Century of School Sports: WISL Conference Continues to Inspire Aspiring Leaders
By
Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor
February 4, 2025
There has long been a mighty sense of pride at the MHSAA for its Women In Sports Leadership Conference – which remains the nation’s first, largest and longest-serving event promoting the roles of females in athletics.
The event has continued to grow tremendously since the first group of 130 administrators, coaches, high school and college students assembled in Lansing in 1989. It’s easy to argue as well that the WISL Conference has become even more impactful over its 26 editions, the most recent beginning a year ago today with the theme “Share the Vision.”
Nearly 800 participants – mostly female high school student-athletes – attended last year’s two-day event, where they were able to engage in several of 36 workshops and learn from a group of 45 speakers with expertise in a wide variety of sports-related fields. The WISL Conference has welcomed Olympians, leaders in Michigan government and Hall of Fame coaches at all levels of athletics among several who have put their voices to the goals of encouraging women and growing their presence at all levels of sport.
Attracting women back to coaching and officiating was the mission of the first WISL Conference – percentages of both had fallen dramatically since the dawn of Title IX nearly two decades prior had led to rapid growth in athletic competitive opportunities for females at various levels. The first WISL events were organized by MHSAA assistant director Suzanne Martin, under the leadership as well of then-executive director Jack Roberts, until Martin retired in December 2002. Fun fact: The first Michigan legislative resolution recognizing Feb. 5 as Girls and Women In Sports Day statewide (in addition to nationally) was presented during the 1990 WISL Conference.
Kathy Vruggink Westdorp took over the WISL program upon joining the MHSAA staff as assistant director during the 2003-04 school year after more than two decades as a teacher, coach and administrator in the Grand Rapids area. Under her leadership, WISL has continued to build and thrive – it’s currently an every-other-year event, generally hosted during the first weekend in February although the 25th WISL took place during October 2022 as part of the culmination of the MHSAA’s year-long celebration of “Title IX at 50.” Topics covered still include coaching and teaching and learning leadership, but also sports nutrition and performance, empowerment and goal-setting, and several more areas of interest.
In 1990, the MHSAA also awarded its first of now 38 Women In Sports Leadership Awards, recognizing pioneers who have elevated athletics in Michigan as pioneers, advocates, voices and leaders, particularly at the interscholastic level. The 39th Women In Sports Leadership Award winner will be announced later this month.
Previous "Century of School Sports" Spotlights
Jan. 28: Michigan's National Impact Begins at NFHS' Start - Read
Jan. 21: Awards Celebrate Well-Rounded Educational Experience - Read
Jan. 14: Predecessors Laid Foundation for MHSAA's Formation - Read
Jan. 9: MHSAA Blazes Trail Into Cyberspace - Read
Dec. 31: State's Storytellers Share Winter Memories - Read
Dec. 17: MHSAA Over Time - Read
Dec. 10: On This Day, December 13, We Will Celebrate - Read
Dec. 3: MHSAA Work Guided by Representative Council - Read
Nov. 26: Finals Provide Future Pros Early Ford Field Glory - Read
Nov. 19: Connection at Heart of Coaches Advancement Program - Read
Nov. 12: Good Sports are Winners Then, Now & Always - Read
Nov. 5: MHSAA's Home Sweet Home - Read
Oct. 29: MHSAA Summits Draw Thousands to Promote Sportsmanship - Read
Oct. 23: Cross Country Finals Among MHSAA's Longest Running - Read
Oct. 15: State's Storytellers Share Fall Memories - Read
Oct. 8: Guided by 4 S's of Educational Athletics - Read
Oct. 1: Michigan Sends 10 to National Hall of Fame - Read
Sept. 25: MHSAA Record Books Filled with 1000s of Achievements - Read
Sept. 18: Why Does the MHSAA Have These Rules? - Read
Sept. 10: Special Medals, Patches to Commemorate Special Year - Read
Sept. 4: Fall to Finish with 50th Football Championships - Read
Aug. 28: Let the Celebration Begin - Read
(MHSAA file photos.)
NFHS Voice: Lessons Learned in Loss
January 31, 2020
By Karissa Niehoff
NFHS Executive Director
Sometimes in life things simply do not happen as planned. The unexpected is always right around the corner. When these situations occur, we must adapt to change and determine the best steps in moving forward.
Such was the case in selecting the subject for this week’s “Voice.” We were set on addressing the ugly spotlight on professional baseball with the recent sign-stealing incidents and that high school sports is not and must not be about “winning at any cost.”
This is certainly a worthy subject. High school sports is about competing fairly and doing things the right way. The wrong in the baseball scandal was not getting caught; it was players and managers believing that cheating was an acceptable means to winning. These are not the kind of heroes we want to follow.
And then came the events of Sunday morning in California. It was hard to fathom. Kobe Bryant and his 13-year-old daughter, Gianna, were no longer with us. Along with seven others on the helicopter that crashed that morning, Kobe and “Gigi” were on their way to what else – a basketball game.
As people from all over the world – both those who knew Kobe on a personal basis as well as casual fans – expressed their shock and sadness about this tragedy, there were consistent messages about the value of sports and family that were ever present.
While Kobe Bryant was one of the best basketball players ever to play the game, it was apparent that more so than all the all-star appearances and scoring titles and NBA championships, his impact came from the relationships formed through participating in sports – from Lower Merion High School in the Philadelphia suburb of Ardmore, Pennsylvania, to his 20 years with the Los Angeles Lakers.
And then it was about family as he supported his daughters, Natalia, who plays volleyball, and Gigi, a basketball player who was determined someday to play at the University of Connecticut, in their participation in sports. In an interview with PEOPLE Magazine in 2018, Bryant shared how he used his opportunity to coach his daughters in basketball as an opportunity to teach them valuable life lessons.
“A valuable life lesson that I can teach them is what it means to pursue excellence and the commitment level that comes with that,” Bryant said in the PEOPLE interview.
There are many lessons to be learned from this tragedy and the nine lives that were cut short. Our original plan of re-emphasizing that high school sports must not be about “winning at any cost” is certainly among those lessons. Success at the high school level has more to do with preparing students for their lives after high school than winning games or state championships.
Doing things the right way, playing the game the way it is supposed to be played, developing relationships and having fun along the way – that’s the message of high school sports.
As we listened to hundreds of people share their remembrances of Kobe Bryant the past few days, a few things were evident. Like all of us, he was not perfect; however, he showed us the power and influence of sports in our country. He played the game the right way, giving 100-percent effort every night. He regularly praised and supported others, always smiling. And he was passing on his love of sports to his daughters.
And the last lesson – be sure you tell those closest to you every day that you love them.
Dr. Karissa L. Niehoff is in her second year as executive director of the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) in Indianapolis, Indiana. She is the first female to head the national leadership organization for high school athletics and performing arts activities and the sixth full-time executive director of the NFHS, which celebrated its 100th year of service during the 2018-19 school year. She previously was executive director of the Connecticut Association of Schools-Connecticut Interscholastic Athletic Conference for seven years.