Sept. 28, 2010
NOTRE DAME, Ind. – Notre Dame women’s basketball sophomore guard Skylar Diggins (South Bend, Ind./Washington) is among a select group of influential figures from around the world of sports who have been invited to participate in the inaugural ESPNW Retreat Thursday and Friday (Sept. 30-Oct. 1) at the Lodge at Torrey Pines in La Jolla, Calif. The two-day event is designed to not only set the female sports agenda, but also to cultivate a sports conversation for women, highlighting the important role of sports in shaping their lives.
Some of the other notable figures who will be attending this weekend’s ESPNW Retreat include: ESPN Sportscenter anchor and 1983 Notre Dame graduate Hannah Storm, 39-time Grand Slam tennis champion and women’s sports pioneer Billie Jean King, Olympic gold medalists Jennie Finch (softball), Julie Foudy (soccer), Shannon Miller (gymnastics), Jessica Mendoza (President of the Women’s Sports Foundation and former Olympic softball silver medalist), champion boxer Laila Ali (daughter of the legendary Muhammad Ali), multi-time X Games champion snowboarder Gretchen Bleiler, Christine Godleski (WNBA Chief Operating Officer) and Carol Stiff (ESPN Vice President for Programming & Acquisitions).
Diggins, who was granted a waiver by the NCAA to attend this professional development event, will be participating in a panel discussion entitled “The Future: The Journey To Becoming A World-Class Athlete,” joining 16-year-old snowboarder Maddy Schaffrick and USA Hockey forward Kendall Coyne for the session. The athletes on the panel will be asked a series of questions about their experiences within their respective sports, as well as what goes into balancing the demands of athletics with the rest of life’s challenges.
For more information on the Notre Dame women’s basketball program, sign up to follow the Fighting Irish women’s basketball Twitter pages (www.twitter.com/ndwbbsid or www.twitter.com/notredamewbb) or register for the Irish ALERT text-messaging system through the sidebar on the women’s basketball page at UND.com.
— ND —