Right to Play offers
opportunities
through sport.
of Excellence in Park City by Randall was
filled with pink costumes, glitter and new
experiences as more than 50 young girls
rotated through dryland stations, dancing
and motivational presentations by Olym-
pic medalists. Upstairs, parents learned
about sports science, nutrition and sports
psychology with USSA experts. At the end
of the day, the girls went home exhausted,
happy and with posters of their heroes.
“Being an ambassador is a wonderful ex-
perience to share everything that I have
experienced and learned,” says Randall,
“to help inspire girls and women to believe
in themselves and chase their dreams.”
Six-time Winter X Games medalist Grete
Eliassen shares Randall’s passion to get
more girls active. She works with the Wom-
en’s Sports Foundation (WSF), traveling
to Washington to advance the inclusion of
women in sport and help uphold Title IX.
Each fall, I join Eliassen at the Annual
Salute to Women in Sport to celebrate the
accomplishments of generations of female
athletes and meet women who have paved
the way.
In addition to her work with WSF, Elias-
sen was the winner of the 2009 Yolanda
L. Jackson Give Back award, traveled to
Afghanistan with other winter sport ath-
letes to spread goodwill and has donated
a $25,000 Ullr Girl prize to charity.
U.S. Team skiers Julia Mancuso, Bode
Miller and Lindsey Vonn, among other top
alpine athletes, are also giving back to
their communities. Mancuso supports the
High Fives Foundation, which is dedicated
to raising money and awareness for ath-
letes that have suffered a life-altering injury
while pursuing their dream in winter sports.
In 2008 she raised $30,000 for Right to
Play by climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro with friend
and fellow racer Chemmy Alcott.
Vonn often donates equipment and bibs
to raise money for her favorite organiza-
tions, including the Wounded Warrior Proj-
ect, the Navy SEAL Foundation and the
Kids of the Vail Ski and Snowboard Club.
Vonn also attends fundraising events such
as the Nancy Davis Foundation’s Annual
Race to Erase MS benefit, which raises re-
search money for multiple sclerosis.
Miller’s Turtle Ridge Foundation focuses
on people taking care of others in their
communities, and supports a variety of
youth and adaptive programs
Recently, my own attention has been
split between serving on the board of the
Speedy Foundation and planning a trip to
Rwanda with Kids Play Int’l next month.
When asked what advice I would give an
aspiring athlete, I often find myself recom-
mending that they begin a search for the
chance to give back.
The Speedy Foundation: thespeedyfoundation.org
Kids Play Int’l: kidsplayintl.com
Right to Play: righttoplayusa.org
Women’s Sports Foundation: womenssportsfoundation.org
Fast and Female: fastandfemale.com
High Fives Foundation: highfivesfoundation.org
Working out with Fast and Female.
