There are sports like surfing, skateboarding, and motorsport that are historically dominated by men. And there are always women pushing through to make waves and names for themselves. Finding our VOICES and advocating for ourselves in spaces where we are the only ones who look like us is difficult and it takes practice. American Stock Racing Driver Toni Breidinger knows a little something about this experience.
From Start to Finish
The first steps are often the hardest, and when no one else looks like you, that out-of-place feeling can be even stronger. Luckily for Breidinger, she wasn’t alone at the beginning. “I started racing with my sister Annie at 9 years old. From then on, we did every single race together growing up” she says. But eventually, that changed. “Once I hit like seventeen and she went to college, I feel like I was a little more aware I was the only woman and I felt a little isolated at times,” she adds. “I think it goes to show even just having another woman in your inner circle just goes really far at making you comfortable and confident.”
Speaking Over the Noise
Naysayers are par for the course. “I think in every men-dominated industry there's always going to be those few people that don't believe that we belong,” Breidinger says. “But I think, for me, it's been really important to surround myself with people who believe in me and my journey.”
Breidinger knows two of the most important things in sports are respect and equity of treatment. By “surrounding myself with people who don't even treat me like a woman in this space,” Breidinger maintains a supportive, honest environment. As she says, “I don't want them to treat me like a girl or treat me any differently because of my gender.” It’s not about trying to be one of the guys, it’s about being equal despite different identities.
“There's gonna be a lot of outside voices and there's gonna be a lot of people doubting you, but, at the end of the day, if you believe in yourself, that's all that matters.”
Now It’s Our Turn
Everyone starts somewhere. It’s still ok to feel nervous. “Sometimes it’s easier said than done,” Breidinger says. “There's gonna be a lot of outside voices and there's gonna be a lot of people doubting you, but, at the end of the day, if you believe in yourself, that's all that matters, right?”
Even after making mistakes, as athletes, we have to stay confident because our mental space can have a big impact on our performance. “I'm the one behind the wheel, I'm the one behind the car, but for whatever space somebody's in, you're the one doing it, so I feel like just having that kind of inner confidence in yourself,” Breidinger says.
And the same goes for how we present ourselves. “Growing up and maturing, I realized that me wanting to wear makeup or wanting to wear a dress doesn't make me any less of a driver or any less of an athlete. Whatever your other passions are, you can still be interested in that, you can still pursue that, and that doesn't take away from you as an athlete,” Breidinger says.
“We're more than just an athlete. Embrace those other parts of you and know it doesn't take away from you as an athlete,” Breidinger says. Whether we’re joining the football team or gearing up to go to the skate park for the first time, it’s important to remember that women deserve to be in these spaces just as much as men. After all, we can’t let boys have all the fun!
