Spokespersons

YWLT is honored to have the support these amazing role models:

Cammi Granato - Ice Hockey

Watch Cammi's Bio
Watch Cammi's Congrats to YWLT Class of '07

Cammi Granato has played for Providence College where she was named Eastern College Athletic Conference Player of the Year in 1991, ’92 and ’93. She was team captain of USA Olympic Women’s Hockey Team and led her team to gold in 1998 and silver in 2002. After the Olympics, she has been working as a radio color commentator for the LA Kings and now NBC Sports. She currently lives in Vancouver, Canada with her husband and kids.

Home state: Illinois

Inspiration: My parents, brothers and the Chicago Blackhawks.

Future Plans: To enjoy my kids and work as a nutritional consultant for athletes.

When you played ice hockey, did you have any game rituals that you followed? I always put my left skate on first. Now, I even do it with my shoes! Also, walking out of the locker room we always walked out in the same order and followed the same ritual of tapping certain teammate’s gloves, etc. And, I usually ate oatmeal for breakfast on game days.

How did you get involved in playing ice hockey? Why did you pick it? My older brothers played and I loved the Chicago Blackhawks when I was younger. My mom tried to put me in figure skates, but I wanted to play organized hockey like my brothers. Unfortunately, there were no leagues for girls my age, so instead I joined the Downers Grove Huskies—a boys’ team—from kindergarten through my junior year of high school.

Growing up who was your sports idol/inspiration? There were a few including: the 1980s Men’s US Olympic Team, the Chicago Blackhawks, Wayne Gretzky, and Bonnie Blaire.

If you could do it all over again, what, if anything, would you do differently? I think maybe I would want to do some things different, but then again when I think about it, you learn the most from your mistakes! No regrets!

Mary Pratt - Softball

Mary Pratt was one of the original pitchers for the All-American Girls’ Professional Baseball League. As a multi-talented Boston University hall-of-fame athlete, Pratt also coached and taught in Quincy for 48 years. She has compiled many stories into a book called “Preserving Our Legacy,” which is a narrative of her life similar to the movie, “A League of Their Own.” She lives in Quincy, MA and at 88-years-old she’s still an advocate for women’s equality in sports.

Home State: MA (Born in Bridgeport, CT)

Inspiration: My parents were my inspiration. My father took me to all sporting events and my mother was always supportive and never discouraged me (even in competition against the boys!!!).

Personal Mission: My personal mission is to live to see the day that girls/women are given all possible opportunities to compete athletically and to hold leadership roles.

Future Plans: I will continue to advocate for girls/women in all walks of life, not just in competitive athletics.

When you played softball/baseball, did you have any game rituals that you followed? No, none that I can recall.

How did you get involved in playing softball/baseball? Why did you pick it? I'm no longer involved in competing in organized sports, but I was always very involved growing up in whatever I could get involved in and took a special interest in baseball/softball, since it was a sport that women were just being allowed to participate in.

Growing up who was your sports idol/inspiration? Unfortunately, most of my idols in sports were men, but I did admire Chris Everett.

If you could do it all over again, what, if anything, would you do differently? I might have been more involved in individual sports such as tennis and maybe even golf. I was always more of a team player, but individual sports are great for confidence and growth.

Dina Rizzo - Field Hockey

Dina Rizzo has participated on several national teams at various levels of play. She earned a silver medal at the XIV Pan American Games in 2003 and has been a member of the U.S. National Team since 2002. Dina’s college experience was also impressive at the University of Maryland, where she was a 4-year varsity letter winner as well as an All-American. In addition, she was a member of U.S. National Championship team. Over the last 10 years, Dina has been one of the most well-known local field hockey players from this area and certainly so in the Bay State Conference. She is a native of Walpole, MA and travels with the U.S. National Team.

Home State: Massachusetts

Inspiration: Kate Barber, she is our team captain.

Personal Mission: Live everyday like it’s your last.

Future Plans: Still unsure, but I can definitely see myself coaching and maybe eventually having kids someday.

When you play field hockey, do you have any game rituals that you follow? I simply need to listen to my music!

How did you get involved in playing field hockey? Why did you pick it? I went to a camp when I was younger in my hometown of Walpole and the high school coach saw me play. From that point on, she continually bugged me to play until I finally agreed to play field hockey and not soccer. I picked field hockey because I really enjoyed playing it and still do!

Growing up who was your sports idol/inspiration? Michael Jordan

If you could do it all over again, what, if anything, would you do differently? I wouldn't do anything differently. I have enjoyed everything thus far and I feel I have done everything I could have done to get to this point in my life.  It’s not over and everyday I have to keep on persisting and thriving to become a better person.

Danielle Henderson - Softball

Danielle Henderson is a pitcher for the New England Riptide of the National Pro Fastpitch Softball League. She was a member of the gold medal-winning 2000 U.S. Olympic softball team as well as one of the most dominant strikeout pitchers in NCAA history. A three-time All-America selection, Henderson was a four-time All-Atlantic 10 selection and a four-time A-10 Tournament Most Outstanding Player during her time at UMass. The holder of 25 school records, she finished her career second all-time on the NCAA’s strikeout list with 1,343 in her four-year career. In 1999, Henderson set a new NCAA record for consecutive scoreless innings, stretching out 105 scoreless frames. In 2001, she was recognized for her accomplishments by becoming the first player in UMass softball history to have her jersey retired.

Home state: Commack, NY

Inspiration: I would have to say that my inspiration stemmed from the 1996 Olympic softball team because once I found out there was an Olympic team, I knew what I wanted to do.

Future Plans: I'd like to continue playing in the pro league and giving pitching lessons. When I am done playing softball, I would like to continue promoting the sport through coaching and clinics.

Do you have any game rituals that you follow? I have never been into rituals or superstitions.

How did you get involved in playing softball? Why did you pick it? I played all different sports when I was younger. Softball was just always my favorite. I started pitching later than most people, so at one point it was not my best sport, but it was my favorite. In high school most people would have wanted me to play basketball in college, but I always knew I wanted to play softball so I went with what I loved to do.

Growing up who was your sports idol/inspiration? When I was growing up there were not a whole lot of female role models. When I was older I remember watching a pitching video with Michelle Smith in it and she was from the Northeast and started pitching at age 15, just like I did. At that time it seemed like all of the best softball players were from California, so it was rare to hear of a successful player from the east coast. She also started pitching late like I did, so it made me feel like there was hope for me to become one of the top pitchers in the nation. In the Sydney Olympics in 2000 Michelle was my roommate - they put a veteran pitcher with a rookie pitcher!

If you could do it all over again, what, if anything, would you do differently? Nothing!! All of my experiences have made me the person and the player I am today. I would never go back and change even the worst times in my playing career because they have made me a stronger player and sometimes I feel I have learned more from those experiences than from all of the good ones.

Rebecca Lobo - Basketball

Watch Rebecca's Bio

Rebecca Lobo has played for UCONN, a member of the 1996 U.S. Olympic team and led the New York Liberty to the WNBA's first championship game. Currently, Lobo is a color analyst on NBA-TV. She resides in Connecticut with her husband, Steve Rushin of Sports Illustrated, and their two daughters.

Home state: Born in Connecticut, but grew up in Southwick, Massachusetts from age 1 through age 21.

Inspiration: Parents, brother and sister.

Personal Mission: To get the most out of my God-given abilities and use them to help others.

Future Plans: To be the best mother and wife I can be. (We have 2 daughters and would like to have more children at some point.) I also plan to continue my sports broadcasting career.

When you played basketball, did you have any game rituals that you followed? I always arrived at the arena 2 hours before tip-off and followed the same routine until the game started. I would get dressed in my uniform, get my ankles taped (always the right before the left) and then warm-up on the court. I didn't listen to much music but might read from a book to calm the nerves a little bit before hitting the court for warm-ups.

How did you get involved in playing basketball? Why did you pick it? My brother is 6.5 yrs. older than me and I started playing basketball soon after he started playing the sport. I immediately loved playing it and always loved watching the Celtics play. I was fairly skilled from an early age, since I started playing when I was so young. I was always tall so, I had many advantages over other kids my age.

Growing up who was your sports idol/inspiration? I loved watching Larry Bird play but I idolized my brother. He really inspired me to play basketball.

If you could do it all over again, what, if anything, would you do differently? I would not go up for the rebound against Cleveland in the first game of the 1999 season...when I landed I tore my ACL and my career was never the same. But, I definitely came away from that injury a stronger person both physically and mentally.

Megan Donnelly - Field Hockey

Megan Donnelly was a member of the 1988 U.S. Olympic Field Hockey Team and was elected to the New England Women’s Sports Hall of Fame on November 14, 2001. As a graduate of UMass and a native of Wilmington, MA she has strong ties to Massachusetts. She finished her UMass career as a four-time first team All-America selection (1982-85). She was not only successful on the field at UMass, but also in the classroom, graduating Phi Beta Kappa. She is currently a Vice President of US Corporate Banking for Wells Fargo in New York.

Home state: Massachusetts

Inspiration: All the women who came before me and made my participation in sports possible.

Personal Mission: No real mission—I just work hard at things I love to do and I try to help whenever and wherever I can.

Future Plans: I'm having fun, so I hope to keep doing what I'm doing. At some point, I'd love to find a way to really encourage women to excel in fields that are traditionally dominated by men—like banking, for instance.

When you played field hockey, did you have any game rituals that you followed? The only real ritual I had was, before the start of each half of a game, I checked in with each member of the defense to be sure that we were all set and ready to go.

How did you get involved in playing field hockey? Why did you pick it? Ice hockey was my first love—we all played street hockey constantly in my neighborhood— but, unfortunately, ice hockey was not a choice for women at that time. So, I opted for field hockey, which was as close as a girl could get to hockey at that time. I loved it right away and just kept playing.

Growing up who was your sports idol/inspiration? I had a few which included: Bobby Orr for his talent, toughness, and class; Wilma Rudolph for her grace and courage; Bill Bradley for his focus on excelling in both academics and athletics; and Dr. Tenley Albright for all of the above. She is an extraordinarily accomplished person. Dr. Albright overcame polio to become the first American woman to win Olympic gold in figure skating and then went on to have a remarkable career as a surgeon. She is just ridiculously talented and successful. If you love sports, you should know her story.

If you could do it all over again, what, if anything, would you do differently? I don't think I would do anything differently. You learn so much from failure and difficult times that I would never wish that away. That's where you get your strength.

Sarah Behn - Basketball

Sarah Behn was a high school basketball and soccer All-American and a collegiate basketball All-American.  At Foxboro High School Sarah she became the second leading scorer in Massachusetts history with 2,562 points. During her college career at Boston College, she became the all-time women’s leading scorer in Big East history with 2,523 career points. She was also inducted into Boston College’s Hall of Fame. After playing in college, she went to Europe to play professionally for B.B.C.  Etzella, in Ettlebruck, Luxembourg. There she averaged 35 points per game and was the leading point scorer in Central Europe. Her professional coaching career began at North Attleboro High School where she was awarded the Division II Coach of the year by the Massachusetts Basketball Coaches’ Association and The Boston Globe. Sarah then moved onto Framingham State College where she was the head coach for women’s varsity basketball and soccer. She is now the head coach of the girl’s varsity basketball team at Foxboro High School, her alma mater.

Home state: MA

Inspiration:  My father was my original inspiration to get involved w/ basketball and sports in general. I also had two older brothers -- so I was around sports all the time. My father had played basketball in high school and at Brown University. He was a student of the game and I was lucky to get great fundamentals from him. :)

Future Plans:  I'd like to continue to run girls' basketball camps and be a high school coach. I love the competition of high school sports in the winter and I really enjoy teaching kids in the off -season. Running camps is hard work but it's truly rewarding and fun.

When you played basketball, did you have any game rituals that you followed? Yes. I would eat the same lunch and wear the same ponytail elastic...I would also listen to Rocky music on the way to games to get my pumped up.

How did you get involved in playing basketball? I got involved because my two older brothers played on a team and my father was the coach. I got dragged to practices -- and eventually I started to really like it.  Why did you pick it? I chose basketball as my major sport because I liked playing on a team rather than individual sports like swimming and tennis. I liked touching the ball a lot w/ only 5 kids on at once and I also liked the fast pace of hoops.

Growing up who was your sports idol/inspiration?  Larry Bird was my ultimate idol.

If you could do it all over again, what, if anything, would you do differently? I wouldn't change a thing. I was truly lucky to have done all the things that I did through playing and coaching womens' basketball.  I feel extremely fortunate to have gotten a scholarship to Boston College; that is something I forever grateful for.