Pictured above, USA Lacrosse staff members Caitlin Kelley, Lauren Davenport, Natalie Wills and Dara Woizesko
To celebrate National Girls and Women in Sports Day, we’re featuring some USA Lacrosse staff members that are constantly making an impact on young girls and women in lacrosse. Their efforts ultimately help shape the leaders of tomorrow.
LAUREN DAVENPORT
Manager of Athlete Development
Lauren is tasked with helping players (of all ages) reach their full athletic potential by researching and advocating for best practices that support players. Before USA Lacrosse, Lauren was a classroom educator and taught various subjects from math to physical education across middle school and high school. She has also coached the women’s side of the game across the country from U14 through her current role as an assistant coach at Notre Dame University of Maryland.
CAITLIN KELLEY
Director, Women’s Lacrosse
A Maryland native, Kelley played lacrosse at Garrison Forest (Md.) and Phillips Academy (Mass.) before playing collegiately at Wesleyan. She has coached at the collegiate, high school and youth levels and has worked as a director of women’s lacrosse events and a club director. She is currently the head of the women’s lacrosse department at USA Lacrosse.
NATALIE WILLS
Senior Manager, National Team Development Program
A former player at Vanderbilt and with the U.S. national team program, Natalie pursued a collegiate coaching career, first at Boston University and then at Maryland. She transitioned to a role at USA Lacrosse and now serves as the senior manager of the National Team Development Program, an elite player pipeline to the U.S. national teams.
DARA WOIZESKO
Senior Manager, Coaches Development Program
A former player at Roanoke College, Dara began her coaching career at Ohio Wesleyan University and then coached at the high school level in California. Since joining USA Lacrosse, she continued to coach middle school lacrosse. As senior manager of the coach development program, Dara helps develop tools and trainings for coaches of all levels to help them instill knowledge and a love of the sport in their players.
Why are sports so important in helping to shape the lives of young girls and women?
LD: Sports are important because they bring community, competition, and physical activity altogether. From sports, we learn more “intangible” skills like hard work, resilience, effective communication, and so much more that carry over into so many other areas of life. For young girls and women especially, it can bring a sense of understanding that creates a special bond that isn’t often found in other areas of life. For young girls and women, sports are a way to be physically active and can also serve as a significant confidence booster during times when our bodies change the most and when our self-esteem and body image are often challenged.
CK: Research has proven again and again the value of physical activity. Yet, data also continues to show that girls’ physical activity declines sharply as they enter their teenage years. Organized sports and team sports like lacrosse provide a critical intervention in that trend to promote and provide a supportive and motivational framework for continued sport and activity.
NW: Sports allow women to celebrate their athleticism, their health and what makes them strong. Often, a woman’s greatest strength is the tribe surrounding her. Sports allow women to raise each other up. It creates a place for women to be competitive without having to defend their femininity. Sports teach you how to win with grace and lose with dignity — that you are never as good as you look on your best day or as bad as you look on your worst day. Sports teach you leadership, perseverance, strength, grit — qualities that will make you successful in any career. A woman succeeding in sport goes far being the field of play. It breaks down barriers and deserves the chance to be celebrated equally.
DW: Sports provide opportunities. Opportunities do many things: instill confidence, build character, and foster a sense of belonging and camaraderie. When we play sports, we are presented with opportunities to grow and learn. When we grow and learn, new opportunities become accessible to us, and it becomes a cycle. We are then able to grow into the best person we can be.
What is your message to a young girl who dreams of having a career in sports?
LD: If that’s what you want, go for it! Just remember that being a player, coach, or official isn’t the only way to have a career in sports. There are so many behind the scenes and in front of the camera options for sports—there are many possibilities. Just remember, there’s value in learning about different industries. Even if you’re an athlete, learn about things like business and money management that can help you during your playing career and beyond.
CK: Sports will give you so much more than wins and losses. It can give you teammates, mentors, health and empowerment.
NW: Be passionate. Ask questions. Stay competitive. Be authentic, be the best teammate you can be, and most of all, to never forget how much you truly love to play.
DW: Set a goal, then be relentless in your pursuit of that goal. Work hard, think creatively, and be persistent. Persistence pays off.
Where do you draw your inspiration to advocate for women in sports?
LD: My inspiration comes from three areas: 1. I grew up watching the WNBA and attending Washington Mystics games because I grew up playing basketball. Seeing players like Lisa Leslie, Tamika Catchings, and so many others across different teams were constant examples that I have a place in sports because I saw myself in them—even though I never met them. 2. My own drive is why I advocate for women in sports. If I’m not here in sports—living by example, how can I advocate for others to be here with me and after me? 3. My family (especially the younger females), my current players, and my former players are why I advocate. Just like I saw myself in so many phenomenal women in the WNBA and in other sports growing up, other young girls and women can hopefully see themselves in me and other women as they aspire to be in whatever sport they choose to be part of. The next generation inspires me and I’m honored to play a small role in paving the way for them.
CK: Every time I see a game, a race or a match, I know that for those girls, they have that opportunity to be the best version of themselves. In the moment of competition, a girl has an opportunity to bet and believe in herself.
NW: I am fueled by the future of our game and the opportunity to create a platform with lacrosse as the vehicle, to share the gift of the game, bestow the honor of representing your country and strive towards an attainable and inclusive Olympic vision. Many blazed the trail for me to have the opportunity to play and to have a career in sports, and there will be greatness long after me. I hope that I can play my part to lift the women around me and continue to do more, speak up, go further, and reach higher. May every arena, gym, rink, pool, playground, court, and field of play, be a sanctuary for every woman and girl to find their voice, be brave, build their strength and call home.
DW: 1) The moms who coach their sons. In the typically male-dominated sports world, it’s so awesome to see the moms on the sidelines, setting a positive example for players of all genders. 2) Our team of 93 coach developers. Every day, I have the opportunity to work with some of the finest coaches and officials in the game. They challenge me, but also inspire me and make me laugh. The game is truly greater because of them.
