On February 27th, 2025, selected female student-athletes had the incredible opportunity to sit down in the auditorium to explore various ways to empower and support other student-athletes at Haverford High School. The term “student-athlete” may mean different things to different people. To me, it means working hard in my studies and performing my best on the tennis court. To Kelly Shindler, a freshman on softball, it means “representing my sport while in the classroom and our school while on the field.” To others, it may mean managing a busy schedule, including commitments outside of school and their specialized sport(s).
The symposium functioned as follows: all female athletes were handed a mission statement that outlined the goals of the symposium. It read, “The Female Student-Athlete Symposium is designed to empower HHS female student-athletes to be proud leaders and contributors to the Haverford High School community and to be champions of female athletics. Through engaging discussions and conversations, we will explore what it means to be empowered and to support our peers to thrive as females at Haverford High School.” After everyone entered the auditorium, junior Lucy Ardizzi introduced the schedule for the next two hours. She then handed it off to the very engaging Lucy McCloskey, a junior, who encouraged the group to stay judgement-free and open up about our experiences. To round out the introduction, Maddie Shafer, a junior, split us up into five groups to explore five different ways to be an empowered leader.
The first station was a discussion. My group focused on the meaning of empowerment and ways to implement leadership. We concluded that true leadership means setting an example both on and off the field. We also discussed the difference in treatment that women in sports have experienced because of their gender. The group talked about how each of us will continue to lead our teams and promote a positive environment. As the fifteen minutes came to an end, we each wrote down three leadership actions that we committed to implementing during our next practice or game.
The next station focused on the controllable and uncontrollable aspects of playing sports. When playing any sport, it is easy to overthink, but creating a simple T-chart to separate what’s controllable from what isn’t is a great tool to stay grounded and focused on what really matters. Some examples of things we can control are our attitude, effort, goal setting and prioritizing positivity. We brainstormed examples of uncontrollable things including weather, the opposing team’s skill, referees, and coaches. This station provided a valuable perspective on sports and introduced a fantastic skill that extends beyond athletics.
My third rotation focused on team bonding and communication. In this station, we paired up and discussed four questions centered around connection, relationships, communication, and inclusion. These topics showed how creating a safe space and a sense of family within each team is crucial to performing at our best. Some basic ideas we came up with included having open communication with the team, building each other up, and communicating team expectations. To put these ideas to the test, we made a human knot to practice our communication skills. My team did phenomenally once we figured out how to set it up correctly.
The fourth station revolved around the topic of mental health and how our brains are hardwired to think critically of ourselves. We focused on how we can become positive athletes and discussed pre-game rituals that help us get ready to dominate in our specialized sports. We also shared words to describe an athlete who is not only physically strong but mentally resilient as well. To wrap up this section, we added a song to a brainstormed playlist, including hype songs to get each team into a positive and ready mindset.
The fifth and final section focused on conflict management. Conflict is bound to happen in anyone’s life, not just an athlete’s, so knowing how to handle it responsibly is beneficial. We were given a fake conflict (a fight on the swim team) and were instructed to find a possible solution. Our best solution involved communicating and listening to the other girl’s issue, and then acting on the advice given. The key word was listening; often, issues are not solved because the participants don’t listen to each other. We concluded that communication takes two.
To round out the symposium, all the sports teams came together to discuss the importance of nutrition and how essential proper fuel is for an athlete’s body and performance. Eating a sufficient amount of food to fuel workouts and games is crucial; however, it is important to remember that we are all human and need balance. Maintaining a balanced diet is critical for both physical and mental function, and enjoying delicious food can contribute to overall happiness. So, after a long practice, don’t feel guilty for rewarding yourself with a “sweet treat” or a piece of candy. Prioritizing balance is one of the best things we can do to ensure our body and mind stay healthy.
After taking a group picture, we were given a goal-setting sheet to implement the balance we learned about in the nutrition lesson. Ellyse Carfrey, a freshman, said, “The symposium made me feel empowered as a female athlete and was incredibly interesting. It reminded me that I am not alone, and it made me feel really good about myself as a student-athlete.”
Sophomore Carina Saldutti added, “It was really cool how, even though everyone played different sports, we were still able to come together to talk about solutions involving similar problems.” In addition to tennis, Junior Penny Jennings, who plays field hockey, said that “it was a great demonstration of female athletics as a whole. We were able to voice our opinions and experiences, and the leaders did a great job in guiding our conversations. It was overall a major success and I hope that this will become a long lasting Haverford tradition.”
