underlying, the overt and covert racism that plagues our community as much as COVID does, as much as anything else does and even more so.

I wanted to switch gears and talk a little bit about Athletes Unlimited. What are your thoughts about the league and what are you excited about?

I was really skeptical at first to sign my name on the dotted line just because of the dynamics of the league. We talk about team sports and, you know, we’re on a team for a season, for multiple games, and you look at Athletes Unlimited and we’re switching teams every week. So I was initially skeptical, but after talking with other players and hearing the investors speak about this, I feel like this is a good opportunity to change the game.

I really have high hopes for this league. I feel like it’s going to bring on more viewership as opposed to how the NPF has been the past couple of years. And two, we talk about equal pay. Your average person on the NPF was making, I think like five to ten thousand, and I think the base compensation for Athletes Unlimited is around ten. So you have so much room for bonuses and to earn extra money. And granted, we’re still not where we want to be because our MLB counterparts are making… well, they have no salary cap. We’re talking about just a tiny step in the right direction. But again, I really hope that this takes off. It’s going to be a little bit different, but I’m excited to see how it all pans out.

What has training looked like for you right now?

With quarantine, it’s been kind of tough to stay motivated. It’s been challenging. It’s easy to kind of lose yourself when everything is on lockdown. But I have a bunch of equipment at home. I have tees, nets, softballs. Anything you can imagine, I have. I’ve been setting my tee up and my net outside, getting some hits in. I’m actually going somewhere today to hit in the cage for probably the first time in months. But I’ve been doing what I need to do. I got my Apple watch and my activity logs on it. So I’m making sure I’m tracking my workouts.

I really think that this quarantine was a good time to kind of take a step back and think about the passions I have beyond softball. But I for sure have been working out and staying active. I think it’s really important to be able to stay in shape even if we’re not playing because it makes the transition back so much easier.

As a last question, if you don’t mind me asking, what are some of those passions that you have outside of softball?

I’m actually working on an apparel brand. I’m really excited about it. It’s going to be just women’s fitness gear, if you need sets and sports bras and stuff. I’m coming out with a couple of pieces. We’ll figure out when the date is. I would like it to launch it August 15th, on my birthday. But the way things are going with COVID, it’s a little bit slow. But I’m really excited about that. I even bought a sewing machine and everything.

Haylie McCleney has been a member of Team USA Softball since 2013. She was a four-time All-American at Alabama, where she ended her career as the program’s all-time leader in batting average (.447), on base percentage (.569), walks (199), and triples (16). She spoke to Just Women’s Sports about how she’s handling the Olympics’ postponement and what it means for the future of her sport.

Softball gets put back into the Olympics for the first time in years. And then Tokyo 2020 is pushed back. Walk me through that. 

It was definitely better that it was postponed instead of canceled. Those two terms carry very different weights. I do think that we have a lot of really smart people in this world that are going to make health a priority at the Olympics, not only for the athletes, but for the fans and families that hopefully get to attend. I would have been a little bit nervous if we would have continued to go on tour and continue to compete and try to make the Olympics happen in a time where we’re under a global pandemic. So there’s a little bit of gratitude there.

Obviously from a completely selfish standpoint, there was an initial period of disappointment because your entire life is built around this week in July. I mean, I was supposed to get married after the Olympics, and now I have no idea when that is going to happen. Other players were going to move or buy houses or maybe retire and pursue a career outside of softball. All those plans have come to a halt.

But I think the more we just accepted the fact that it was going to be delayed, there were a lot of really cool opportunities and stories that came out of it. Most other Olympic athletes are waiting four years in between Olympic games. For softball, it’s a little bit different. We’ve been waiting 12 years and now we’re going to wait 13. So I don’t think patience is lost on us at all as a sport. We’ve had to deal with the adversity of not knowing if or when we’re ever going to be in the Olympics.

There has been some talk that the sport will be included in the 2024 and 2028 Olympics, but there’s no guarantee. Does that make this time even more important for the team?

For us, it’s this Olympics or nothing because we don’t know what the future holds. Some of us still could be playing in 2028, but that’s if softball even gets back in. For us, it is critical that, for the survival of our sport, it needs to be in the Olympics. It needs to be talked about, it needs to be discussed. International softball needs to be covered not only in our country, but countries across the world. That’s why I think that we are so scared of the Olympics being canceled. Our one and only shot could be taken away from us. And obviously we understand that the priority is people’s health and safety and well-being. We do understand that. That doesn’t make it any less difficult to think that the Olympics could still be cancelled if things do not get better. We’re in a tough spot. For us, we might not be back, with or without next summer’s games. We don’t know.

Your team was one of the first to name its entire Olympic roster prior to the cancelation. And it has since been determined that the 2020 roster will remain intact for 2021. How do you feel about that decision?

We’re very happy with it. Very pleased with it. We had formed a bond as the Olympic roster, and softball is very culture driven and team driven. It’s not necessarily always about talent, but it’s about how a group of 18 can work together. And we were just starting to figure out that process when our tour was suspended. So I think it was the right decision by USA Softball. I think it was the right decision by the United States Olympic Committee to allow us to keep that same roster because we all earned the title of being an Olympian.

We’re meeting every week and talking with each other and continuing to build some of those relationships. Before the postponement it was six months to prepare for six games and I really liked our chances. Now you’re giving us 18 months as a unit saying, “Hey, this is our roster. This is what we’re sticking with. It’s up to you. Let’s get better. Let’s find a way to become closer. When we’re given our opportunity, let’s not waste it, let’s make the most of it and go for a gold medal.” I really like our chances.

There are a few players on the Olympic roster, including Bubba Nickles and Rachel Garcia, who will return to UCLA in 2021 to play out their final college season. Do you think that having some teammates miss training leading up to next summer will affect the team?

They took 2020 off already so I think you don’t want to take away from their college experience for two entire years. And I think having them play highly competitive college softball is going to help them and us in the long run. I don’t think it’s going to hurt them. They’re still going to be involved in our team meetings. They are just going to basically be training at a different location is how I’m looking at it. What’s good is that we did get to know them quite a bit. I mean Rachel has been on the team before. Dejah was on the team in ’19 and we have gotten to know Bubba while we were on tour and training so much together.

So I don’t think it’s going to be an issue whatsoever. We’re still trying to figure out as an organization what our tour even looks like. For us to be uncertain, it wasn’t really fair for them to sacrifice another year of missing out on a college softball season when we weren’t even sure what our training camps and schedule for training as a team is even going to be.

What happens now. Any talk about what training will be like leading up to 2021?

I’m still training completely on my own. So I’m at home. I’m not going to the gym. I’m not going to a park or anything like that. I’m trying my best to stay at home and still follow all of the guidelines. And I think the majority of the team is that way also. Some people are starting to get back into their facilities. I personally am not. I’m also in between houses right now. So it’s a little bit more complicated I think for me. But yeah, I mean, we’re used to this. We always train on our own. We’re usually on our own for nine months out of the year and then go compete for three months out of the year. So it’s not something that we are not used to. We are having team meetings every week, which I really, really enjoy. Just because it allows me to get to know my teammates a little bit more. We’re actually doing mini TED talk Tuesdays where one person on the team presents for 10 to 15 minutes on something that they’re passionate about outside of softball. It’s been cool to hear what people are interested in. But as things start to open back up, I think you’re going to start to see us kind of get back into that normalcy of what we’ve been used to for the past five, six, seven years of you’re on your own training, do what you need to do, be ready when your report date is. And I have all the confidence in the world that everyone on the team is doing their best to stay ready to compete at a high level still.

You are playing for the Scrap Yard Dawgs this summer. Can you talk to me a little bit about the league you are playing in and can you give updates on what the summer games look like given the pandemic? 

So with Scrap Yard and the Pride, we are basically going on a tour around two different travel ball events and we’re going to be competing against each other. The Scrap Yard and Pride are not a part of National Pro FastPitch. Scrap Yard and Pride are independent professional organizations. So that’s why they decided to come together and form the tour as all of these travel tournaments and things are starting to open back up. That’s the avenue that we took to be able to compete. And we’ve been assured that there are going to be plenty of safety measures in place, testing and sanitation, disinfecting, all of that fun stuff will be a priority when we play.

Jurnee Woodward is an All-SEC huddler for the Louisiana State University track and field team. During a protest following the killing of George Floyd, Woodward delivered a speech on the need for leadership and accountability, and shared that she had considered leaving the LSU track team after not hearing from her coaches in the wake of Floyd’s death. Below, she spoke with Just Women’s Sports to clarify a few points in her message and to share what led her to speak out in the first place. 

Talk to us about the events leading up to the protest. What motivated you to speak out?

Everything happened very quickly, but it feels like it’s been 15 years. Mr. Floyd’s horrible murder forced me to sit back and listen to other people’s stories. It made me become introspective and think about things that have been repressed from my childhood. After a few days, it was brought to my attention by several of my teammates on the women’s sprint team that our coach — Coach Shaver — had not reached out to us yet. I listened as my teammates, my sisters of color, talked about how hurt they were that our head man in charge had not said anything. I had seen people on social media say, “If you are afraid of losing your job, so you decided to stay quiet, then you are part of the problem.” I saw myself as contributing to part of the problem because I didn’t know how to approach any of this. If I go back to LSU and I still haven’t heard anything from Shaver, does that make me part of the problem?

Had you planned to deliver a speech at the protest? 

No, it wasn’t planned. When we went to the protest, I felt like I was marching with my brothers and sisters of different colors. It felt like we were standing together for something. It’s true, in unity there is strength. I felt amazing and empowered. When we were sitting outside of the Hayward Police Department, they had a bullhorn and people were coming up from the crowd, expanding upon their stories. By hearing their stories, I felt empowered, but I also realized I didn’t see people like me sharing their stories. I wasn’t seeing young women like me — I wasn’t seeing any athletes. I approached it like I approach a race: there is no turning back. You have to walk down to the starting line in front of everyone and you have to commit.

I knew that my story could touch someone out there and call them to action. I got up there and the words started flowing. I definitely felt the surge of support when I went up there and got that megaphone. I’m an introvert, so it was completely outside of my comfort zone.  I spoke out of emotion. It was very raw for me. I was extremely drained after.

In the speech, you talked about how painful it had been to not initially hear from coaches. You said that had led you to consider leaving the team. Can you talk about that? 

Yes. First, I just want to clear the air. I am still at LSU. I am returning for my senior year and I’m still going to continue to train and compete in women’s track and field.

When I hadn’t heard from my coach, I had decided that I was going to write an email to him about how I felt because I knew that the girls were upset that they hadn’t been reached out to by any of the coaching staff. Then I decided that I would rather pray, sleep on it, and come to a level headed decision the next morning. I prayed for the words to come to me, I prayed for a sign. Sure enough, the next morning, I woke up to a call from Coach Shaver. It didn’t matter what he said, all that mattered was the fact that he did reach out.

What was your reaction when you saw the video of your speech? 

I wasn’t even aware that my aunt had taken a video of me. I’m not going to lie, it was a little hard to rewatch a video that was so emotional and so raw. I like to think that I’m my own biggest critic, so I was picking apart my speech. It was all so fresh and I had never done something like that before.

Were you surprised by the reaction when you posted the video on your social media? 

All I wanted was to touch someone. I didn’t expect people to reach out after my speech, but they did. I realized that if I can touch these people in my own community, then maybe I can touch people in other communities as well who might be too afraid to speak up. That’s what led me to post the video. I knew when I posted it that not everyone was going to be happy. I didn’t know who I was going to receive support from and who I wasn’t. So far, the video does seem to resonate with a lot of people — in good ways and bad ways. I said all that I wanted to say in that moment, but now I feel like there needs to be some clarification.

What is it that you want to clarify?

I know I wasn’t the youngest in the crowd, so there are some choice curse words that I would retract from my statement. I also want to clarify that Coach Shaver is not a bad man. He is not a bad coach. He has shown me and a lot of other athletes love and support, especially with our mental health. And the timeline of events might have been screwed up in my speech, or maybe people weren’t listening, or maybe they held onto one part of what I said. If I could do that speech again, rehearsed, I would. To be clear, I do not regret one thing that I said. Would I say it differently? Yes. But do I regret what I said? Not at all.

What do you think that LSU, specifically, needs to do to take action moving forward? 

The thing is, right after I posted the speech on social media, Coach Shaver and our coaching staff were wonderful in quickly bringing the team together on a Zoom call and addressing it face-to-face. Maybe there was some sort of miscommunication on both ends. My call for action was not just targeted at LSU, but at everyone. People need to hold other people accountable, no matter what. We need coaches and athletes to work together in order to lift up those voices that are unheard. After I posted the video, Coach Shaver had a talk with everyone on the LSU track and field women’s sprint team that I believe was important to have. Those discussions that we need to have on our teams and with our staff are going to be hard, but it is what needs to be done.

My words were not in any way meant to be harmful to LSU, which has done so much for me. I’m thankful for the opportunities that they have given me that have helped me to become the person that I am today — the elite athlete that I am today.

What were your coach’s thoughts about the video and your speech? 

I can’t speak for him, but in the Zoom call meeting with our team he said that the video touched him and that it hurt him to hear some of those words. Those words created the conversation, though. When Coach Shaver first called me, before the protest, he told me, “I see you as one of the leaders on our team.” In my opinion, I am doing what he asks of me — not just on the team, but also in life.

How important do you think it is for athletes in particular to speak out? 

I think it is very powerful. It is one of the main reasons I decided to go up there and speak myself. There is definitely a level of fear of being turned away by one’s peers, by one’s teammates, by one’s coaches. In my mind, though, I am willing to give up everything for what I am and for what I believe in. I’m tired — a lot of people are tired and exhausted. But, I’m not going to stay silent. I believe in standing up for what I think is right. So do my fellow athletes at LSU, which is why we’ve now created the Black Student-Athlete Association (BSAA) to help tackle these topics at our college. Hopefully other collegiate athletes will follow suit.

I do not want this narrative to get pushed to the wayside when the fall semester begins. We set a precedent for the generations that come after us. We are leaders and it’s time that we start holding ourselves accountable.

Liz Hogan is a professional lacrosse player who plays for Pride of the WPLL and Team USA. Syracuse University’s all-time saves leader, Hogan spoke to Just Women’s Sports about what it means to be a member of the LGBTQ+ community in the world of sports, how lacrosse can become more inclusive, and how she’s using her platform to press for change. 

What does it mean to you to openly be a member of the LGBTQ+ community in sports?

For me, the biggest thing is that it gives me a purpose because I want to add another story, another example, another outlet for other people to understand the LGBTQ+ community. Then, if they are a little bit more understanding of their own sexuality and realize that maybe they fall into this community, I can give them an outlet to find a role model, find a mentor, and realize that it is possible to be a great athlete and a great person, while still being gay. There are a lot of stigmas surrounding gay people. To be able to be out and open, I can shed extra light on the kind of person you can be, even if other people are labeling you in a negative way.

How does your mindset change from being a member of the LGBTQ+ community in sports to general life? 

I am definitely outspoken in the world of lacrosse and on my Instagram. When it comes to life outside of sports, though, I am a pretty private person. It’s not like I won’t go wave a flag or anything, but I’m more private. I found the love of my life. I have a fiancé and I’m super passionate about having a great life with her. I do teach in a Catholic school, which is interesting, but they are supportive of me. It’s something that I haven’t really brought up to my students, mostly because they are so young. But once the time comes, I hope I can show them the paths that I’ve taken and be a sounding board for them when they’re going through difficult times.

You mentioned being a role model in the lacrosse community for younger players dealing with similar issues about coming out. Do you think this applies to your students, too?  

For sure. Living in California, it is a little bit easier than anywhere else. I am thankful that the school that I work at has been super supportive. We’ve had transgender people, we’ve had gay people, we’ve had bisexual people. Despite the fact that there is this connotation that if you’re Catholic, you can’t be those things, the school is super welcoming and open to the kids. I do look forward to being a role model for my students, but I’m also thankful for the groundwork that has already been laid out for us.

Do you think that being an athlete helped to give you the confidence to come out?

I don’t know if it gave me the confidence to come out. I would say, if anything, it might have actually sheltered me for a little bit longer because I could be out to my teammates, but I had that buffer where I didn’t have to tell my parents. I had this comfort zone where I could tell a couple of people, but at the same time, it protected me from having to deal with truly being out to closer family and friends. If I wasn’t part of an athletic community, I wouldn’t have had that. I don’t think it’s necessarily right or wrong. I think we all have our own stories and our own timelines. I am thankful that athletics introduced me to a lot of people who helped me to find myself and who helped me to navigate the process of coming out. I don’t think I would have met those people without athletics.

Do you think that the lacrosse teams you have been a part of have been inclusive?

Yes. I think women’s lacrosse is unique in that teams are pretty inclusive — at least the teams that I’ve been a part of and the majority that I’ve heard of. I have always felt super comfortable around my teammates and my coaches. I definitely was never the only gay person or the only person who identified as LGBTQ+ on the team either, so I’m thankful in that sense. There has been a pretty wide awareness in women’s lacrosse, at least recently. A lot of our founding sisters who started lacrosse in the U.S. were gay themselves, so we kind of have a leg up in that department.

Do you think that there is still room for women’s lacrosse to improve inclusivity, and if so, how?

A hundred percent. While people are inclusive and generally welcoming, I think a lot more can be done in terms of the conversations we have in our locker rooms. How can we create inclusive environments without having to have that person come out, right? Most people will be nice to you when you come out, but what is the environment and what are the conversations happening beforehand? And not just about the LGBTQ+ community, but about Black Lives Matter, too. Are we inclusive to everyone in that locker room, regardless of what you can and can’t see? There is no visible sign when someone is gay — you can hide it from people. The important thing is making sure everyone feels included, even if they are unsure about who they are at the moment.

Do you feel obligated as an athlete to use your platform to speak out on LGBTQ+ issues?

I have battled this throughout the past few years as social media has become a bigger part of our lives. Initially, I was hesitant for various reasons, from not wanting to upset sponsors to not wanting to upset my own family when I knew they weren’t comfortable with it. Recently, I have definitely embraced it more. I think of myself growing up and the role models that I wish I would have had. I really hope that by being my authentic self, it allows other people to understand and to see that it’s okay, and to maybe find their own path a little bit easier.

Your fiancé is a former lacrosse player. How long have you two been engaged for? 

Well, that is a tricky question. We got engaged last year. We were actually supposed to be married right now. We were supposed to get married last Friday. So, we’ve been engaged for about a year. Our backup wedding date is August 14th, and then our backup backup date is next June. If it doesn’t happen then, I told her we’re just eloping, and I’m done with it.

What is it like to share a sport with your significant other?

It’s interesting because we have two very different perspectives about lacrosse. She played at USC, finished her career, and that was it. She didn’t want to play professionally. She didn’t want to play for the U.S. team. She was content with where she was after college. We all have different experiences. Even I took a year off after college because I wasn’t sure if I still wanted to play. I was burnt out. It’s been nice to have her as a sounding board while I am playing and she’s not. I can always tell her what’s going on, and she gets it. She’s not like some person who’s never seen the sport and thinks I’m catching butterflies. It’s nice to have someone that is athletic and can shoot on me and can help me train. But, then it’s also nice to have someone who understands the mental toughness that goes into it as well.

You recently participated in a speaker series for U.S. Lacrosse in celebration of Pride Month, speaking about equality in sports. What was that experience like? 

U.S. Lacrosse is hosting a four-part speaker series with two moderators, one men’s national team player and one women’s national team player. I participated in one that was about life as an LGBTQ athlete. I think there are a lot of athletes who question their own identity and there are a lot of coaches who want to know what they can do to better support their players. I found it really cool that U.S. Lacrosse sent the speaker series out to their members. They are always talking about inclusivity and sometimes the LGBTQ+ community can be overlooked since we are a minority in the sport. We need to make sure that we are continuing to educate people.

U.S. Lacrosse also created another initiative called Clinics for Change. What is this program about? 

Between the men’s and women’s programs, we decided to have four simultaneous clinics based on your position, not based on your gender. The players will be learning from the men’s national team players and the women’s national team players. While people pay to attend the clinics, we will not be making any profit. All of the proceeds will go to four different organizations revolving around Black Lives Matter and Athlete Ally, which is an LGBTQ+ platform for athletes.

We are really trying to use our social media and our current status on the U.S. national team to drive change. We are all volunteering our time to teach lacrosse at a really low rate, which is super cool. At the same time, we are passing it forward. Not only are we helping people to understand the sport, but we are using the proceeds to benefit people who may not even play lacrosse.

Lacrosse is a predominantly white sport. What do you think it means for the lacrosse community to come together in an initiative like this? 

I’ve seen the lacrosse community come together so much over the past two weeks or so. Normally the focus would be on celebrating Pride Month, but I think we are all starting to realize that we have to be each other’s allies, whether you’re black, whether you’re gay, whatever it is. We are all realizing that, at the end of day, we are all lacrosse players. It is our duty to be allies to one another. It has been incredible to see some of the biggest names in lacrosse step up to promote education about inclusivity. Our first goal is to just get people talking. I’m hopeful this is not a two-week or a one-month trend. I’m hoping we continue the conversation beyond this month.

You play for the U.S. women’s national team. How does the training and selection for the team work? 

The way the U.S. team works is interesting. The World Cup is in 2021 — fingers crossed it happens. The last go around was in 2017 and, before that, 2013. It’s every four years like the soccer World Cup. It used to be that you tried out in the summer and then you would be on the national team for the entire year. Recently, they have taken on the model of U.S. Soccer where there are training camps that you are either invited or uninvited to each month. Right now, we’ve been training with a pretty consistent cohort of athletes, so we identify as being on the U.S. women’s national team. However, only 18 of us can go to the World Cup in 2021, so it will get pared down. I’ve been a part of the training program since 2012, so it’s been awhile.

Everything is up in the air right now with COVD-19. Have they made any announcements about upcoming events for Team USA?

We have Zoom calls every few weeks to get updates. We were supposed to be in training camps right now, but that didn’t happen. As far as I know, U.S. lacrosse has pushed off everything through July. They’re hoping to get things started up in August. They are trying to hold the Fall Classic at the U.S. Lacrosse headquarters, and then hopefully have something in November and January, as well. It’s hard because it might look good now, but what if there is a spike in September? You just never know.

You also play for the WPLL Pride. Your season was unfortunately cancelled this year, but what excites you about playing for the WPLL? 

For me, the coolest thing is that we get to see the best talent from around the world in a small number of games. On the national level, you’re putting the best players per nation on one team, but there are a lot of really good players who don’t make it to that final team. So, the best part about the WPLL is showcasing that talent in front of young lacrosse players, who can then aspire to be a professional women’s lacrosse player themselves. We are able to show them the really cool things you can do with women’s lacrosse.

Sarah Gorden is a defender for the Chicago Red Stars of the NWSL. She spoke with Just Women’s Sports about the ongoing protests and what needs to change.

What has your reaction been to all of the events of the last few weeks? 

That’s a full question. It goes without saying that initially the reaction was just sadness and fear, fear for family, friends. And then now with the protests, it’s overwhelming… It’s hard for people to have these conversations, it’s really difficult, but it’s necessary. Being mixed, being light skinned, I don’t necessarily go through the same things that darker skinned people go through, but this is my son’s future, this is everything. So this week has just been depressing, and exhausting. How long has this been going on? When will things change? A little bit of hope comes from how many people have reached out, friends, teammates, family, saying ‘I’m here, how are you? How is it going?’ And it feels good to see so many white people at protests and all that stuff. So there is hope, but then there’s fear, and it’s scary.

Why do you think that it’s so important to speak out? 

For me, it’s so important to speak out because I have a black son, I have a black boyfriend. These are people I know and love, and it’s in my blood, too. And enough is enough. I can’t stand it anymore, and a lot of people can’t. Before, I’ve been timid about speaking about my experience just because I’m light skinned, I’m mixed. I grew up around white people, I don’t have the same experience. And in the past, I think I’ve tiptoed around the conversation with my white friends because I wanted to make them comfortable. But it’s absolutely not okay anymore. I want this world to change. I want my son to grow up in a world where he’s not eight-years-old being profiled by the police.

Why do you think it’s important that athletes in particular be vocal about this issue?  

I think it’s important because so many people look up to you as an athlete. That makes our voices important, because when we speak out on these things, we’re educating a lot of people. As a mixed woman with a black son, it’s important for me to speak out because when other people see that they learn, they find ways to help, they see ways in which we’ve all failed as a society — ways in which we all could do better. People need to see that we, as athletes, believe in this movement. It’s been great to see a lot of my white teammates speak up, and say these things, and get uncomfortable. That’s exactly what we need.

Looking specifically at the soccer community, what do you think needs to change? How do we improve? 

The first thing we can do is break stereotypes of black soccer players. I’m so sick of hearing the same things said about every black girl, that, oh, she’s so fast, she’s so strong, she’s so aggressive, she’s so athletic. We are so much more than that. But it feels like, as a black girl, you have to work twice as hard to be called a ‘technical’ player. It’s going to be difficult to change this, because a lot of it is unconscious. But starting to break those stereotypes is the first thing. And then the second is bridging the gap between the black community and soccer. We need to bring the sport to the community, and have black players training younger girls, showing them there’s a way for them to do this. I think giving those opportunities to black girls is going to be huge.

I called the owner of our club and talked to him about this earlier. We’re in the soccer world, we’re a soccer club, so how can we change things here? If we all focus on changing our own area, the world will start to change.

Is there anything else you’d like to add? 

I know a lot of people feel guilty, a lot of white people feel guilt. I feel that same guilt because I know that because I’m lighter skinned I have privilege, too. But it’s just so important to, even with that guilty feeling or whatever you’re feeling, to continue to speak, and to continue to act, because that’s how we’re going to change things. And just because you feel guilty or uncomfortable isn’t an excuse to be quiet anymore.

Darian Jenkins is a forward for OL Reign of the NWSL. Below, she spoke with Just Women’s Sports about the ongoing protests against systemic racism, what allies can do to catalyze change, and her thoughts on the upcoming NWSL Challenge Cup. 

What are your reactions to all the events taking place in the last week?

This has been a really long time coming. Obviously, what’s happened to black people in this country has been terrible, and people are finally beginning to protest with us, and to see how wrong all of this is. And it’s not just the murders. People are starting to really reflect and realize that small and big injustices are committed against black Ameircans every day. They’re starting to understand the history of black people in this country. I think it’s great it’s happening, and I’m really proud that I can be part of it.

What should individuals do who want to make more of a difference? 

Every movement needs to have voices behind it, but really the biggest thing is people actually taking action. I know blackout Tuesday had 25 million black squares that were posted, but that’s the lowest, bare minimum of effort you could put into wanting change. Take whatever money you can and donate it to all of these great causes you can find on social media. That’s important. And vote, for your mayors and all the representatives and our president, most importantly.

What would be your message to white allies in America specifically? 

The biggest thing is that non people of color need to take time to educate themselves and those around them. A lot of people of color are very much over trying to explain things and feeling like they’re required to always share their story. There’s plenty of resources for people to go find out how they can help. There’s documentaries to watch and books to read, from Toni Morrison to James Baldwin. Interviews with a lot of people who can very eloquently spell it out and give you a good perspective. Ultimately, I just think everybody needs to really take initiative and put everything that they’re re-tweeting and posting into action.

How does the country move forward and what needs to change?

Well definitely police reform. I feel like that’s the biggest thing. Derek Chauvin had 17 misconduct complaints against him. It’s pretty sad that people are able to go on with their jobs after that. And there needs to be better education on when to use force. When is it ever necessary to knee on somebody’s neck while they’re handcuffed on the ground? Right now, a lot of conversations are opening up. And we need to be able to talk about these difficult things. I know it’s uncomfortable. Believe me, for the people that are the ones getting murdered, it’s extremely uncomfortable. But I think it’s important to ask yourself the tough questions and really reflect.

Shifting topics, what are your thoughts on the upcoming Challenge Cup?

We’re all excited. It’s been a long time coming and we’re happy to be able to get full games under our belt. Everybody’s really looking forward to it and there’s good energy. Everyone’s excited to be back in a team environment, even just to have somebody to pass the ball with. I know I can’t seem to find a cement wall where I won’t get yelled at.

There’s obviously been a lot of change. We’re all just focusing on the day by day and getting prepared, as it’s going to be a pretty heavy schedule once we all report to Utah. Games every three days, less than that for some teams even. The energy is good and everyone’s really looking forward to the tournament, but for now our focus is on the day by day and really just being as well prepared as we can.

Has your team moved into the next phase of group training at this point?

Yes, we have been playing 11 v 11. We are actually in Montana right now. We’re hosting pre-season here actually, because we were originally planning to go to Utah but they ended up changing it, just because we weren’t sure if housing was going to work out. We decided to go where it would be a little more calm and quiet and we could very much have our own space and time to go where we weren’t as restricted to go on the field.

How do you feel about playing without fans?

It’s a bummer, because it creates such a good atmosphere, but safety is first, and we want to protect not only ourselves and our staff, but everybody else that supports us. We’re really happy that CBS is streaming our games this year. It’s important to have a really good platform where games are easy to watch. I think streaming is huge for women’s sports in general. We never really get the media attention or any of that. So for us to be the first sport back when I know the world is hungry for sports and entertainment, I think it’s really going to be great for women’s sports. We’re all pretty happy about that.

What do you expect from players and from yourself too, after such a long layoff?

I think we’re all just really excited. Like I said before, I think all of the teams have really good energy and you can see that everybody’s really looking forward to getting back into team training. When we’re able to play in games, we know it’s going to move really quickly and have such a quick turnaround. I think everyone’s just stoked and preparing as well as they can. Because it’s such a short, condensed time, people are really going to bring their A game from the start. It’s going to be really good competition.

The NWSL Challenge Cup kicks off June 27th, making soccer the first team sport to return amidst coronavirus. We spoke to multiple NWSL players about their thoughts ahead of the tournament. Here’s what they had to say:

What is your overall outlook on the tournament?

“I think it’s exciting. It’s like a roller coaster of emotions really, because there’s so much going on, and so much goes into this, whether it’s with the player union, which I’ve been a part of, and then the NWSL, and no sports going on in general right now. Then trying to have this tournament. I do think the NWSL and the NWSLPA have worked really hard to get this going and make it as safe as possible.” — Lu Barnes, OL Reign

“I’m super excited about having an opportunity to play again. Yes, there’s an entertainment factor for everybody else, but this is still our job. Our job is to play, and it’s nice to be able to come back and have the opportunity to play games, because we’ve all been training to stay in shape and get touches on the ball. But obviously, it’s really hard to do that for an extended period of time, not knowing if you’re going to have games. So I think the league did a really good job with trying to come up with the best option for us, just given the circumstances. And I think a lot of people are really excited just to have something.” — Abby Smith, Utah Royals FC

“We are all super excited about the tournament. Our offseason really has been eight months of preparing, running, lifting and training on our own. Obviously with the pandemic it’s really frustrating that we couldn’t have a normal season. But we’re super stoked that the commissioner and all the owners and coaches got together and figured out at least something for this year. And they’ve done a really good job with all the safety protocols. It’s going to be a really great opportunity to keep growing the league and hopefully getting us more TV time for the future.” — Paige Nielsen, Washington Spirit

There’s been some pushback from those who think the league is rushing back. Is there anything you’re nervous about?

“Obviously the scariest thing is probably just the unknowns. That’s what’s scary in life in general, but especially during the circumstances that are given. But the OL Reign have been super informative, super transparent, whether it’s good, bad, whatever. They’ve just been super honest with us. So as a group, you just feel more comfortable when you have more information and you can just better make a decision for yourself.” — Barnes

“Obviously, there were some concerns with COVID, and how quickly the tournament’s coming up, but I think that in the grand scheme of things, a lot of people are just so excited to get back on the field. And the league has taken the initiative of making sure that we’re getting tested frequently and making sure that we’re socially distancing and staying in quarantine, and that everybody is taking this as seriously as possible. And also respecting the fact that it’s a very sensitive time for the rest of the world. I think they’ve done a really good job with reassuring us that they’re taking all the steps necessary, and then also providing us with the opportunity to play.” — Smith

“I know there’s been some negative backlash about how we’re the guinea pigs of live sports in this pandemic. But I just want people to know that I think we’re going to do the best we can with safety protocols. And we’re all itching to do our job, which is to play soccer. Everyone is slowly going back to work, not just athletes, and no one knows the correct way to do it, but we’re going to do it in the best we can and safest way possible.” — Nielsen

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LU BARNES (WILF THORNE/ISI PHOTOS)
What are your thoughts about playing without fans? 

“It’s obviously so strange. I’ve been playing professional for eight years, and you always have fans pretty much at every game even if the weather’s terrible, or whatever the circumstances are. Still, with or without fans, as a professional athlete, what drives us is our competitiveness and the will to win. I feel like that’s all still there, which will make the games exciting. I’m still counting on getting the usual adrenaline rush.” — Barnes

“I think that’s going to be a bit weird, to be perfectly honest. In preseason you have the scrimmages where you don’t have people there, but I’ve never been in a situation where it’s been completely empty. I have been watching the Bundesliga, and the stadium’s completely empty. You can hear everything. That’s honestly so interesting to me how they’re making it work. But I also think that they are at the forefront of everything, showing that it is possible to play and not have fans, and it can still work for the players and the staff.” — Smith

What has the communication been like with your team? 

“It’s been great, honestly. I think we’ve actually had one of the best communications. I’ve talked to other players, and I know it hasn’t been great across the board. But we’ve done Zoom calls for the last two months together as a team and with our coaches. They let us know that players could go home if they had to go home, if they didn’t feel safe. And we’ve done maybe small group training sessions the past couple weeks. And they made sure to tell everyone that it’s not mandatory as long as they feel safe. So even leading up to this tournament they’ve done a really good job.” — Nielsen

“Our player reps have been very on top of everything, making sure that we know as much information as possible, whenever it becomes available. Our team has been very aware of other states and their circumstances. I feel like we’ve done a really good job with making sure that we’re following the rules and wiping everything down and being very, very cautious, because even though the numbers have been low in Utah, we’re still trying to stay on top of everything that we need to take care of.” — Smith

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PAIGE NIELSEN (RANDY LITZINGER/GETTY IMAGES)
What do you expect from yourself and/or your teammates after such a long layoff? 

“I do think we’re going to be a little bit crazy right off the bat. We have a lot of new players this year, and I don’t know how cohesive we will be. But we’ve been doing Zoom calls to try and get close to each other. We actually had the opportunity to go to Florida before the pandemic started, and so we all got to go each other there as persons and personalities. But I think with the tournament having so many games in a short period of time, I don’t know if we will get to our style that we want to play. It’s just going to be who has the biggest heart at that moment.” — Nielsen

“I’m ready. I feel like I was a little bit nervous, but I’m ready to get going, and I think it’s the good nerves, the kind you get when you’re excited to get back with your teammates and play.” — Smith

Kelsey Bing is an All-American goalkeeper for the Stanford field hockey team and a member of the US National Team. A three-time America East Goalkeeper of the Year, Bing will be graduating from Stanford this spring. She spoke with Just Women’s Sports about how she became a goalkeeper, what drew her to Stanford, and what comes next amidst the uncertainty surrounding coronavirus and the US National Team, which failed to qualify for the Tokyo Olympics. 

When did you start playing hockey and why did you choose to be a goalkeeper?

I started playing in the seventh grade at the middle school I went to. It had a trimester sport system and you had to play a sport for every season, and the options for fall were field hockey, volleyball and cross country. Cross country didn’t sound all too fun to me and I didn’t really want to be inside. My mom told me field hockey is a lot like soccer, so I tried it out.

I was actually a field player through most of middle school. We had 30 girls on our team, and obviously you’re not going to get a lot of playing time if you have that many kids on the team, but there was a deal with our coach where if you suited up as goalie for half the game, then you didn’t have to come out for the other half. A couple friends and I were like, “I think we might get more playing time if we do it that way.” So we became goalies. But I didn’t really start getting serious about it until when I joined a club team at the end of eighth grade. And then that was when I was like, “Oh, this is actually fun. It’s not just something I’m doing just to get playing time.”

A lot of sports have goalkeepers. What makes field hockey’s unique?

I think it was actually a pretty easy transition from soccer because especially at the basic levels, being a goalkeeper in field hockey is kicking the ball with the inside of your foot. And then the next progression from that is lunging. I was also into fencing for a little while when I was younger, so I was used to the whole equipment getup. Lunging in fencing is also very compatible with field hockey. A lot of the mechanics and the nitty gritty details of being a goalkeeper in field hockey are very different than fencing, but at the time when I first started I was like, “Oh, this was super similar to these things that I’ve done before.”

Goalkeeping in field hockey is still kind of its own world, though. I have to show people pictures of all the equipment I wear, because when I try to describe it, it quickly devolves into a mess. I mean, my mom likes to joke that I look like a transformer when I’m wearing my kit.

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JOHN P. LOZANO/ISI PHOTOS
What do you think makes for a good field hockey goalkeeper? 

I think just being able to be athletic in pads is a huge part of the role. One of the things that helped me the most initially is that I was just willing to give it a go. I didn’t really have any positive field hockey goalkeeping role models to look up to. It was just, “What can I find on YouTube? Okay, I know what’s going on.”

You have to love the game and not be afraid that you’re going to mess up, especially in high school. And then once you get to the higher levels, like in college, goalkeeping becomes incredibly technical. You learn all the nuances and little details of the game, and you start to develop a personal style. I’m pretty analytical. I’m an engineer at Stanford, I major in mechanical engineering. So I’m pretty used to diving back into what I’m doing and digesting every little individual piece moving forward. It’s something that I feel is built inside of me, which I’ve always done for better or for worse. But I think to succeed, you have to be a student of the game. You need to know what’s happening at every position on the field.

How did you end up at Stanford and why did you choose to play there?

Academics has always been incredibly important to me. I love playing field hockey, but I also know my education is very important. A lot of it just boiled down to Stanford being one of the best academic institutions in the entire world. I felt fortunate that I even had the ability to go there. The athletic complexes are also just crazy. And then finally, I wanted to go into engineering. So that limited some of the schools in which I could look at specifically, but I don’t think it was a bad thing. Every day I’m so grateful that I was even afforded the chance to go to Stanford.

You were the starting goalkeeper your freshman year. How did you handle that pressure and how were you so successful at the position? 

Where I really got lucky was that a coach saw potential in me as a junior in high school and put me on the under 21 junior national team. It makes sense now, but at the time, I was like, “I’m just this goalie from Texas, what the heck?” But being on the under 21 team as a junior in high school, I had two years to play with some of the best freshmen, sophomores and juniors in college. So I had this ability to acclimate to the game a little bit earlier before most of my class, which was definitely nice.

Goalkeeping is pretty mental. You can psych yourself out in a million different ways. Like being a student at Stanford, there’s definitely duck syndrome, where you’re like, “Yeah, I’m just going to keep moving along. I don’t really know if I belong here, but I hope I do.” And so maybe I wasn’t the most comfortable freshman but I was afforded the chance to make mistakes and learn from them which was very generous of the coaches. I was able to build confidence because they trusted me.

You won the National-Scholar Athlete award for the 2019 season, which goes to the All-American who earns the highest GPA through the first semester of the year. Can you talk about what that meant to you?

I was pretty excited to win the award. It meant a lot to me because I think sometimes people get into their heads that, “If you’re an athlete, that’s the only thing you can do.” And so to see that somebody can be high achieving in both academics and athletics is important to me. It’s also nice because it’s somebody recognizing that yeah, I’m putting hard work in on the field but also in the classroom. Not that that needs to be noticed, but it always feels nice when somebody tells you like, “Hey, you’ve done a really good job here.” My parents think it’s the best thing in the world. They’re so excited about it. My mom’s like, “This is the best thing you’ve ever won.”

When did you start playing for team USA? 

I spent four years on that under 21 team, from my junior year of high school through my sophomore year of college. And then that October, Janneke Schopman, who was the coach at the time, called me in and asked if I would be able to take some of my junior year off to train for the Olympic qualifiers. And so that’s how I got moved up which was pretty cool. I took off winter quarter to train and play in the pro league, which is where the US and eight other countries play home and away games in every country, which, for me, was the coolest thing ever. I was so excited to get to travel and just get to see the hockey cultures of every place we were going to.

You’re graduating from Stanford this spring. What’s next for you?

For the time being, I’m just training as if we’re in the off season. I’m just running outside the front of my house and doing all these weird body weight workouts because I have to go outside to workout. All my neighbors, they’re like, “Oh, what are you training for?” They don’t really get it. In an ideal world, I would be able to find something where I could do both field hockey and an engineering job. Because as I’ve said, I do care a lot about my professional development. I would love to keep training with the national team. I hope that’s still in the books, but it’s so uncertain now.

My dream professionally would be to do something with autonomous vehicles or autonomous aircraft. My depth in mechanical engineering is in dynamics and controls, so it has a lot to do with autonomous systems. Right now, there’s just so much up in the air with USA Field Hockey because we’re in the midst of a location transition and everything. I’m hoping that once I have a little bit more information to work with, I could find something that was feasible, but maybe it’s going to be applying to grad school. Because I know a lot of the girls on the team are able to manage school and play.

Not qualifying for the Tokyo Olympics was devastating. That was really just a low of my career in field hockey. I definitely feel like I have something there to prove like, “Hey, this isn’t the standard. The US field hockey team belongs in the Olympics.” I would love to be a part of that. And I think one of the things that draws me back to field hockey is that I feel I have so much more to learn and develop and grow and I can always come back to my professional career. In 30 years if I decide I want to become a field hockey player again, my body is not going to let me. My time to do it is now.

Sarah Thomas is boxer from Bethpage, New York, fighting out of Academy of Boxing in Huntington, New York. She began her combat career as a kickboxer, with an undefeated record. During her amateur career, she won the Ringmasters (formally Golden Gloves) tournament. Her professional boxing debut was delayed due to COVID-19. As a sports science graduate student who also trains younger boxers, she’s managed to keep busy in the meantime, even as much of her day-to-day has shifted online. Below, she spoke with Just Women’s Sports about how she discovered boxing, the importance of mental health, and what it’s like competing in a male-dominated sport.

What originally led you to boxing as a sport? 

I’ve always been more aggressive in sports. I actually played lacrosse in high school, but I would get kicked out of every game. I didn’t really actually know how to play lacrosse, to be honest, but I was just athletic, so my friends were like, “Yeah, join.” I just got in trouble every single game, because I was just charging directly at people. I was just the worst lacrosse player ever. And then I liked the idea that boxing was an individual sport. In an individual sport like boxing, I couldn’t blame anyone else. I liked that a lot.

I didn’t actually start until I was 20 though, and I’m 30 now. I first competed in kickboxing, but then my coach left. He told me he was in the FBI and that he was getting re-stationed. I didn’t even know he was in the FBI. So after he disappeared, I went to another gym, and I was dabbling with MMA for a little, but I realized I liked the boxing aspect the most out of all of it, so I decided to just stick with boxing. I like kickboxing, but I don’t actually like getting kicked. With boxing, I can focus on one thing, and I like practicing the same thing over and over, which I feel like a lot of people don’t like. I like the idea of, “I’m going to do the same thing a thousand times so I get good at it.”

How did you first realize you had a talent for combat sports? 

I took kickboxing just to try it out and as a workout. I went to the gym, took one class, and was like “All right, I really want to fight.” The coach wouldn’t train me because he had never trained a girl, like all those movies, and then finally he decided he would.

20 seems late. At what age do women usually start their professional careers?

Usually it seems that women start later in life. Really, you can turn professional whenever you feel ready, but the licensing to become a pro varies by state. So you just have to be able to pass the medicals and everything, and then you have to find a promoter who wants you. You have to find someone who likes you, and as a woman, you just have to be marketable. I have noticed that with women’s combat sports, what you look like goes a long way, as sad as that is. It’s like you either have to look good or just be so good that you’re almost some freak.

I wanted to ask you, what is it like being a female in what many would consider to be a male-dominated sport? 

I feel like it was harder in the beginning of all of it, and now there’s a lot more girls than there were before. I feel like every year continuously gets easier and there’s more acceptance. At first, it was really hard for me to find fights. I couldn’t just turn professional without having enough experience. But then the people who were amateur, they were few and far between, and they wouldn’t compete against me. I couldn’t gain experience to get better because I couldn’t really get matched up, so it was hard in the beginning with that.

With boxing, actually, in the ’90s it was really popular for women. That was during the time of Laila Ali. And even before then, it was popular for a little while, and then it fell off. It resurged again recently because it was allowed to be in the 2012 Olympics.

How would you describe the popularity of the sport now?

I think Ronda Rousey, even though she’s MMA, really helped make women’s combat sports more popular. And then also Claressa Shields won the Olympic gold in 2012 when women were allowed in the Olympics, and she won it in 2016. I think she brought the popularity back, and there’s been a few other girls who have made women’s boxing popular again. Now women are actually getting paid. I was actually going to have my professional debut on May 8th, but that didn’t happen because of COVID.

Do you have Olympic aspirations?

I had thought about it at one point, but the weight class I was competing at wasn’t in the Olympics. I sort of just wanted to go pro because I had kickboxed for a while, and when I made the decision to just focus on boxing, I had enough combat sport experience where I wanted to just be a professional rather than spend a lot of time as an amateur. And once you’re professional, you can’t compete in the Olympics.

Can you talk a little bit about how you manage to stay in shape, stay healthy and stay motivated while participating in such a punishing sport?

There used to be times when I would do three-a-days, which is so stupid, but I thought that more was better. I actually train less now, and I feel stronger now than I did, which is weird. I think I was over-trained for a long, long time. So now that I’m older and I train less and eat whatever I want, I actually feel stronger. I actually eat pretty clean, but I don’t count with macros and I don’t count calories or any of that. I honestly just eat whenever I feel like I want to. So if my body is like, “All right, I’m hungry,” I’ll eat. And I don’t do it according to a science or anything, I just try to stay healthy.

I’m sure there’s going to be a point where I feel like I’m getting weaker than I was, and I guess that’s when I’ll know that I’m on the downswing, but I feel like I’m still getting stronger, so for now I’m good. And I notice that with women in fight sports, it seems like a lot of them are older. There’s some girls that are still pros that are in their forties. It’s kind of crazy. I think it’s one of those sports where you can be older as a female.

How important is mental health to you in boxing? 

I’ve had anxiety and OCD since I was really little. The first time I ever noticed that I had OCD, I was eight. It’s a really weird thing to understand. I don’t know how to describe it, but basically it’s like an extreme form of anxiety where you feel like you have to do certain rituals to overcome bad things. Your brain tries to cope with the anxiety through some sort of action, and then you can also have thoughts and the thoughts can keep you up. It’s basically anxiety on steroids, and yeah, I’ve dealt with that since I was little. I always felt from a young age the only time I wouldn’t really notice a symptom of that would be when I was playing sports. So when I played soccer I would never notice that, because I’d be so in the moment that I wouldn’t be able to worry about anything else besides that moment, and boxing’s very much like that. Your head really can’t be anywhere else, because you’re so worried about defending yourself and throwing punches that you’re not thinking about whether you paid your credit card bill or something that gives you anxiety. It’s helped a lot. Honestly, it’s like my version of a drug. If I hadn’t found sports, I don’t really know where I would be. It helps me tremendously in coping with my anxiety. And I’m very open to talk about all of that, because anytime I say, “I have anxiety,” almost everyone that I say it to is like, “Me too.”

I imagine a lot of athletes view sports in a similar way. I have to ask, have you ever had any terrible injuries from boxing?

So in kickboxing, I actually broke my foot, but I didn’t know I broke my foot until after because of the adrenaline. I thought I broke my toe, and then after my fights I saw that my bone was sticking through my skin. I had to have surgery, because that kind of break doesn’t just heal on its own. And then I’ve broken my nose, but it wasn’t from getting hit. A girl accidentally headbutted me. That was not fun. And then besides that, surprisingly, not really.

I’ll have minor things, like maybe my wrist will hurt for a week and I’ll just rest it, or my knees would hurt for a week from running a lot, but then I just rest them. Nothing serious. I’m sure if I got an MRI of my entire body it wouldn’t be pretty though. I have disc issues too. I feel like that is from ten years of combat sports, but I don’t know. Nothing that gives me a lot of pain or anything.

Speaking more generally, how do you recover from a typical fight? 

I stopped doing this, but what I used to do is I would cut too much weight, and then I would compete, and then after the competition I would eat everything in sight and just drink lots of Gatorade and lay in my bed for two days and that was it. I mean, I’ve never really had any crazy recovery, but I actually changed weight classes because one time, two fights ago, I cut too much weight and I had to get IV fluid after, and then that’s when I finally was like, “All right, I’m getting older. My body’s not going to allow me to continuously drop this weight, so I’m just going to move up in weight and feel better and not have to worry about weight cutting anymore.”

Do you have any favorite memories or fights from your career that stand out?

I won Golden Gloves, which was fun. I think that was my favorite. I actually got no sleep the night before, and I had just broken up with this guy I was dating, and it was a really crappy time in my life. But I was just like, “Screw this, I’m winning.” And I won the whole tournament, and did it on no sleep. I felt like it was all in my brain mentally because I wasn’t even able to train the way I wanted to, but I just convinced myself that I was going to win, and it gave me confidence.

Looking ahead, what do you see for yourself in terms of moving forward in your professional career? Do you see yourself competing for a long time?

Honestly, I can’t really pick an end date, but I feel like I would just do it until I felt like my body wasn’t right. If I ever took like a head injury, I would leave too. I’ve never been knocked out or anything, and I think that’s something that would stop me. Because I don’t want to have brain damage.