Portland’s She Flies Initiative Showcased at Sports ETA Symposium

In December 2022, the She Flies Gala was created as an annual fundraiser to help fund the She Flies initiatives and now, Sport Oregon has seen its growth mirror that of women’s sports across the country.

The session “Creating Inclusive Communities Through Sports” at this week’s Sports ETA Annual Symposium in Portland focused on the women’s sports community. Jim Etzel, chief executive officer of Sport Oregon, and Zoe Raiter, chair of the She Flies committee, spoke about how the city began the program and how other destinations can implement similar initiatives in their own communities.

Throughout the week at Sports ETA, $16,400 was raised for the She Flies initiative through silent auctions and donations.

When Sport Oregon created the She Flies initiative in 2022 to foster safe spaces where all girls and women feel like they can take flight into the many positive benefits of sports participation, Portland hosted the She Flies Festival to give a platform to many non-profits in the region.

“We identified 25-30 non-profits in the community that were doing work in this space and gave them a platform to elevate what they’re doing in the community as well,” said Etzel, who was just named one of Portland’s Executives of the Year by the Portland Business Journal. “It was a great launch point and we started to build momentum.

“The She Flies Festival gives a platform to places that don’t have the PR/communication muscle, and that’s where we thought we could lean in and help, because we have that.”

For Raiter, a Portland native, improving the landscape of women’s sports in the city is a passion project.

“I started my journey in sports at six years old through the Portland Parks and Rec Department playing soccer,” Raiter said. “The most rewarding part of being in this program is to provide a space for young girls to compete and thrive and teach them life lessons through sports, which was very important to me growing up.”

During its first year, the She Flies initiative was receiving donations from companies that ranged from $10,000 to $20,000. As She Flies has grown, so have the grants, which have reached six figures.

“We’re all in this business to bring money into the city. But when you can talk about social impact, it resonates more with policy makers at every level – local, state, federal. She Flies has been our hook,” Etzel said.

Raiter has been involved in the grant program since its first year and has now seen more than $100,000 given out over the last two years. She gathers all the grant applications and then runs two review committees to make sure the grants are going to the right places.

“It has been incredible to see the growth in the community, and we’ve seen an increase in applications by 30 percent in the last two years,” Raiter said. “People around the city are now aware of She Flies and they ask how to get involved, instead of asking what it is. We’ve spread our message enough that they know the basics of what we do.”

Raiter and the Portland Young Professionals Board have partnered with the Sport Oregon Board of Directors to continue pushing She Flies to new heights.

“People like Zoey have a passion for non-profit work, and they really dig in. It’s really cool to stand back and watch Zoey and the Young Professionals community take leadership for their city,” Etzel said.

“You don’t want to burn too fast, too bright, and do all your programming in the first year and have to one-up that every year,” Raiter said. “But you want to make sure to take advantage of the rapid rise of women’s sports around the country and the world.”

Luchie Javelosa, senior sports sales manager of the Tempe Tourism Office, moderated the session.

Sport Oregon has played a role in securing a host of marquee events, including the 2030 NCAA Women’s Final Four, Ironman 70.3 Oregon and World Athletics Championships Oregon 22. Sport Oregon has also helped Portland International Raceway become the only track in the world to host three major circuit races in NASCAR Xfinity Series, IndyCar and Formula E.

Building Your Own Legacy

The educational session titled “Building Your Own Legacy” included a panel discussion moderated by James Adler, director of sports sales at Buffalo Niagara Sports Commission. The panel covered topics including how young professionals approach stepping into roles left by their predecessors and how they can carve out a niche and leave their mark creating their own legacy.

“Do what got you there — there’s a reason you were hired,” said Austin Bennett, director of championships at the NAIA. “Don’t try to change everything in year one, especially if you’re in a leadership role for the first time. You want to over deliver, not over promise.”

Lance Fite has been the director of sports at Visit Mesa in Arizona for over three years now and recalls when he first took over in February 2021.

“I was filling very big shoes and there was no way to be able to do everything my two predecessors could do,” Fite said. “I talked to smarter people than me and asked what worked best for them. I did my research and wanted to keep the bar where it’s at. I came from a background of sports and hotels, and I used that to merge my own way. I really comb through an RFP and look at it from the perspective of how I would’ve viewed it as a hotel.”

Yolanda Jenkins, founder/chief executive officer of Throw No Shade Kickball League says going out in the community and talking to people is key.

“I learned a lot of strategy when I was overseas in Iraq and was morale, welfare and recreation director for 300,000 troops and making sure their morale was up to par and to get their mindset off warfare and help them have fun,” Jenkins said. “Connecting with the troops was my first focus and then it turned into something greater and bigger when I got home.”

Rachel Dailey, associate director at Valley Forge Sports, says it’s all about getting to know as many people as possible, because you never know where people might move around to.

“I’m always on the lookout for events that make sense in our area,” Dailey said. “It’s good to diversify what you’re going after.”

After the panel spoke, attendees gathered into groups and discussed topics in a round table format, including professional development, public speaking, salary negotiations, resumes and cover letters, joining boards/committees and volunteering.

Boxx Gives Keynote Speech

Three-time Olympic gold medalist Shannon Boxx shared her journey as a soccer player as the keynote speaker during Thursday’s closing luncheon. Boxx’s appearance was presented by Visit San Jose.

Boxx was a part of four World Cup squads and three Olympic teams, winning gold medals at the Games in 2004, 2008 and 2012. After a pair of third place finishes at the 2003 and 2007 World Cups, Boxx was part of the runner-up team in 2011 and finally the 2015 champions in Canada, retiring from international play shortly after having appeared in 195 matches over 12 years.

Her career was not a smooth path. She was on the verge of leaving the game and going into coaching before her national team career even started. She missed parts of multiple seasons with injuries as well.

“Learning how to handle failure and come back fighting is a process that builds confidence and is a skill you can use the rest of your life,” Boxx said.

Boxx was a finalist for the 2005 FIFA World Player of the Year award and inducted into the National Soccer Hall of Fame in 2022. She is part of the ownership group of Angel City FC of the National Women’s Soccer League and a co-founder and Community Impact Leader for a youth soccer academy that is committed to developing and preserving the game for young female athletes.

In her post-soccer career, Boxx said she struggled initially. “For a while, I didn’t pursue anything,” she said. “Then I realized I needed to start thinking like an athlete again,” later adding “as I reflect on my journey, sports not only shaped who I am, but it served as a universal bridge connecting me with communities around the globe.”

Award Winners Announced

The year’s Sports ETA Member Award winners were also revealed. The recognized organizations and individuals are as follows.

• Event or Program Impact of the Year, Below 500,000: Visit Dothan (Alabama)
• Event or Program Impact of the Year, Over 500,000: Kansas City Sports Commission
• Superior Service: Gamechangers Consulting
• Rising Star: Nathan Caferro, Snohomish County Sports Commission
• Event Partnership of the Year, Below 500,000: Rutherford County, Tennessee
• Event Partnership of the Year, Over 500,000: Albuquerque Sports Commission, New Mexico
• Sports Commission of the Year, Below 500,000: West Michigan Sports Commission
• Sports Commission of the Year, Over 500,000: Austin Sports Commission
• Sports Tourism Organization of the Year, Below 500,000: Myrtle Beach Regional Sports Commission
• Sports Tourism Organization of the Year, Over 500,000: Visit Sacramento
• Executive of the Year: Kathy Nelson, Kansas City Sports Commission

Hall of Fame Class Inducted

Janis Burke, chief executive officer of the Harris County–Houston Sports Authority; John Gibbons, former executive director of the Rhode Island Sports Commission and Bill Hanson, co-founder of San Antonio Sports, were inducted into the Sports ETA Hall of Fame. Burke has been the chief executive officer of the HCHSA since 2006. Gibbons, the former executive director of the Rhode Island Sports Commission, passed away last year at the age of 63. Hanson is a co-founder of San Antonio Sports, which he retired from after a 42-year career in amateur and professional sport organizations.

New Board Members Approved

Wednesday’s general meeting saw the nomination and approval for several new officers for the organization. Clay Partain of Sports Salt Lake was approved as the new secretary/treasurer. Approved as new board members were Bonny Bernat of Visit Winston-Salem; Becky Harsh of Visit KC, Brian Persky of Discover Kalamazoo and Rachel Rogers of Cobb Travel & Tourism.