Imagine this. One boat. Five continents. Nine months at sea. 38,739 nautical miles. Thirteen women, all from different backgrounds and different walks of life, are taking on one of the most challenging and most demanding ocean races- the Volvo Ocean Race- for the adventure of a lifetime as they try to make history by becoming the first all female team to win! The women range in age from 28-40, and are from all over the world (including three Americans). They are the first all female team in the last decade, and it’s also the first time there is a completely level playing field amongst teams. Each team is competing using the same boat, the VO65 (Volvo Ocean 65), which means that all sails and design elements are fixed and that no changes could be made to the vessels by any team. It seems almost unfathomable to me, what the women of Team SCA are doing.
The Volvo Ocean Race, for these women, is the culmination of many hours spent training. To prepare for the stresses of life at sea, in a 65-foot wide wave riding world, these ladies trained 60-90 minutes a day, 6 days a week. They had to build their reserves, because many crews have seen losses of 15-20% in strength, cardio, and flexibility levels during this arduous race.
The race , which dates back to 1973, is considered the Everest of racing. It started in Alicante, Spain in October 2014 and stops in nine countries before it finishes in Gothenburg, Sweden in June 2015. The race will make only one stop in North America, and that will be in Newport, Rhode Island, arriving between May 5-9, 2015.
For the last seven and a half months, their journey of hard work and determination has inspired millions around the world, and it will continue to do so through the culmination of the race in June. Learn more about the inspiring individual stories of Team SCA, including three Americans, Sara Hastreiter (age 30, from Wyoming) and Sally Barkow (age 34, from Wisconsin), and Sophie Ciszek (age 30, dual citizen of US/Australia). Other amazing members of Team SCA include Dee Caffari (GBR), the only woman to have sailed solo both ways around the world (both east and west); two moms, Abby Ehler (GBR and AUS) and Carolijn Brouwer (NED), who both have young sons; and Elodie-Jane and Justine Mettraux, the first two sisters to sail this race. View bios for each team member and find more team information on the Team SCA blog, here.
SCA believes that everyone should have the opportunity to live life to the fullest, and they are committed to creating value for people and nature. To champion these ideals, SCA launched Amazing Women Everywhere, a digital photo mosaic to celebrate women who have a positive impact on others. Every woman needs inspiration, and I look for inspiration in many of the women in my life.
When I saw the Team SCA photo with the “Many hands make light work.” quote, I immediately thought of my friend Marcella.
Marcella inspires me deeply. Though she is 30 years my senior, Marcella has been a friend since 1992, when I waited on her families table at Pizza Hut. Marcella raised twelve children, many of whom were foster placements. She and her husband have served the under-privileged in their community through a food pantry ministry for over thirty years. She is an amazing woman, and if I am half the wife, mother, and friend that she is, I would be doing well. I added Marcella to the mosaic. Who will you add?
SCA believes that everyone should have the opportunity to live life to the fullest, and we are committed to creating value for people and nature. To champion these ideals, SCA launches Amazing Women Everywhere, a photo mosaic, to celebrate women who have a positive impact on others.
The women of SCA’s all-female racing team, Team SCA, exemplify this spirit. They have come from all walks of life and backgrounds to take on one of the world’s most challenging endeavors, the Volvo Ocean Race. For nine months, their journey of hard work and determination will inspire millions around the world. Follow along with Team SCA on Facebook!
We aim to gather thousands of stories from all over the world and inspire thousands more by illustrating that amazing women truly are everywhere. Visit http://www.teamsca.com/awemosaic to submit a photo of an amazing woman in your life.
This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of SCA. The opinions and text are all mine.
