The Women’s Athletics Luncheon, hosted by the Binghamton Bearcats Athletic Association, was held on Monday, February 22 at the Events Center.
The luncheon, which was held for the 11th time on Monday, raises funds for Binghamton female student-athletes and serves as a platform to recognize the achievements of those very student-athletes.
The first luncheon in 2006 was a small event attended by 75 people, but the event has grown exponentially in recent years. Over 500 coaches, alumni, athletes and donors attended this year’s luncheon, which was headlined by featured speaker, Amy Van Dyken — a decorated US Olympic swimmer, with six Olympic gold medals and three World Championship medals to her name.
Unlike past speakers — including Rebecca Lobo (2015) and Jennie Finch (2014) — Van Dyken’s athletic achievements were not the focal point of her speech. Van Dyken was in a near-fatal ATV accident in 2014, which left her paralyzed from the waist down. Instead of focusing on her ascent as an athlete, Van Dyken spoke to the Bearcats about what to do when you are at the bottom, trying to get back to the top.
“I want to inspire all females and really everybody to know that we’re going to be handed things in life that really throw you a curveball,” Van Dyken said. “You can have a bad day or you can choose to have a bad moment.”
Van Dyken’s “bad moment” came when everything she previously knew was thrown out of whack, when the two things that earned her AP Female Athlete of the Year, an Olympic Hall of Fame plaque and many other accolades were rendered useless. Her legs were what got her to where she was at in life, but she refused to let that futility drag her down.
“If you have to be in a wheelchair, make sure it’s purple and fabulous,” Van Dyken said to the press before the luncheon.
“Women as a whole need to work together, inspire each other and lift each other up,” Van Dyken said. As a college athlete at Arizona and Colorado State, Van Dyken learned the value of teamwork and support that athletics teaches so well. By speaking at a fundraising event like the Luncheon, Van Dyken hopes to help countless female student-athletes learn the same lessons.
One student-athlete who has benefited from the experience of college athletics like many of those attending the luncheon is Binghamton softball’s Griffin McIver, the student-athlete chosen to speak at the event. A redshirt senior in her final season with the Bearcats, McIver touched on what has made her time as a Bearcat so special.
Although the crowd heard different speeches from a former Olympian in a wheelchair and a current college athlete, the sentiment from both speeches was very similar; when it comes to athletics and college as a whole, you have to appreciate the time you have. For McIver, softball is something she has done her whole life. Life after it will be much different, as it is for all college athletes, but that doesn’t mean it is going to be worse.
Since its inception in 2006, the Celebrating Women’s Athletics Luncheon has raised upwards of $300,000 for scholarships for female student-athletes.
Van Dyken did not just focus on her hardships, however. She ended with some perfect words for Bearcats and any others who enjoy success in their lives.
“Stop downplaying stuff,” she said. “You are awesome: tell it. Let the world know. It’s not bragging if it’s true.”