Snow White is not one of my favorite
stories because of the ending. I don't like the idea of encouraging
women to need a prince to save them from misfortune. This morning, I
was watching Mirror Mirror, a re-telling of the Snow White story. It
tells an ending that demonstrates strength in personal exploration,
staying true to your values, and believing in yourself. When you do
those three things, you no longer need a hero to save you, but become
the hero yourself. A lovely re-telling.
I have determination, a ferocious sense
of adventure, and a stuck-ness to my values that gets me in trouble
occasionally. OK, often. This “believe in yourself” thing is
still a new concept.
This past year, I spent a lot of time
on my bike. More than 6,000 miles is kind of a lot, right? I spent
the entire year figuring out how to believe in myself. I entered into
several road races, and I slowly started to figure it out. I kept
clicking off the miles and meeting my goals, one after another, after
another.
It wasn't until the Bridge to Bridge ride that it all came
together for me. This is a 102 mile ride, of pure hill (no pun
intended), to the top of Grandfather Mountain in North Carolina. All
by myself. No teammates. No riding buddies. Nobody to save me from
the work that must be done. Just me, my bike, and 6+ hours of
pedaling. I got to the top, and I finally “got it.” All the times
my coach, parents, John, and friends believed in me finally felt like
a reality.
After finding this new belief in myself
as an athlete and all-around powerful woman, I decided to apply to be
a Vanderkitten VIP. Vanderkitten is a brand of stylish women's gear
for women who want to make an impact. They also sponsor a pro women's
cycling team. Their motto is: Extraordinary women doing extraordinary
things. Pretty cool, yes?
Vanderkitten has done something really
special by creating a VIP association for the every day athlete. They
saw a need for a new kind of support in women's cycling and took
action, creating a network of influential athletic women all over the
world to support each other and support the mission of the
Vanderkitten way: encouraging women to believe in themselves, be
strong, and be awesome in everything they do.
Plus, Vanderkitten
dreams to find a solution to gender discrimination in sport (did you
know that women athletes earn LESS THAN HALF of what men earn? And
for the SAME WORK? Ridiculous that this kind of discrimination still
exists, not only in sport, but in the work force too).
Being a
Vanderkitten VIP is kind of like being on a team of strong women from
all over the world, who are like minded, have big dreams, and want to
empower each other in sport and life. I applied to be a VIP, along
with 2,000 or so others. Just a hundred or so were chosen...INCLUDING
ME!!!
They chose me!!!
I was so excited I cried.
My adventures in weight loss, running,
swimming, and cycling over the past few years have taught me so much
about life, most recently about believing in myself. I am honored
that Vanderkitten chose to believe in me and my mission too. I am honored
to encourage women to be awesome in whatever they choose to do. I am honored to have the capacity to pass on the inspiration that helped me overcome my own barriers.
The dwarfs in Snow White knew the power
of teaching Snow White to believe in herself.
Vanderkitten knows the power of
encouraging women to believe in themselves in real life.
She will succeed.
Seemingly impossible obstacles will
become possible to her.
She will make a lasting and positive
impact on the world around her.
I am a Vanderkitten.
An extraordinary woman, attempting
extraordinary things.
