With Tartan Delegation in Attendance, St. Margaret’s Staciana Winfield Keynotes Inspiring Women in Sports Celebration

In an inspiring celebration of athletics and its power to transform the lives of women and girls everywhere, student-athletes and professional community members from St. Margaret’s were among 1,600 attendees at the Women in Sports Celebration this week in Anaheim.

St. Margaret’s had a prominent presence at the celebration, which was organized by the Orange County Athletic Directors Association. Upper School teacher and swim coach Staciana Winfield was the event’s keynote speaker, and she gave a moving and energetic presentation encouraging attendees to “take up space” as they make their mark on the world. 

“No one achieves greatness by making themselves smaller,” Ms. Winfield said. “Be expansive. Be big. Be bigger than life. You’re not taking away anyone else’s space by being big. You are adding to it.”

Mrs. Winfield weaved her message of empowerment through anecdotes about her life journey, which has had both incredible highs and devastating lows. 

She represented the United States in the 2000 Olympic Games as a swimmer, winning an Olympic gold medal when she was just 19 years old. Yet she insists she learned more about herself four years later, when she failed to qualify for the 2004 Olympics despite high expectations. 

Mrs. Winfield also encouraged the power of community and connection, sharing stories of the support systems she relied on when she was diagnosed with alopecia universalis and lost her hair at the age of 12, and as she picked up the pieces following the loss of her husband to cancer in 2016. 

Her personal journey weaved into her overarching message: Work to be big, but also work to make those around you big.

“You’re all going to have moments where you’re a puddle on the floor and you’re very small,” Mrs. Winfield said. “You’ve got to figure out how you’re going to lift yourself up. Who’s around you? Who’s in your circle who can tell you, ‘You are so big, and you are so mighty and you can do this’?”

The Women in Sports Celebration brought student-athletes, coaches and educators from Orange County together. Mrs. Winfield was joined by 16 Upper School student-athletes and several Tartan coaches, teachers and administrators.