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Jenny Graap (Cornell '86)Head Lacrosse Coach -- Cornell |
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Bio
 What was your experience in youth athletics? Were there opportunities available to you?
When I was in the 7th grade I tried out for my middle school interscholastic field hockey team. We actually traveled and played other 7th grade teams. It was all very exciting, especially wearing a uniform, riding on the team bus and learning all the songs and cheers. I recall being awed by the concept of having a coach and getting instruction, praise and criticism. I found organized sports to be a very social activity. I made many friends during the fall field hockey season and wound up playing lacrosse with the same group in the spring. A few of us also played basketball in the winter too. Staying afterschool and playing a sport became the culture I belonged to. It seemed others did the school play or band, chorus, orchestra. I'm sure others kids did alternative things, but some unfortunately got into smoking or doing drugs. I got hooked on athletics and continued all three sports in high school and then dropped to just field hockey and lacrosse for four years in college
You have coached at both George Mason and Penn State, how did those experience and opportunities with women's athletics vary as opposed to Cornell?
The experience at scholarship schools definitely differed from the Ivy League. At Penn State I got my first exposure to "big time men's athletics" and that was eye-opening. Even though Title IX was supposedly being enforced in the 1990's, there were still noticable differences between men's and women's athletics. That difference seemed the most glaring at Penn State where football is so dominant in the culture. Just comparing women's lacrosse between the three schools, I think there are a good number of similarities but also some critical differences. I believe the academic emphasis at Cornell is by far the major difference coupled with the freedom the Ivy League offers the student-athletes. By freedom, I mean the choice to study abroad for a semester, the ability to take any class any semester and not be told by a coach to schedule academics around lacrosse lifting or practice. I believe scholarships come with a price attached, there's nothing free in this world. So if a lacrosse player signs a scholarship, she will likely adapt to the culture on the team. She will have to follow the rules and abide by the coach's wishes. Similarly all three schools are trying to compete at the highest level of the sport. The training principles are similar— each athlete strives to be her very best physically and mentally.
Is there something unique or special about coaching at your alma mater? Does it feel different than other places?
Yes, it's incredibly special to be coaching at Cornell! I feel such a sense of pride in the program at my alma matre. I also feel very invested in my athletes' futures. I care about their education and I recruit young women who want to attend Cornell— a highly compeitive and rigorous academic institution— first and play lacrosse second. At other institutions where I coached, recruiting for lacrosse was my number one objective. Sure the women would get a degree but I wasn't as focused on marketing the whole institution. Financing an Ivy League education seems  to get tougher and tougher each year and that is a sad reality. Many bright and capable scholars will turn down an Ivy because they need the money a scholarship school is offering. Coaching involves a lot of time spent on recruiting thus these recruiting challenges play a major part in my world.
How has the national climate concerning women’s athletics changed since you were in school?
I have seen a shift in the acceptance of female athletes as the norm versus the exception. I also think it's become more mainstream for young girls and women to participate in a wide range of sports. I don't see athletic girls labeled as tomboys as much, which is good. There still seems to be an attitude that men's athletics are more exciting to watch— perhaps because men are stereotypically bigger, stronger and faster.
What has athletics done for young girls that choose to participate?
I think the impact is substantial. Female athletes develop confidence, they learn how to compete. Valuable lessons come from setting goals and achieving those goals as well as from losses and failures. Athletics is tough and demanding. Only the strong survive. On the college level, female athletes have to learn to balance their academics and their athletics along with their social lives. Time management is essential and the lessons learned in prioritizing tasks definitely carries over into the working world and beyond. I believe female athletes are a very fortunate and unique group. It's been my experience that not only athletics but the team sport concept is particularly beneficial. On a team women need to listen, compromise, get along with others, find common ground and work out problems quickly, find their voice and put their own selfish needs behind what's best for the team. Team members also must learn to respect their coaches and their peers while asserting themselves and being as strong as they can be.
What obstacles still stand to young women who want to participate in athletics?
I think one obstacle nowadays is the desire to be the best at everything. I think too much is not always a good thing. Too much structure in organized sports with teams and coaches and opponents can be too much pressure. I think girls and boys should play for fun and try all different sports instead of specializing in one at an early age. Girls need to be confident in playing hard, sweating, building muscles, getting strong. Overcoming that stereotype of being a dainty, pretty girl who plays with dolls and likes to help in the kitchen is huge. Girls need to find where they belong and not all young girls are going to be coordinated and athletic. Those who are athletic should be encouraged to pursue multiple sports and put off specializing for as long as possible, hopefully at least until middle school.
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