Archives for May 2021

THE WOMEN OF PARETTA AUTOSPORT

May 27, 2021 by Tara S

INDY 500

STORY BY ALYSSA ROENIGK, PHOTOGRAPHY BY SARAH RICE

Roughly 30 laps into Sunday’s 105th running of the Indianapolis 500, driver Simona De Silvestro will pull into pit lane. In the six seconds it takes to refuel her No. 16 Paretta Autosport Chevrolet, her crew will swap out four Firestones, adjust the front wing and attend to the Aeroscreen windshield on her IndyCar. Typically, teams want pits that are flawless, fast and fade into the noise of the race.

But the Paretta team expects to attract attention. Because for the first time in motorsports history, four of its seven over-the-wall pit crew members will be women. De Silvestro’s two spotters will be women. Two of her engineers, including a Data Acquisition Guy, will be women. And every front office role at Paretta Autosport — from business operations to public relations to merchandise and marketing — is filled by a woman.

“It’s important to me that the bigger message is this isn’t women at the expense of men,” says team owner Beth Paretta, whose vision to create a coed race team has been six years in the making. “I’m trying to expand the grid.”

During the team’s first outing at the Indy 500, Paretta hopes young girls see ponytails fly over the wall during pit stops and women engineers communicating from the timing stand. She also wants the novelty to wear off quickly: “My hope is that in five years, us being a team of mostly women is the least interesting thing about us.”

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New Senior Executive With the Denver Broncos is One of the Most Powerful Women in the NFL

May 20, 2021 by Tara S

(CNN)The Denver Broncos have hired Kelly Kleine as the Executive Director of Football Operations/Special Advisor to the General Manager, making her one of the most powerful women in the National Football League.She is believed to be highest-ranking woman as a scouting executive with an NFL team, according to an NFL spokesman.”Kelly is a rising star in the NFL, and we’re fortunate to add someone of her caliber to the Denver Broncos,” Broncos general manager George Paton said in a news release.

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World Lacrosse Announces Name, Branding and First Phase of World Lacrosse Sixes

May 19, 2021 by Tara S

WORLD LACROSSE SIXES: THE GAME YOU’VE ALWAYS LOVED JUST FOUND A NEW GEAR

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

May 18, 2021

COLORADO SPRINGS, COLORADO, USA – World Lacrosse is today introducing the name, brand identity and first phase of technical resources for the new 6 v 6 discipline that has been developed through a comprehensive consultation, trial and refinement process involving players, coaches, officials and leaders of lacrosse around the world.

The new discipline of lacrosse will be formally known as World Lacrosse Sixes. On a more conversational or familiar basis, the new discipline will be referred to as Sixes.

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AGSA Adds New Member to the Team

May 18, 2021 by Tara S

The American Gold Sports Alliance is excited to introduce the newest member to our team, Elizabeth Blaszynski! Elizabeth is a native of Geneva, Illinois and joins us as our new Sports Program Coordinator.

Elizabeth has been a lifelong sports fan and player. She started playing softball in grade school and continued to play through her middle school years. In High School, she pursued badminton at the Varsity level for 3 years. After graduating, she was the Assistant Badminton Coach and a Badminton Camp Volunteer at Geneva Community High School for two years while she was obtaining her Associate’s Degree.

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Welcome to USA Lacrosse

May 14, 2021 by Tara S

The name has changed. The logo has changed. But the mission to provide national leadership, structure and resources to fuel the sport’s growth and enrich the experience of participants remains the same.

In 1998, eight national lacrosse organizations merged to form US Lacrosse with a goal to funnel more resources into the development of the sport. Today, after more than $275 million has been invested in the sport over the last two decades, the evolution continues with the unveiling of USA Lacrosse. We aim to unify the activities of the organization into one fully-aligned brand. Our pursuit to elevate the sport at the elite level and our promise to support our youngest players’ dreams are harmonious.

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Taylor Shingler Internship Experience

May 14, 2021 by Tara S

Hi, my name is Taylor Shingler and I am an upcoming senior at Maryville University in St. Louis, where I am pursuing a degree in Sports Business Management, while competing on the softball team for the university. I was honored to be selected as the first intern for the American Gold Sports Alliance (AGSA) as the Marketing and Outreach Coordinator. Throughout my time as an intern, I feel that I have greatly increased my professional skill set in the sports industry. I was responsible for developing the AGSA Athlete of the Month program for the organization, managing the necessary development, operations and relationship building steps to achieve success. In addition, the development of the Youth Advisory Committee and the organization’s TikTok became some of my other responsibilities throughout my experience with AGSA. It was a great experience working with a variety of professionals in the industry. I was able to increase my professional network and gain one of a kind experiences. My time as an intern with AGSA was truly memorable and beneficial in aiding my personal growth within the industry. I look forward to seeing what the organization has planned for the future and for the interns to come. I cannot wait to continue my experience with AGSA over the summer season!

Amy Bockerstette Becomes First Person with Down Syndrome to Compete in Collegiate Championship

May 12, 2021 by Tara S

By: Joel Baell

Amy Bockerstette became the first person with Down syndrome to compete in a national collegiate athletic championship.

Bockerstette, 22, teed off Monday at the National Junior College Athletic Association national championship at Plantation Bay Golf & Country Club in Ormond Beach, Fla., representing Phoenix’s Paradise Valley Community College.

A Special Olympian in Arizona, Bockerstette catapulted to stardom when she was given the chance to play a practice-round hole with Gary Woodland at the 2019 Waste Management Phoenix Open. At TPC Scottsdale’s par-3 16th, Bockerstette made a “Did you see that?” up-and-down for par, telling Woodland “I got this” before sinking an eight-foot putt. A performance, wrapped in Bockerstette’s indelible positivity and Woodland’s sincere joy, that went viral twice: the week of the Phoenix Open and again after Woodland won the U.S. Open later that year.

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Shingler, Callans, and Tolley Earn All-GLVC Softball Recognition

May 7, 2021 by Tara S

The Maryville University softball team picked up three selections to the 2021 All-Great Lakes Valley Conference team as announced Wednesday by the league office. Taylor Shingler was a first-team selection, and Alyssa Callans and Hannah Tolley both earned second team honors. Tolley was also Maryville’s nominee for the GLVC’s James R. Spalding Sportsmanship award.

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