November/December 2020 - 24

SITTING AT THE TABLE
The Global Community of Women in High School Sports
By Jen Brooks, CMAA, Athletic Director Ursuline Academy, St. Louis, Founder of The Global Community of Women in High School Sports (S)
" Be brave enough to start
conversations that matter. "
These are the words I continue
to repeat. These are the words I
needed to believe. I was a female
working in a male-dominated
industry. Often I was told I did
not belong. Often I was told my
opinion didn't matter. I had to be
brave enough to start the conversations that mattered. I
had to remind myself of that. If I am honest, it took years
for me to be brave enough. I was mad enough. I just
wasn't brave enough. I wasn't even sure where to start.
I'll start my story in the middle. It was years before I was
brave enough to start the conversation. I was no longer mad;
I was inspired. You see, I had had enough. I had had enough
of walking into a room of people - all men - and they did
not acknowledge me. I was tired of being asked if I was in
the right place. I had enough of being invisible.
Being brave means taking a leap of faith. It means being
willing to push yourself into a place that most likely will,
at first, be very uncomfortable. Being brave means being
willing to lead. I was ready to do all of those things. I had
some reservations, no doubt, but it was time to start the
conversation. It was time to be seen.
It sounds as though I was gearing up for war or facing
a huge medical crisis. Rather, I was living life as a female
Athletic Director. I don't say this to ask for pity. I don't
want pity. If you are a female who wants to be an Athletic
Director, I don't say this as a scare tactic. If you were one
of the men who looked through me, I don't say this to
make you feel bad - I say this because I want you to hear
what it's like to be the only woman in the room. If you can
see me, you will hear me. I had to decide if I was going
to allow being the only woman in the room to continue
to intimidate me or if I was going to be brave enough to
start the conversations that mattered. I chose to empower
myself and to start the conversation.
I became aware that I needed to use my position as
" the only " to benefit other women; those who couldn't be
in the room or at the table. It was here that the Global
Community of Women in High School Sports was
created. It was here where I became brave enough to
start conversations that mattered.
24 NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2020

November/December 2020

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of November/December 2020

November/December 2020 - 1
November/December 2020 - 2
November/December 2020 - 3
November/December 2020 - 4
November/December 2020 - 5
November/December 2020 - 6
November/December 2020 - 7
November/December 2020 - 8
November/December 2020 - 9
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November/December 2020 - 11
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November/December 2020 - 20
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November/December 2020 - 24
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