I am a champion for women and girls. This does not mean that I do not support men and boys; however, I have dedicated my life’s work to supporting women in higher education, and in other aspects of my life. I mentor and coach women and men equally, but that is not the point of this post. I feel that another part of my efforts is supporting women athletes. I live with one competitive swimmer and her little sister is following the same path. I also participated in team sports throughout high school, so I feel a special kinship to and for women athletes.

It gives me great pleasure to blog about one of my UVIC students who is a Tough Mudder. She’s a bad ass. She’s an athlete, personal trainer, and scholar. And, I’d like to introduce you to her: Lindsay Van Gyn. Lindsay is a student in the Social Science Faculty at UVIC in the Anthropology Department, who is focusing her degree on First Nations of British Columbia. Lindsay is taking one of my courses this term and approached me about her upcoming competition.

Previously Lindsay has volunteered for Adbusters Magazine. And, she comes from a family of women athletes. Her sister is a professional snowboarder! Why am I sharing this? Well, Lindsay qualified for the Tough Mudder competition in New Jersey and she’s fundraising for iBelieve Foundation—dedicated to finding a cure for Hunter Syndrome. Here is her Indiegogo site. Did I mention that Lindsay was the first woman to cross the finish line at the Seattle Tough Mudder. She must sit in my first year class and think that the environment is nice, warm and friendly—compared to the grueling Tough Mudder competition. It’s not easy to qualify for the World Competition—only some 5% of Tough Mudder competitors are invited. What can Lindsay expect at the Worlds:  8 miles that includes more than 40 obstacles and all at a balmy freezing or below freezing temperature! Lindsay will compete in this race for 24 hours completing the course as many times as she can. Yes, I did say that the she will run complete the race multiple times. This Tough Mudder race makes the Camp Pendleton Mud Run seem like a cake walk (but please don’t tell the Marines this), and I can tell you that the Mud Run is a hard race. So, I’ll support Lindsay in spirit and more. Don’t you want to open your hearts and wallets?

I am asking readers to share this information and think about donating to one Tough Mudder—Lindsay, who is raising money for a great cause. Please share this post! And, as  usual, thank you for reading and commenting on my little slice of the Interwebs!