Julie Ann Willis

"Pressure is a privilege." Those are the words of the great tennis legend, Billy Jean King. She also describes "the fire in the belly" that is essential to winning.

Each of us so honored to be PIL HOF inductees knows this feeling. We wanted the ball, to be on the start line, to be suited up and ready to compete. Our journey and story is connected by this thread. My story is about a fraction of time that intersected with my life when I was a girl and becoming a young woman. In 1972, Title IX of the Education Amendments became law and insured that men, women, boys and girls were offered equal opportunities not just in sports but also in the workplace. This decision would alter the course of my life in a significant way. It would afford me the opportunity to get a college education at one of the finest academic institutions, Whitman College.

But let's start at the very beginning. I now see more clearly how my involvement in youth sports shaped my life by helping to develop self-esteem and to come to understand the value of hardwork, focus, sacrifice and pursuit of excellence. Learning to lose and choosing to champion one's opponent were harder lessons to learn but were essential to becoming a complete athlete and a generous person.

I began playing girls’ basketball and softball in the third grade, 1969, at Sacred Heart Grade School in the Catholic Youth Organization (CYO) leagues. CYO had been supporting girls in sporting activities since 1930. The borough of Brooklyn, Portland, Oregon, at the east end of the Ross Island Bridge, was a community with a park (Brooklyn Park), two grade schools (Sacred Heart and Brooklyn School) and one high school (Grover Cleveland). The rolls were filled with working class families, mostly Irish and Italian descendants. We never had a problem fielding two full teams to go to battle in whatever we were playing.

Judy Schoepp was the only girl that I played with nearly daily from age 8 to 13. She was my best friend and it was softball and basketball that knitted us together. Judy and I and our classmates who filled out our roster were able to play competitive basketball and softball through the CYO. We were Sacred Heart! We won our City Division. 1968. I hope to nominate Judy to the PIL and Cleveland HS halls of fame.

Portland Metro League, 1971-1973. BASKETBALL: Coached by Dick Pine, with Judy Schoepp (1974), Jana Tracy (1974), Julie Barbour (1975), Laurie Meeker (1975) and Barbara Gronvold (1975) advanced to the Championship game with the "Wilson" High School composite team andl ost a hard fought battle. Dick Pine was so dedicated to elevating our game. He spent countless hours with us in drills and teaching us how to think basketball. He believed in us as athletes and understood us as young women.

SOFTBALL: 1969-1974. Pitcher, First base, Shortstop. Coached by Harold Woolsey, "The Lancers" were City Champions in the Portland Metro Softball League in 1973. I earned All-Star honors at shortstop.

CLEVELAND HIGHSCHOOL 1973-1974 JAN WATT...Our grade school basketball games were often refereed by Jan Watt as she volunteered every Saturday that I remember playing.The game moved with her guidance and towering kindness. Jan became our first Cleveland High Girl's basketball coach in 1974. With Jan's command of the game, her intuitive brilliance and high basketball I.Q., her unwavering fight for fairness, her downright love of the game and for us, we were united in our pursuit of excellence. We had so much FUN!

I want to acknowledge one of my teammates. Barb Tucker, who we lost to a violent crime, was a dear, kind and funny soul. She was shy but not demurring. She fought from her low post position with her towering gentleness and unwavering defense. I think of her fondly as the player who practiced the hardest, the girl who never stopped trying to learn about the game and who raised her game to new heights. You inspire me today, Barb.

In 1974, the PIL instated more competitive sports for girls. It was a direct result of Title IX, that gave equal opportunity for girls and women to participate in a variety of sports and broaden the horizons of millions in the workplace and protect basic human rights. It also made available funding for those seeking access to higher education opportunities. Whitman offered me financial aid in several ways. One was to play basketball my freshman year. The education I earned while at Whitman College changed the trajectory of my life. Whitman supported that which our parents taught us. We were young adults enrolled at a fine academic institution and we were meant to use our gifts and talents to help change the world for the better. The discipline I learned in the many, many basketball practices, softball drills and competitions had well prepared me for the challenges I would face as I launched into young adulthoodand the rigorous academic environment that characterized Whitman.

We were ascrappy lot, our first team, but I never had more fun playing the game! Following Whitman, I became an avid recreational cyclist and then raced professionally for Bridgestone Bicycles. 1983 I and a Whitman friend rode our bikes from Washington to Maine. 1985-1987. Team Bridgestone Mt. Bike race team. 1985 3rd Place NORBA National Championship. Durango, CO. 1985 9th Place World Mt. Bike Championships. Mammoth, CA. Downhill. 11th Place Country.

My participation in youth sports led to an outstanding college education and positioned me to work with some of the world's greatest athletes. I studied at the Utah College of Massage Therapy 1988-1989. Human Anatomy/ Neuroanatomy. University of Utah. 1988-1992. 1988 and interned with the US Cross Country Ski Teams, Men and Women. I remained on staff as Massage Therapist through two Olympic rotations, Albertville, France and Lillehammer, Norway. 1988-1994.

Through my cycling connections, I landed a job with the 1992 Canadian Women's Olympic Road Cycling Team as the Team Soigner/Massage Therapist. From there I started my career with the US Men's Cycling Team and eventually traveled the world wit hthe National Women's Cycling Team. These amazing individuals inspired me to bring my best game.

To be a part of these truly great programs was an honor and a privilege. 1992. Staff Massage Therapist. Canadian Women's Olympic RoadCycling Team. 1992-1998. Staff Massage Therapist. United States Cycling Teams, Men and Women. 1993 World Championships. Oslo, Norway. Men road: Gold medal. Women's road: Bronze.

The capacity to change the world to be a better place resides in each of us. Humanity calls out for compassion and kindness and forgiveness. Aren't these all traits found in our participation in sporting activities, individual and team? We come together in pursuit of winning and to become better at our game. We come together to play and exhaust and feel the pure joy of movement and flight. We share a vision. We come to know when to bring our best. The "game" changes us. We are part of a team even as individuals because we in no way could pursue our dreams alone.

Others remind us of who we are. We learn to be true to our character. We share that burning in our bellies. We share the losses, the disappointment and the inspiration derived from not settling for "second place." We take all of this into our communities and into our very lives. We learn to listen and to allow others their voices and their vision. We are called to conspire, to breathe together, in pursuit of our goals and to use our gifts and blessings in the Service of Others.

I am committed to assisting the letterpress and book art students at the University of Utah. In addition to working on my own design and printing projects, I volunteer as a studio monitor. The young people are inspired, educated and using their art and their voices to affect positive change in their communities and around the world. It is a privilege to be in their company! Connection is how we touch the soul of understanding.

Thank you to the many who guided me on this most amazing journey. I am deeply grateful for their support and I share this honor with all of those most inspiring and generous people who have put the ball in my little hands! PUT ME IN, COACH!

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