Standing Tall: A Sports Journey and the Challenges of Being a Woman in Sports

Over 700 young athletes, mostly girls from Lake County and beyond, gathered at Deerfield High School to listen to Sarah Spain, a well-known sports journalist and former Lake Forest resident, who shared her journey in the world of women's sports. This event, the first EmpowerHER conference in Lake County, offered a variety of resources and education for these young athletes. These resources included training on injury prevention and social media best practices. The conference aimed to inspire and empower these young athletes. The organizers were thrilled to have Spain as the keynote speaker. Spain's journey in sports started in Lake County, where she participated in various sports like track and field, basketball, and later became a heptathlete at Cornell University. Spain wanted to give these young athletes the "intentional conversation" she wished she had growing up. She talked about her struggles with body image. Being unusually tall for her age made her feel uncomfortable. She was confident in her friendships and sports, but she felt insecure about her height and boys. Spain was honest with the students about the unwanted advances she received as a young teen from older men. She also discussed her struggles with eating disorders and the tension caused by an underlying culture that emphasized a body type she could never match.

Spain highlighted the changes in people’s understanding of women’s bodies and health over the decades. She emphasized that female athletes have faced unfair expectations early in their sports careers because of sports environments “built by men. ” She said, “We fold and smash women and girls into a male-based infrastructure, then scratch our heads when the same friction points show up again and again. ” She also emphasized the importance of pushing against the disparity in resources seen between men’s and women’s sports. Girls and women need to “be treated with respect and resources, ” she said. Despite some of the challenges she faced growing up, Spain had an overall positive outlook to share with the athletes in the room. She was glad to see such a crowd, even on a holiday, showing up for women’s sports, and spoke about the growing opportunities in the field. However, she also expressed her worries about what lies ahead for women’s sports, including threats to Title IX, and policy changes that could impact resources and investment into women’s sports. She said, “But I also know how many years of fight have gone into this. It would be really hard to unravel that quickly. I think the key is fighting at every turn to remind folks of not just why it matters … but the economic opportunity. ”

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