The KPMG Women's Leadership Summit yesterday at the site of the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship in Westchester, New York, contained two afternoon panels that touched on the sports world. During a panel on how women can achieve their personal best, golfer Stacy Lewis, Notre Dame women’s basketball coach Muffet McGraw and World Golf HOFer Annika Sorenstam spoke in a roundtable about the role that sports have played in their lives. McGraw said as a coach, sports play an important role in guiding young women to build confidence. “I’m most proud when shy freshman grow into potential stars,” she said. McGraw also spoke of the team’s decision to wear “I Can’t Breathe” T-shirts prior to a game last December, a move that garnered heavy controversy. “We talked about it as a team, and I’m glad they wanted to use their voice and platform for something they all believed it. I was proud.” Sorenstam and Lewis both spoke of the challenges that women face in regard to lack of confidence and decisiveness in certain situations, something they both feel sports and golf in particular have helped them overcome. “We always look in the mirror and say how bad our hair looks today. Rarely do we say what we do so well,” said Sorenstam. Lewis spoke of her challenges on the course, and how working to improve parts of her golf game improved her character as well. “Just like with putting or chipping, you should find your weaknesses and work on them until they aren’t weaknesses anymore,” she said.
YOU'RE THE INSPIRATION: The summit culminated with former U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice receiving the inaugural “Inspire Greatness Award.” During her keynote speech, Rice spoke about the challenges she has faced in her own life and career, in addition to her role on the CFP selection committee and being one of the first two women admitted as members to Augusta National Golf Club. She said there are a “few places where I’m able to disconnect from my work -- music is one, and golf is the other, although I only started to play golf when I was in Washington.” Rice: “I have an 11.5 handicap, so there is room to improve, but I enjoy it.” She added of being admitted to Augusta National, “It’s a funny thing about being a first at something, because you never set out just to be a first. But it’s just something that you want to do. I credit my parents, who saw limitless horizons for me even in a segregated Alabama. I couldn’t have lunch at Woolworths then, but they told me I could be the President if I worked for it.”
