A Volée Vision #allthewomen
Sometimes big ideas are like starving artists. They wander around the inner mind, looking for a buyer. After that first time I went shopping for running shorts and hated them all, three years passed before Oiselle earned her way out of my head. There were so many times when it felt too big, too scary.
I was thinking about this recently on a flight to NYC…the mecca for dreamers and doers. As I sat at my window seat, I noticed the woman next to me. She was quietly knitting. Stich, loop, stich, loop. In half-observation, I admired her. She had the end goal in sight – sweater, cap, scarf – and was just gonna stitch, loop, stitch, loop her way to the finish. I thought about how so many small steps have equaled Oiselle. Are big ideas just a collection of small stitches?
I looked out the window, only able to see the white haze of indefinite sky. My mind was on the Volée, our racing team of almost 2,000 women. What’s the end goal? What are we collectively knitting? What we know already, in its few short years, is that the sum is greater than the parts. And that we are in a unique position to do something that’s never been done before. To create one of the most diverse and powerful women’s sports teams. Yes, inspired by the pros who compete at the highest level, but truly led by a vast a number of women. All the women.
At Bird Camp this summer, and when I attended Kara Goucher’s retreat recently, we did verbal goal setting and I continued to form new words about the Volée and Oiselle Team; ideas that had been building – not only with me, but internally at Oiselle, with everyone who has contributed to making the Volée a success.
An idea about its future form is coming into view and it looks something like this: There is power in numbers. And if we grow the number of Volée members to critical mass, we will be a force, not only among each other – but in the world at large. We will have the power to improve and influence what we set our sites on. We can define sport. We can affect culture. We can reveal topics. We can debunk myths. And we can reduce stigmas that keep people feeling alone and afraid. Yes, we can empower women individually, to reach their own goals, but perhaps more importantly, we can get our glutes behind bigger ideas. Maybe that bigger idea is athlete activism.
So what does critical mass look like for the Volée? I don’t have the answer today. But in order to have a voice that gets heard, I believe we’ll need more women. And from what we’ve heard, more women want to be in our family. As a note, we see and hear you. And are renovating the club house as we speak (i.e., the infrastructure needed to welcome, include and support).
Is it 20,000 women? 200,000 women? Or something below or beyond? No matter the exact number, the key will be clearly articulating our rallying points. As a start, it’s natural for us to focus on clean sport and athletes’ rights. These are the topics that are meaningful to Oiselle, our women athletes, and the industry we play in. Kara Goucher and Lauren Fleshman have already emerged as outspoken leaders on both of these topics. Beyond that, it could be anything under the umbrella of women’s and athletes’ rights.
I’m aware this direction implies scale. And will take time, energy and discussion to achieve it. As of now, the goal is to re-open team spots Summer 2016. We have work to do to make that step thoughtful and positive. But step by step, with the amazing women on our team, we’re already creating it. You, the women of the Volée are already living it. Stich, loop, stitch, loop. We’re knitting this together. We’re making one giant yeti sweater that holds us all.
Bottom line, I’m floored with gratitude today. Grateful for the women in my life, near and far. And grateful for the opportunity to do more. To stitch and loop and become a patron of big ideas. Have thoughts on how to make the Volée amazing? I’d love to hear from you: [email protected].
Until then - Head up, wings out!
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