The Future of Sports is Female
Sister Katie Adams inspires women to dive headfirst into sports no matter what their gender is.
A dream opportunity. That's what Virginia Tech Football gave me when I was brought in as a student recruiting assistant. Growing up, so many of our family discussions at the dinner table revolved around Hokie sports, and all of our weekends in the Fall were spent driving to Blacksburg to attend a Virginia Tech Football game. This culture is what I was raised on, and after my grandfather, dad, sister, and numerous other family members had attended Virginia Tech, I knew it was my destiny to not only become a Hokie, but to make a name for myself in the athletics world.
Being a woman who loves sports and is involved in it can be challenging. You definitely have to prove yourself a little bit more as a female. There is this impression that because we’re females in sports, we know less than our male counterparts. Whether it’s because we didn’t play tackle football or men’s lacrosse, we are looked at as being a little less knowledgeable. Personally, I’ve never cared what people think, which has driven me to love the challenge of it all. I want to prove myself, I want to show that yes, I do know sports, and yes, I actually have a sports background. Some of my favorite moments spent with my guy friends involve us feuding about how good the Hokies will be this season or which players are rising stars. Before I knew what I wanted to do in life, people would always ask me, “Well, what do you enjoy doing?” and every single time, I would answer with “football.” That's when I knew I wanted to get involved in this sport for the rest of my life and know I could be happy doing so.
When I came to Virginia Tech as a freshman, my goal was to get involved with the football program as much as possible, and when I learned about the opportunity to become a recruiting assistant, I jumped in headfirst. This role is what you make it, and for me, that includes spending numerous hours in the office per week addressing mail outs, overseeing transcripts, charting our top recruits, and preparing for any official or non-official visits were happening on campus that week. The season is
our busiest time of the year as we prepare to host hundreds of recruits for every home game. Our schedule includes: greeting them as they walk in, taking them to meetings with the coaching staff, eating and engaging with them over a delicious BBQ lunch in our world-class indoor practice facility, and then sitting with them right behind the Hokies bench at the games to help further develop relationships and answer any questions they might have. My favorite part of it all is always seeing the smiles on recruits' faces as they watch the “Enter Sandman” entrance for the first time. To me, it’s the best entrance in all of college football.
The experiences I’ve gained from this opportunity have been some of my most cherished memories thus far during my time at VT. Last year's bowl game was the perfect end to the season as all the players and staff were able to travel to Charlotte for one final round and lots of special meals and activities together. I spent nights laughing until my stomach hurt in that hotel with the other recruiting assistants. It is truly one big happy family. Due to COVID, we weren't able to host any athletes this past football season, and I know that next season when we do, it will be that much sweeter. I miss waking up early, getting dressed in the cutest maroon and orange pieces in my closet, and going to the facility to prepare for a long day on my feet of engaging with recruits and their families, building relationships with them, and convincing them as to why Virginia Tech is where they should play their four years of college football.
As a woman working in sports, I feel empowered being able to embrace the unnormal and find joy in doing what's not typically done. I love to inspire younger females to work in sports and break the stigma because I’m inspired by so many in my personal life. In my free time, I love listening to the weekly podcast, “And So She Goes,” which highlights and interviews powerful women in sports. Above all, my greatest mentor has been my boss, Alex White. She’s the youngest Director of On-Campus Recruiting in the country, and she is killing it! To fast forward, I hope that when graduation comes along, I’m able to look back and recognize the legacy that I left on this football program, just as I start a new one at another Power Five school. After all, the quote “she believed she could, so she did” has taken me this far, and I’ve never stopped dreaming of what could be.
Contact Sister Katie…
@Katie6adams on Instagram