Chanelle Price (Contributed photo)
Whether it’s Simone Biles in gymnastics, Katie Ledecky in the pool or A’ja Wilson on the basketball court, the eyes of young women everywhere will be riveted on the 2024 Paris Olympics to watch the greatest of all time as well as the up-and-comers who will inspire the next generation of female athletes.
Chanelle Price, Gina Lewandowski and Mandy Marquardt know all about that feeling of being inspired, and of being the inspirations. The three women, all Community Ambassadors with St. Luke’s University Health Network, have had Olympic aspirations and understand the desire, determination, commitment and talent it takes to reach that level.
The accomplishments of all three elite athletes add to St. Luke’s reputation as a sports expertise mecca: Price, an 800-meter runner, won a gold medal at the 2015 Under-23 World Championships, and three gold medals with the U.S. women’s 4×800-meter team at the IAAF World Relays; Lewandowski as a professional soccer player in Europe and the U.S.; and Marquardt as a 27-time U.S. national champion and multiple medalist in international track cycling racing in the sprint disciplines.
Mandy Marquardt (Contributed photo)
Marquardt found out in recent weeks that she did not make the U.S. Olympic Team, but she is thrilled to see the rising interest in women’s sports.
“Sports today are more dynamic and inclusive,” she said. “It’s especially inspiring to see women in sports breaking barriers and setting new records. The Olympics continue to promote unity and bring together global talent. The 2024 Paris Olympics will make history by achieving numerical gender parity on the field of play, meaning there will be equal representation of male and female athletes.”
Lewandowski, who played scholastically at Allentown Central Catholic and starred at Lehigh University before her professional caree–which included stops at Frankfurt, Bayern Munich and NJ/NY Gotham FC–cited the Lehigh Valley as a grassroots microcosm of what is happening in women’s sports.
“Just looking at soccer, it has grown tremendously since I was younger,” she said. “There are so many more club teams, so many more options to play sports. You see the coverage on TV and social media. There is more interest, more fans, more tickets sold, more sponsorships and partnerships. Any time you’re talking about the Olympics, you’re talking about getting more kids involved in sports and a healthy, active lifestyle.”
Price, who rose from Easton Area High School to set world records and star at the University of Tennessee, won a gold medal at the 2014 Indoor World Championships and competed with the best-of-the-best in the worldwide Diamond League. She is thrilled to see Biles return to gymnastics, and the awareness she has raised for mental health.
“Simone Biles has been a big advocate for the challenges athletes face with mental health,” Price said. “To see her four years later in a better state and speaking about the help she received is invaluable for others facing mental stress. I had mental health struggles in college because of the pressure I had. It’s wonderful to see athletes speak up about it and for people to know it’s OK to ask for help.”
As Community Ambassadors with St. Luke’s, all three women take part in a variety of activities with the public and at sports camps and events to impart not only their expertise, but their personal journeys in achieving not just their best performances, but the best versions of themselves.
Gina Lewandowski (Contributed phtoo)
Marquardt, who is a Type 1 diabetic, races for Team Novo Nordisk and is pursuing her MBA at Penn State World Campus. She promotes sports, health, wellness and gratitude.
“Together with St. Luke’s, we are out in the community and making a difference. My role as an ambassador allows me to advocate for diabetes awareness, inspire others to overcome challenges and empower young athletes to pursue their dreams,” Marquardt said.
Price, who looked up to Mia Hamm and wanted to play soccer before finally focusing on track, helps put on training clinics “showing the kids how to properly run and how to properly run fast,” and loves giving back to the community in her role as a St. Luke’s Community Ambassador.
“Whatever your goals, whatever your dreams, just go for it,” she said. “The person you become along the way is the true gold medal. I am who I am because of the journey.”
Lewandowski takes part in soccer clinics and community appearances for St. Luke’s while preaching a message of reducing internal pressure.
“I try to tell athletes to slow down,” she said. “Our culture tells us to do more, and that’s not always the best advice. As athletes, you always need to be mindful of how you feel, what your body needs. Whether it’s through meditation or prayer, down time, relaxing, learning to be present with yourself and tuning out the technology and the noise and getting back to your why: why you do what you do, why you enjoy it. Finding that balance is the key.”
This community health news is brought to you in partnership with St. Luke’s University Health Network.
