Ravens Insider: Ravens host ninth leadership conference empowering female high school athletes

[ExtremeRavens]

Leadership comes in many forms, some loud and others quiet.

Thursday, the Ravens hosted the ninth L.I.F.T Conference (Leading and Inspiring Females to Thrive) at its Owings Mills practice facility. An estimated 180 female high school student-athletes attended the leadership seminar.

Freshmen, sophomores and juniors applied with many receiving referrals from coaches and athletic directors. The criteria to be selected included student-athletes who serve as an “untitled leader” and “unsung hero” for their respective programs, according to the Ravens.

“I heard about it from my older sister,” Mt. Hebron junior Lily Hofmann said. “She said it was a really good opportunity about leadership. She really likes the Ravens and I enjoy the Ravens a lot. We’re both very passionate about that. So, it’s just a good opportunity for women empowerment. I’m having a really good time here.”

Ravens coach John Harbaugh and 2006 University of Maryland women’s basketball national champion and WNBA All-Star Marissa Coleman were featured speakers, while  five Ravens female staff members in varying roles led a panel discussion.

“There’s so many fantastic young people today that you get a chance to meet, Harbaugh said. “But the opportunity as a leader is to help somebody else feel good about themselves. Say something good to somebody during the course of the day. To look them in the eye and tell them they’re capable, worthwhile and they’re valuable is something they’ll remember for the rest of their life. That makes a difference. That’s a really powerful thing and I think these girls understand that.”

Ravens director of nutrition Sarah Synder led a conversation surrounding nutrition while assistant strength and conditioning coach Kaelyn Buskey guided the girls in a workout in the team house. Jalyn Powell, a program manager at Strive, which provides specialized leadership training, also led the girls in interactive leadership exercises.

Powell began the packed day with a 45-minute leadership workshop, focused on helping the girls realize their leadership strengths and weaknesses. The collaborative exercise encouraged audience participation and interaction with one another.

“I would say the emphasis on confidence and empowerment,” Mt. Hebron junior Quinn Carberry said was her biggest takeaway. “How it plays a critical role in expanding your leadership skills and honestly just being more confident with yourself has been super important today.”

Harbaugh entered next to an excited applause. He detailed the importance of positivity in leadership and uplifting those around you. Positivity is the first distinctive leadership lesson Harbaugh learned from his parents who constantly empowered him and his brother, Los Angeles Chargers coach Jim Harbaugh.

Laying out his leadership philosophy, Harbaugh fielded a range of questions from how he handles a loss to Justin Tucker’s practice habits.

“Anybody can be a leader.  A leader is how you make somebody feel,” he said. “Maya Angelou said, ‘You remember how somebody made you feel in the end.’ If you can make somebody feel good about themselves, empower somebody, make them stronger, then they’ll remember that for the rest of their life.”

The five-person panel was particularly illuminating to the student-athletes. Each panelist shared their respective journeys to the Ravens, offering valuable advice on networking and work-life balance. Their perspectives opened up the eyes of many in the audience.

“There have been so many different segments,” Mt. Hebron junior Phoebe Hogle said. “Coach Harbaugh came out and he gave his speech. He gave a lot of interesting, almost more philosophical-type prompts to really get us into thinking more than just the game play. It’s a whole system and everyone has their parts. All of these women shared the great leadership roles that they are in inside of the system. How it all works together is really beautiful.”

Hours of sitting quickly turned to energetic physical activity. Buskey worked with fellow coaches Megan Rosburg and Marianna Salas to create a workout that replicated what the Ravens players will do in the offseason.

Rotating between multiple stations, the coaches explained the purpose of each exercise. For 40 minutes, the girls worked out like Ravens.

“It’s a really big passion of mine to expose girls at a young age to career opportunities in sports and how they exist outside of simply playing,” Buskey said. “Analytics, strength and conditioning, athletic training, sports nutrition, public relations and marketing just to name a few. We have so many career opportunities and I think that’s the awesome added benefit of this leadership conference.”

The conference helps introduce those opportunities to girls at a younger age.

“We’re trying to almost play catch up a little bit because this is not something that is not marketed toward girls at the elementary, middle school age,” Buskey said. “So, something as simple as this eight-hour experience that they’re here I think exposes them to that. I think they’re now open to the idea of pursuing a career in sports, especially in football.”

Snyder then led a 40-minute presentation on nutrition. She shared her day-to-day responsibilities with the team and gave helpful tips for pre and postgame meals, depending on the sport.

Eighteen years to the day after winning a collegiate national championship, Coleman described Thursday as a “full circle moment.” She shared wisdom that she wished she had as a high school athlete.

“I think it’s just to feel empowered,” Coleman said of her message. “To see that there are people that want to see them be successful and the different ways that you can lead and be into sports. I think the more conversations and experiences like this the better. Then you realize you’re not the only one experiencing some things. Young girls, it’s even harder on them because they’re dealing with so many outside forces, too.”

Coleman’s message capped off an educational day filled with smiles, laughs and thought, lifting up the next generation of leaders and female student-athletes.

“It really opened my eyes that women are allowed to do this,” City freshman Michaela Breit said. “I want to be involved in sports, especially football or basketball when I’m older. But I don’t think I’ll necessarily play, so especially when it comes to the NFL, I want to be involved in that somehow. Seeing all these women today that are involved somehow was definitely inspiring.”

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