By: Andrew Cheng

From July 26 to July 30, the Julie Foudy Sports Leadership Academy arrived in New Jersey for teen female athletes aged 12 to 18 to join and practice leadership skills. The featured athletes leading the camp include two-time Olympic soccer medalist Julie Foudy, four-time Olympic basketball gold medalist Tamika Catchings, and two-time World Lacrosse women’s world champion Jen Adams. The student-athletes who came to the Academy learned about life skills on and off the field and participated in activities that taught leadership skills, an essential aspect of the Academy.

Foudy, the leader of the Julie Foudy Sports Leadership Academy, said, “We started the leadership academy for girls because we felt like there needed to be more discussion within sports about how sports shape you as a person and be more overt about the leadership qualities learned from just playing sport…Plus, we really wanted to create a fun, positive, empowering environment where the girls walked away knowing they could be leaders in their community.”

During the 5-day program, the junior athletes participated in activities such as sports drills, listened to motivational classroom talks, and volunteered in the community. Furthermore, athletes focused on team-building exercises and hands-on activities to work on confidence and leadership. These experiences benefited the participants, who came from all around the world.

“The main thing I learned here is how do we learn things over here and take the things to give back to our communities… I’m going to give back to my community whatever I learned here,” said Kalpana Bastola, a soccer player from Nepal.

Overall, the Academy has helped many athletes gain leadership, no matter their background. Foudy says, “We believe leadership is personal, not positional. And that leadership is about service and lifting up people around you.”

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