Alexander Shun

Web Editor Associate | @alexpshun 

The players for the Minnesota Lynx have viewed themselves as role-models for young girls since they played their first professional basketball game. Each of them are well-aware that there are thousands of young girls throughout the state and throughout the country that look up to them and, some, may even aspire to be like them one day. Because of this incredible responsibility, the Lynx decided to take a moment during Wednesday afternoon’s game against the Connecticut Sun to recognize an academy that teaches young girls leadership, and how to be good role-models.

The LSWAG Academy inspires, develops and supports girls to become the next generation of leaders through skill-training, strength finding and creating experiences that last a lifetime.

“It’s geared towards girls in grades 5-12 and what we do is we host academies throughout the year around the Twin Cities area and the academies are basically a two-day program where we have workshops, activities, we have motivational speakers and we have inspirational workshops where the girls are really interactive,” LSWAG Executive Director Jennifer Hartigan told Lynxbasketball.com. “It’s really fun, a lot of moving around, a lot of developing new relationships and partnerships, and the foundation is basic leadership skills and self-confidence.”

Former Minnesota Golden Gophers Head Coach Pam Borton started the academy less than a year ago, so the academy is still quite young, but LSWAG has already hosted four separate academy weekends that has averaged between 40-50 girls. Hartigan says they like to keep the camps to a smaller number of attendees so that there is a more safe and intimate environment for the girls to grow and develop more meaningful relationships.

The Minnesota Lynx recognized the great work that LSWAG has been doing by having Director of Business Operations Carley Knox present Hartigan and the academy with a grant for $2,000 in the second quarter of the game on Wednesday afternoon. Such a great partnership means a lot, not only to the academy, but to Hartigan herself.

“It’s awesome,” Hartigan said, when asked what it meant to have such a nationally recognized partner like the Minnesota Lynx. “Obviously we have a very strong connection with basketball given Pam Borton’s history, but the partnership with the Minnesota Lynx has been absolutely wonderful for us. It lends credibility to what we’re doing and will help expose us and we look forward to building that relationship further.”

Despite the new pairing with the Lynx, the academy isn’t just for aspiring female athletes; LSWAG is open and available to girls of all ages and interests and hopefully, in the near future, it will be available to girls from all over the country.

Currently, LSWAG hosts academy weekends through the Twin Cities metro area, but Hartigan and the academy see the good that they are doing for girls and would love to grow nationwide and expand their reach even further.

“The hope is that these girls leave the academy with increased self-confidence and tools that they can use and apply immediately when they walk out the door,” said Hartigan. “That’s absolutely why we want to build it and grow it nationwide eventually.”

With such incredible recognition already bestowed upon the LSWAG Academy, the focus is now on continuing to grow and expand all the great work that LSWAG has been doing, and Hartigan wanted to leave any and all girls thinking about taking part in a weekend academy with one final message.

“It doesn’t matter where you’re from, it doesn’t matter where you go to school, everyone can use some help and support and building in their self-confidence because once you solidly build that foundation you have the ability and the tools to go out and do really anything that you want, so we really encourage girls to look into LSWAG…there are going to be lots of opportunities for girls to get together and form that network and form that community.”