Snell-Shillingford Leadership Symposium

Important Dates

The Legacy

About 

The Snell-Shillingford Symposium was started in 1999 by then-Bryn Mawr College athletic director Jen Shillingford to encourage women undergraduates to enter the field of coaching. Female athlete representatives and coaches from member schools, including Bryn Mawr, Dickinson, Franklin and Marshall, Gettysburg, Haverford, Johns Hopkins, McDaniel, Muhlenberg, Swarthmore, Ursinus, and Washington College, converge to participate in sessions designed to empower women in the coaching profession and to encourage them to take up the legacy of those who have gone before them.

History

The symposium honors the contributions and commitment of two of the most influential women in the coaching profession, Eleanor Frost Snell and Jen Shillingford. Miss Snell, as she was known to her students, served Ursinus College as a professor of health and physical education, coach, and head of the women’s physical education department for four decades, from 1931 to 1971. In keeping with the program’s emphasis on mentoring and passing on the education of coaches from one generation to the next, the symposium also bears the name of Snell’s student and mentee, Jen Shillingford, who served as a field hockey coach and athletic director for over 20 years at Bryn Mawr and president of the United States Field Hockey Association (USFHA).

The Lineup

Learn from leaders, administrators, researchers, and top professionals about how to position yourself for any professional career or a career in athletics. 

2022-23 Snell Snapshot 

Written by Brooke Espenshade

Day 1

We started the day with an introduction and learned about the legacy of the Snell-Shillingford Leadership Symposium from Jen Shillingford herself. Shillingford talked about the legacy left behind by her mentor, the legendary Eleanor Frost Snell. She finished her introduction with an impactful quote, "we cannot wait for a storm to pass but rather learn to dance in the rain." 

Our first presentation was from Dr. Ellen Staurowsky, a professor from Ithaca College, that discussed fearless women and their impact on sports. We learned about the Fearless Girl and the bull on Wall Street and how that was an inspiration to her. We then discussed the different fearless women that came to our minds. The list included women in sports like Simone Biles, Megan Rapinoe, and Serena Williams to name a few. We learned the fearless leadership fundamentals, courage, tenacity, and integrity. We also focused on fearless leadership in action. This included learning about vision, culture, preparation, performance, prevail, and resilience. Dr. Staurowsky taught us about the pioneers of Title IX like Bernice Sandler and Patsy Mink. To finish the presentation, we discussed the impact of the tweets from the 2021 NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament. She highlighted how Sedona Prince's actions are changing the conversation about women’s sports and how her 38-second viral video is etching her name in the books as a modern fearless women.

Our second presentation was about being “More than a Checked Box” by ESPN Reporter Renee Washington. Renee talked to us about how we have a social media profile and a life profile. Our social media profile will include all of our accolades and accomplishments, where we went to school, our job, and surface-level information. Our life profiles go deeper they include all the characteristics that make up who we truly are at the core. Renee told us about her life profile and that she was quirky, creative, a picky eater, and a Virgo. She emphasized that we need to appreciate who we are and to make sure not to let our identities limit us. She then helped us shape the way that our identities defines us. These identities include memories, hopes, values, beliefs, and personality. Renee then talked to us about mindset and how the difference between two people is in their mindset. She ended the session with the advice that "what makes you different is a strength, not a limitation."

After lunch, we heard from Haverford College field hockey coach Jackie Cox about the "Many Hats of Coaching." Coach Cox talked about all the responsibilities (hats) that coaches in athletics must do or wear. These hats included being a leader, coach, mentor/advisor, counselor, recruiter/admissions rep, the account manager, IT person, advocate/service coordinator, and the student. Coach Cox explained each “hat” or responsibility in detail. We also were able to hear from some of the coaches that were mentors in the room. Throughout this presentation, we learned that coaching is way more than x’s and o’s. 

The final presentation of the day was from Dr.Amy Wilson who discussed all of Title IX. Dr. Wilson helped us learn more about her mentors and the pioneers of Title IX, Dr.Charlotte West and Dr. Christine Grant. She addressed the 2021 NCAA Women’s Basketball Championship and the response from the NCAA. After that, the participants played a True or False game all about Title IX. Some of the surprising finds during this game were that Title IX covers 10 areas: access to higher education, athletics, career education, education for pregnant and parenting teens, employment, learning environment, math and science, sexual harassment,

standardized testing, and technology. After looking at some data on women in sports and how Title IX has impacted that data we learned the basic rules of Title IX to understand the complex law better. There are three basic parts of Title IX, participation, financial assistance/scholarships, and treatment/benefits (the laundry list). Finally, Dr. Wilson gave us a call to action! Our voice and vote matter, we should make a difference in our sphere of influence, and we need to continue to stay engaged and keep learning about Title IX.

After Dr. Wilson’s presentation, each school met and discussed different takeaways that they wanted to bring back to their schools and implement in some way. When the participants were finished with their takeaways we were able to have dinner with the mentors and connect, ask questions, and learn. I left day one feeling energized and wanting to know more and gain more opportunities to expand my leadership skills and expand my network.

Day 2

To start day two, we heard from Anna Baeth from Athlete Ally on the Current State of Women in Sport. After learning about the DISC assessment, participants split up into appropriate groups according to their DISC (dominate, influence, steadiness, and conscientiousness) style and answered specific questions that related to their group. Anna then gave us data on girls and women in sports. Anna also provided an update of where the Centennial Conference and each school within the Centennial Conference stood in relation to women head coach representation. To end the presentation, Anna finished sharing her story/journey and the different resources that the participants could use to help prepare them for whatever they may want to pursue.

The next presentation of the day was from Vice President and Director of Athletics at Saint Joseph’s University, Jill Bodensteiner. Jill’s presentation was like Renee Washington’s in the sense that she believes that we have a social media story and a real story. She discussed how self awareness leads to being confident in yourself and your abilities, which allows you to be at your personal best which gives you the opportunity to lead and have great leadership qualities. She quoted from the book, Confidence: How Winning Streaks & Losing Streaks Begin & End by Rosabeth Moss Kanter. The first was the definition of confidence being "positive expectations for favorable outcomes." The second was, “failure and success are not episodes; they are trajectories.” We discussed how each of these holds true for athletes and women in sports. To wrap up, Jill gave us some tips and tricks on how to build and regain confidence in ourselves.

My favorite part of the day was the Women in Sports Panel. This panel consisted of Danielle Lynch, Director of Athletics at Haverford College, Portia Hoeg, Executive Director of the Centennial Conference, and Erin Stroble, Director of Athletics at Ursinus College. During this time, they each discussed their journeys of being women in sports and how they got to where they are today. After some guided questions, participants and mentors were able to ask any questions that they wanted to know from people who have lived experiences of being women in sports.

When thinking about the symposium and hearing from all the amazing women that took their time to come and speak with the participants, I am left inspired. I want to make a difference within athletics being a female. I believe that I can make a difference. I have the confidence that I will make a difference and bring light to being a woman in sports.

The Agenda

The Experience 

2022-23 RECAP

"'I HAVE A DREAM' I hope that some day every Division III Conference will offer a similar symposium. We know that the Centennial Conference has had over 50% of their symposium participants enter the field of women's athletics. Therefore if we play the "numbers game", the possibility exists for the development of over 200 new women coaches in Division III. This would go a long way toward closing the gender gap." -Jen Shillingford