What Sports Gave Me That Never Went Away
- Linda Herron
- 10 minutes ago
- 6 min read
There are seasons of life when we compete, seasons when we coach, and seasons when simply moving forward becomes its own kind of victory.
I have lived through all three.
Sports have been part of my life for as long as I can remember. I played field hockey at the University of Rhode Island, attended Olympic camps, competed in fastpitch softball, ran road races and marathons, coached, and later spent years in natural bodybuilding. Every chapter challenged me differently.
But when I look back now, the scores, races, and competitions are not what stay with me most.
What stayed were the qualities sports built quietly over time: discipline, confidence, resilience, leadership, teamwork, and the courage to begin again.
Those gifts followed me from the playing field into a 40-plus-year career in finance and business. They carried me through difficult seasons, helped me lead others, and eventually gave me the courage to build Women Sports USA®.
The competition may end. The uniform may come off. But what sports give us can last a lifetime.
Sports Taught Me to Keep Showing Up
Long before I understood the word discipline, sports were teaching it to me.
You learn quickly that progress does not come from showing up only when you feel strong, confident, or motivated. It comes from practice. It comes from repetition. It comes from doing the work when no one is applauding.
Some days you perform well. Other days you struggle. Either way, you return.
That lesson became one of the foundations of my life. In business, there were long days, difficult decisions, new systems to learn, and problems that did not come with easy answers. Building a career required the same mindset that sports had already given me: prepare, stay focused, do your part, and keep moving forward.
Years later, building Women Sports USA® has required that same commitment. A mission grows through the work done every day—one story, one connection, and one opportunity at a time.
Sports taught me that consistency matters, especially when the results are not immediate.
Confidence Was Built One Challenge at a Time
Confidence is often mistaken for never feeling afraid or uncertain. Sports taught me something different.
Real confidence is knowing that you can step forward even when you do not know exactly how things will turn out.
Every time I walked onto a field, entered a race, took on a new physical challenge, or accepted responsibility for a team, I learned a little more about what I was capable of doing. Confidence did not arrive all at once. It grew through preparation, mistakes, improvement, and experience.
That confidence followed me into rooms where women were not always expected to lead. It helped me speak up, solve problems, make decisions, and trust the knowledge I had worked hard to earn.
Sports gave me the courage to take up space—not by believing I had all the answers, but by knowing I was willing to work, learn, and contribute.
That kind of confidence never went away.
Being Part of a Team Changed How I Lead
Sports taught me that leadership is not about being the loudest person in the room. It is about responsibility.
It means being prepared because others are depending on you. It means communicating, listening, encouraging, and sometimes putting the needs of the team ahead of your own. It means understanding that every person contributes differently and that a team becomes stronger when those differences are valued.
As a team captain, coach, business leader, and now founder of Women Sports USA®, I have carried those lessons with me.
The best leaders do not simply tell people what to do. They help others recognize what they can become. They create room for people to grow. They give credit, build trust, and remain steady when the pressure rises.
Sports showed me that leadership is not a title you receive. It is a way you choose to show up for others.
I Learned That Setbacks Are Not the End of the Story
Every athlete knows that things do not always go according to plan.
You lose games. You miss opportunities. Your body does not always respond the way you want it to. Sometimes the path you imagined changes completely.
For me, one of the hardest lessons came later in life, when physical pain forced me to slow down. After years of competition, running, and movement, I experienced a long season when my body could no longer do what it once had.
That was difficult. Movement had always been part of how I understood myself.
But sports had already taught me how to face a setback: accept where you are, adjust the plan, and begin from there.
Today, walking is part of my comeback. The distance or pace may look different from earlier chapters of my life, but the athlete within me is still present. She understands patience. She respects the process. She celebrates progress that others may never see.
Resilience does not always look like pushing harder. Sometimes it means slowing down, listening to your body, and having the courage to begin again.
Sports Gave Me an Identity That Could Grow With Me
For a long time, being an athlete meant competing. As I grew older, I learned that the meaning of an athlete can evolve.
The athlete in me became a businesswoman who could handle pressure. She became a business coach who wanted young women to recognize their strength. She became a mentor, a storyteller, and an advocate determined to help preserve the experiences of women whose contributions might otherwise be overlooked.
Sports gave me more than just memories. They gave me a way of approaching life.
I still set goals. I still believe in preparation. I still look for ways to improve. I still understand the power of a team. And when life knocks me down, some part of me still hears the same message: get back up when you are ready.
The athlete I was did not disappear. She grew with me.
Every Woman Athlete Carries Something Forward
Not every athlete wins a championship, earns a scholarship, or competes at the highest level. That does not make her experience less meaningful.
The girl learning to trust herself on a youth team is gaining something she may carry into a future classroom, career, family, or community. The woman returning to movement after years away is rediscovering a part of herself. The former athlete mentoring the next generation is passing forward lessons that cannot be measured on a scoreboard.
This is why women’s sports matter so deeply.
When women and girls participate in sports, they are not only learning how to play a game. They are learning:
how to respond to pressure
how to work with others
how to lead
how to recover
and how to believe that they belong.
Research from the Women’s Sports Foundation also demonstrates how the skills developed through sports can influence women’s leadership well into adulthood.
Those lessons ripple outward for years.
What Sports Gave Me Is Still Here
Sports gave me discipline when the work was difficult.
They gave me confidence when I entered unfamiliar rooms.
They gave me teammates, mentors, and lessons in leadership.
They taught me how to lose, how to adjust, and how to try again.
Most of all, sports gave me a belief that growth is always possible.
That belief has carried me through every chapter of my life. It is part of why I created Women Sports USA®—to honor the women who came before us, celebrate the women changing the game today, and help the next generation see what is possible for them.
The games may end, but their impact does not.
What sports gave me never went away.
It became part of who I am.
From Linda’s Desk® is a personal reflection series by Linda Herron, founder of Women Sports USA®, sharing the lessons, experiences, and stories that continue to shape her life in sports and beyond.
At Women Sports USA®, we believe every woman athlete has a story worth preserving. Whether you competed decades ago, are playing today, or are finding your way back to movement, your journey matters.
Dream. Believe. Achieve.
Written by Linda Herron
Founder & CEO, Women Sports USA®
Linda Herron is the founder of Women Sports USA®, a former Division I field hockey athlete, coach, author, and longtime advocate for preserving women’s sports history. Through storytelling, she celebrates the athletes, coaches, officials, and trailblazers who helped change the game.
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