FWKCC Speaker Series to focus on women’s athletics success
The impact of women’s athletics will lead discussions in an upcoming Farragut West Knox Chamber of Commerce Breakfast Speaker Series, “In HER Arena: Where Women Lead the Game Follows,” slated for Wednesday, June 18, in the auditorium of Jewelry Television, 9600 Parkside Drive.
Emceed by Missy Kane, 1984 Olympic middle distance runner and Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame inductee, it will feature Joan Cronan, University of Tennessee Women’s Athletics director emeritus; Brittany Tarwater, an All-American swimmer at UT; and Drew McKenna, owner/founder of One Knoxville, which is “our pro soccer team,” FWKCC president/CEO Julie Blaylock said.
“The team is playing at the new Covenant Health Park baseball stadium,” Blaylock added. “In addition to their men’s soccer league, they have a pre-professional women’s soccer league that they just launched in March.”
Doors will open at 7:15 a.m. with the breakfast and networking at 7:30 and the program starting at 8 a.m. and ending at 9 a.m.
“Please plan to arrive early in order to allow yourself time to get parked, be checked in and pass through venue security, find seats, get breakfast and network,” Blaylock said.
“We still have sponsorships available,” she added. “All sponsorship levels include full tables or half tables with additional recognition.
“Sponsorships start at $300; but this (event) is also, of course, open to the public, and we know that we have a lot of young female athletes and families of young female athletes in the area. Chamber members and their staff and families can attend for $35 for an individual ticket, which includes breakfast.”
For non-Chamber members, tickets are $45 each, which also includes breakfast.
To purchase tickets, visit FWKCC website at farragutchamber.com.
“We did a Speaker Series topic last year when we talked about sports venues and the significance of that to the West Knoxville area economy,” Blaylock said. “Sports is a really big part of both our tourism and our economy in our area, especially with the new baseball stadium here and also looking at some of the teams from UT and how all sports at UT have really excelled, not just football and basketball, but also softball, baseball, volleyball.
“So, we started looking at how the niche of women’s sports is really becoming an industry to reckon with,” she added.
Cronan was UT Women Athletics director from 1983 to 2012 before both genders programs merged. “Back in 1983, when she was given the athletic directorship over the women’s program, she was the only female athletic director at the SEC meetings,” Blaylock said.
“She was there (at UT) when the late Pat Summit (former UT Lady Vols head coach) was there,” she added. “She and Pat, together, helped take the Lady Vols to eight national championships. “She’s got a pretty impressive résumé.”
Tarwater, now an anchor for WVLT TV (Channel 8), was an SEC champion on the Lady Vols swim team and seven-time NCAA All-American and was named to the Academic All-American Swim Team.”
Regarding the pre-professional women’s soccer league, “it is intended for student athletes or women who want to get into pro soccer,” Blaylock said.
“It basically gives them a profession venue in which to practice, train and play so they can be prepared to go pro,” she added.
“It’s the first league of its kind here.”
Kane, having been a fitness TV personality for years, currently is health and fitness coordinator for Covenant Health.
