Little Bellas on Monday announced a new partnership with 16 female ambassadors to help grow the mission of empowering girls through sport. Through communication and participation in the Little Bellas’ programs, these inspirational ambassadors will be instrumental in achieving programming in 25 states and 60 programs by 2022.
“Connecting our mission to professional athletes with the launch of our ambassador program will allow these ambassadors the opportunity to share their love of sport with the next generation; inspire young girls to continue healthy, active lifestyles and encourage female empowerment in all aspects of their lives,” said Sabra Davison, executive director and cofounder.
Cofounded by two-time Olympian Lea Davison, Little Bellas, since its inception has had a professional athlete presence. Davison has been instrumental in developing this ambassador program. Formalizing the relationship with these athletes will increase consumer education, grow the nonprofit’s event and social presence and add value to the programs.
The 2018 Ambassadors Include
Haley Batten – U23 athlete, Haley Batten, has earned four US Junior National Championship titles as well as the 2017 U23 National Championship title. She has been racing mountain bikes since the age of ten.
Sophie Caldwell – Sophie Caldwell is an Olympic cross-country skier. With two World Cup victories, she is only the second U.S. woman with a victory in the World Cup and the first US woman to win a classic World Cup event.
Kate Courtney – Kate Courtney started racing mountain bikes in the NorCal NICA league and has since been granted eleven national champion titles. In her first year racing elite, she won the 2018 World Championships. Her win breaks a 17-year drought for U.S Cross Country mountain biking. Alison Dunlap last won the World Champion jersey in 2001.
Lea Davison – Lea Davison is a two-time Olympian and a co-founder of the Little Bellas. She is also a two-time World Championship medalist.
Flora Duffy – Flora Duffy is the 2016 and 2017 ITU World Triathlon Series World Champion, the 2015 and 2016 ITU Cross Triathlon World Champion and a four-time winner of the XTERRA World Championships. She is also a three-time Olympian.
Hannah Finchamp – Hannah Finchamp is a two-time amateur Xterra world champion and a four-time collegiate mountain bike national champion. She currently races for the Clif Pro Team and is a recent college graduate with a degree in both Athletic Training and Exercise.
Erin Huck – Erin Huck is the 2017 Pan-American Champion, the 2017 Short Track National Champion and has a host of other titles under her belt, but what sets her apart is her ability to juggle a full-time Engineering Project Manager position with a pro racing career.
Arley Kemmerer – Arley Kemmerer was a member of the 2014 U.S. World Championship team. She established her own racing program which is currently known as Fearless Femme Racing.
Julia Kern – Julie Kern is a member of the US Cross Country Ski Team, and she earned a bronze medal at the 2017 FIS Junior World Championships. She currently attends Dartmouth College.
Zoe Mcdougall- Zoe is an up-and-coming professional surfer competing on the World Surf League qualifying tour aiming for a coveted spot among the top 20 best surfers in the world to compete on the World Surfing Tour. She has made some impressive steps in the direction with some wins in South Africa. She is also passionate about ocean conservation and is a Surfrider Ambassador.
Katerina Nash – Katerina Nash is a five-time Olympian competing in both the Winter and Summer Olympics. She currently competes for the Clif Pro Team and has 5 UCI Cyclocross wins.
Katharine Ogden – Katharine Ogden holds two National titles in Nordic events. She swept the NCAA Nordic races, finishing the 5 km classical 46.9 seconds ahead of the nearest racer and winning the 15 km freestyle with 37.6 seconds to spare. She is the first Dartmouth skier in more than 50 years to win two national titles in a single year.
Catharine Pendrel – Catharine Pendrel is a three-time Olympian and 2016 Olympic Bronze medalist mountain biker. In addition to racing for the Clif Pro Team, she also co-founded with her husband the development cross-country mountain bike team, Pendrel Racing.
Kelsey Phinney – Kelsey Phinney is a 2x U23 World Championship U.S. Ski Team member. She is the daughter of former professional and Olympic cyclist Davis Phinney.
Maghalie Rochette – Maghalie Rochette is a Canadian National Cyclocross Champion and a former U23 Pan-Am Cyclocross Champion. In addition to racing for the Clif Pro Team, she also founded the CX Fever Grant which gives a young female the opportunity to experience pro cx racing for a weekend.
Sarah True – Sarah True finished fourth at the 2012 London Olympics in Triathlon. She became the first U.S. athlete to earn a spot on the podium at a ITU race. Recently, she made the switch to non-drafting long course triathlon, and some of her first results include a 4th Place finish at the Ironman 70.3 World Championships.
Chloe Woodruff – Chloe Woodruff is a 2016 Rio Olympian and owner/founder of Stan’s-Pivot Pro Team p/b Maxxis. She is one of the only American females to earn a World Championship starting spot as a Junior, U23 and Elite competitor.
Applications for 2019 Little Bellas Ambassadors will be accepted starting November 1, 2018. As this program develops, Little Bellas plans to expand ambassadorship beyond professional athletes to women in other avenues who have proven leadership in empowering women.
