After Two-Year COVID Hiatus, Women Coaches Symposium Returns in Full Force

The annual Women Coaches Symposium, hosted by the School of Kinesiology’s affiliated Tucker Center for Research on Girls & Women in Sport, was held Friday, April 22 at Huntington Bank Stadium. 

The daylong event, canceled the last two years due to the COVID pandemic, welcomed more than 200 attendees from around Minnesota and the U.S., including Paralympic gold medalist and World Champion gold medalist Stephanie Wheeler as the Jean K. Freeman keynote speaker and Jen Fry, CEO of social justice firm JenFryTalks, LLC, as the Diversity, Equity & Inclusion keynote speaker. Click here for a full list of speakers, all who have made significant contributions to community-building, professional advancement, and advocacy for women coaches.  

Other highlights of the day included a morning yoga session and the launch of the Take a Student to Lunch Program, a unique networking opportunity for students and coaches. Recipients of the 2022 Coach of the Year Awards were also announced: 

  • Youth/High School: Faith Johnson Patterson, Head Girls’ Basketball Coach, Visitation School
  • Collegiate: Kristin Stets, Retired Assistant Women’s Tennis Coach, St. Olaf College
  • High Performance: Cheryl Reeve, Head Basketball Coach, Minnesota Lynx

“The Women Coaches Symposium has become a literal game-changer for women coaches nationwide,” says Tucker Center director Dr. Nicole M. LaVoi. “Through our research, community education and outreach, and our advocacy, we’re supporting women coaches and the girls and women who look to them as role models.”