Tori Barker
Founder, Beyond Her Game
“Be there to support them and guide them and listen to them.”
From Their Summit Presentation
Preparing Female Student-Athletes for Life Beyond Sports
Revisit Tori's PresentationBeyond The Athlete High School Summit
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Live Closing Conversation Replay
The Summit may have ended, but the conversation continues.
In this live closing discussion, Summit speakers come together to reflect on the themes explored across all three days and share additional perspective on how we can better support female athletes through sport, transition, college, and what comes next.
From the Conversation
Highlights From the Closing Conversation
The conversation brought together perspectives from coaching, recruiting, athlete development, NIL, leadership, and the business of sports — all centered on one question:
How do we better prepare and support the whole female athlete?
01
High School Sports Are a Training Ground for Life
The value of high school athletics reaches far beyond competition. Sports give young women a place to build relationships, practice leadership, develop confidence, become part of a community, navigate challenges, and discover skills they can carry into every stage of life.
“High school sports is really just a training ground for real life.”
— Claire Rietmann-Grout
02
Prepare Her for Life, Not Just College
Being academically and athletically prepared does not automatically mean a student-athlete is ready to live independently. The group discussed the importance of giving young people opportunities to practice decision-making, responsibility, emotional regulation, self-advocacy, and everyday life skills while they still have support around them.
Home can be the safest place to practice becoming an adult.
“Development happens in the mess.”
— Jamesetta Cleveland
03
Confidence Has to Be Bigger Than Performance
When recognition comes primarily from grades, statistics, wins, or playing time, athletes can begin connecting their worth to what they produce. Parents, coaches, and caring adults can help expand confidence by recognizing effort, empathy, leadership, growth, courage, and who the athlete is beyond the scoreboard.
Every athlete brings something valuable to the team — even when it never appears on a stat sheet.
“Celebrate things other than the stats.”
— Mary Novick
04
Identity Drives What Comes Next
The conversation repeatedly returned to the importance of helping young women understand who they are beyond the jersey. A stronger sense of identity can influence everything that follows — the school she chooses, the coaches she trusts, the opportunities she pursues, how she responds to rejection, and the decisions she makes when sport eventually changes.
Who am I?
Where do I belong?
Am I loved unconditionally?
When athletes begin answering these questions, they are better equipped to make decisions based on who they are — not simply what sport asks them to be.
Connection Before Correction.
Teenage girls are often described as attention-seeking when what they may really be seeking is connection. Meaningful connection gives adults a stronger foundation for conversations about sport, academics, college, confidence, and what comes next.
“Connect first, and then find out where to go next.”
— Claire Rietmann-Grout
Voices From the Conversation
Perspectives Worth Revisiting
Six voices. Six perspectives. One shared commitment to better supporting the whole female athlete.
Each speaker brought a different lens to the Closing Conversation. Revisit their Summit presentation to go deeper into the ideas they shared.
Claire Rietmann-Grout
Founder + Coach, The Positive Coach
“High school sports is really just a training ground for real life.”
From Their Summit Presentation
Beyond "How Are You?": The Fist of 5 for Building Connection
Revisit Claire's Presentation
Antoine Burrell
Founder + CEO, B.E. Collective+
“Representation matters. Students need to be able to see themselves in people who have gone where they aspire to go.”
From Their Summit Presentation
Preparing Female Athletes for NIL: Story, Skills, Community & Opportunity
Revisit Antoine's Presentation
Mary Novick
Director, Brand Partnerships and Sales, Hudl
“Ensure that she's being seen.”
From Their Summit Presentation
Keeping Girls in the Game: Access, Belonging, and Identity
Revisit Mary's Presentation
Jamesetta Cleveland
Founder + CEO, Sports Mom University
“Development happens in the mess.”
From Their Summit Presentation
The Making of Me: Discovering Who You Are Outside of Sports
Revisit Jamesetta's Presentation
Nikki Flores
Chief of Recruiting & Operations, Wake Forest Women's Basketball
“That just means a better opportunity is coming up next for you.”
From Their Summit Presentation
The College Recruiting Process — Finding the Right Fit
Revisit Nikki's PresentationThe Bigger Conversation
The Athlete Matters.
The Person Matters More.
Preparing female athletes for what comes next means looking beyond performance. It means helping them develop identity, confidence, connection, independence, leadership, self-advocacy, and the ability to make decisions that reflect who they are becoming.
Sport can be the training ground. The goal is preparing her for the life she builds beyond it.
Continue the Summit