On February 6, Poly Prep hosted a Women In Sports Panel in the Joseph Dana Allen Library to recognize “Women In Sports Day.” All students, especially Poly athletes, were highly encouraged to attend this event, where panelists Christina Porter, Lora Webster, and Samia Akbar shared their unique experiences of being involved in women’s professional sports.
Director of Student Life Jared Winston assisted in organizing the panel. He explained, “The Women in Sports Panel was organized with the support of our Athletics Director Lou Candel, myself, as well as a junior here at Poly, Piper Lipton, who works closely with an organization called the Challenged Athletes Foundation.” According to their website, the Challenged Athletes Foundation has been “committed to creating opportunities so individuals with physical challenges can live full, healthy and active lives.”
The purpose of the event was to introduce speakers with careers in athletics that spanned from different domains to give students a sense of the many opportunities in the world of sports. Akbar was a collegiate track star who then pursued a career on the business side of sports, working with both New Balance and Under Armour. Whereas Webster, a two-time paralympic gold-medalist, does a lot of work in raising awareness for athletes with physical disabilities.
Webster, who also works with the Challenged Athletes Foundation, has a truly inspirational story. According to Team USA’s website, “At age 11, [Webster] was diagnosed with osteosarcoma (bone cancer) in her left tibia and later underwent a procedure known as rotationplasty to remove the cancerous bone, which included the knee. As part of the procedure, her lower leg was rotated 180 degrees and connected to the remnants of the femur to give her full range of movement and allow her to play sports.”
Despite her major setback, Webster is a true athlete who would not let her circumstances stop her from playing her favorite sport: volleyball. She discovered the opportunity to become a part of the U.S. Women’s Sitting Volleyball Team, where she played throughout college. She attended her first Paralympic games in 2004 and continued to participate in the games for six total times. In her paralympic career, Webster and the U.S. team earned one bronze, two silver, and three gold medals.
Owen Wallace ‘25, a member of the Poly Baseball team, attended the Women In Sports Panel. He reflected specifically on Webster’s experience as a disadvantaged athlete. “As an athlete, I have gone through many injuries, including the serious one I’m dealing with right now. Hearing Webster’s perspective helped me realize that an athlete’s response to injury and how they bounce back from adversity is what matters the most.”
The panel was a great achievement for recognizing women in sports and a unique addition to Poly’s list of guest speaker events. “In the past, I reckon we’ve had programming on campus to recognize National Girls’ and Women in Sports Day, and I certainly remember conversations with former athletic director Kym Carter about programming. [However,] I think this was the most well-attended and well-publicized event that we’ve had, at least in recent memories,” said Winston.
Winston recognizes that despite injury, a student-athlete can have a major impact on their team. “Being part of the team, being part of the program, is bigger than the energy you bring on the field or on the court; it’s how you pour confidence into your teammates, it’s how you motivate your teammates. It’s how you lead by example and reinforce the type of culture that’s healthiest for team success.” Wallace added in an email, “No matter what obstacles you have in your way, there’s nothing that can stop you if you have enough drive and motivation to achieve your goals. Even if you think you have it bad, just know people have had it worse and have made it to where they want to be.”
Winston was a successful athlete himself and played lacrosse in high school. Despite picking up a shoulder injury in his senior year, Winston was determined to make it through his lacrosse season, although “everything hurt, all the time.” Winston did not realize – until playing the following 10 games – that his injury was very severe and he had been very close to losing almost all of his shoulder mobility for the rest of his life.
With an experience of injury and recovery, Winston reflected on sports and team commitment. “One bit of information I can give to young athletes who find themselves injured: glory fades, your bodies are forever. So whatever you think you’re missing out on, the bigger picture is your health long term, so take care of what you need to, as you need to, so that you can live a long, prosperous, and healthy life in this body that you occupy for this lifetime.”
