Distinguished Lecture Series

The Borghild-Strand Distinguished Lecture series is given twice yearly and exemplifies the Tucker Center’s commitment to community outreach and public education by making links to the Twin Cities metro and outstate areas. It provides a venue for the most influential individuals in women’s sports to share their knowledge and expertise. The Spring lecture is also sponsored through the Edith Mueller Park and Recreation Memorial Award.

Spring 2009 Distinguished Lecture Series

The 2009 Spring Distinguished Lecture, “You Gotta Be Tough”: Challenges & Strategies of Female Coaches in Youth Sport, took place on April 22, and featured renowned University of Southern California professor of sociology and gender studies Michael A. Messner. An online video of the full event is available below. The video begins with the Edith Mueller Park and Recreation Memorial Scholarship presentation. The lecture begins approximately at 4:04.

Download the flier for the 2009 Spring Distinguished Lecture here!
Read the Star Tribune's article, Studies blow the whistle on lack of women coaches, featuring Associate Director Nicole LaVoi and the Tucker Center.
Click here to purchase Dr. Messner's most recent book, It's All for the Kids: Gender, Families, and Youth Sports.
Click here to download Mother-Coach Generated Strategies for Increasing Female Coaches in Youth Sport.

Fall 2008 Distinguished Lecture

The 2008 Fall Distinguished Lecture, Minnesota Female Olympians: Stories, Experiences & Inspirations, took place October 22, and featured three Minnesota track and field Olympians: Janis Klecker, Carrie Tollefson and Shani Marks. The lecture was moderated by U of M Professor of Sociology Doug Hartmann. An online video of the full event is available below.

Watch the full-length presentation of the Fall Distinguished Lecture!

Click here to watch the Tucker Center's Tribute to Minnesota Female Olympians

Click here to watch the trailer for Kleenex's Let It Out: The Movie, which highlights the stories and inspirations of Olympians and Olympic moments
Click here to read the U of M's press release regarding the Fall Distinguished Lecture
Click here t to watch the video release, featuring Shani Marks and Doug Hartmann

Janis Klecker competed in the 1992 Olympic marathon in Barcelona, Spain—the same year she won the Olympic Trials. A native of Edina, and an alumnae of the U of M, Klecker is a five-time qualifier for the Olympic Trials, Twin Cities Marathon champion and winner of countless other races. Such achievements have earned her a place in the U.S. Track & Field Minnesota Hall of Fame. Currently, Klecker holds the women’s world record for the 50K, a record she has held for over 25 years .

Carrie Tollefson began her career as a distance runner while growing up in Dawson, Minnesota. She was a 13-time Minnesota State High-school Champion in both cross country and track & field. But her unprecedented achievements were just beginning. At Villanova, Tollefson continued her winning ways when she became a five-time NCAA Champion and 12-time All-American. During her post-collegiate career she has won a national championship in both cross county and indoor track. In the 2004 Olympics held in Athens, Greece, Tollefson competed in the 1500m race after winning the Olympic Trials.

Shani Marksb>, a native of Apple Valley, was a three-time All-American triple jumper and NCAA runner-up while competing for the U of M. Marks is also a two-time defending national champion in the indoor and outdoor triple jump, the current Olympic Trials champion, and just represented the United States in the triple jump at the Beijing Olympics. Marks is currently in her fourth season as a volunteer track and field coach for the U of M.

For more information about the Beijing Olympics, read Dr. Susan Brownell's Training the Body for China: Sports in the Moral Order of the People's Republic (1995) or her more recent book of Beijing’s Games: What the Olympics Mean to China (2008).

Previous lectures

Click here to see previous lectures from the Tucker Center.

For more information about the Beijing Olympics, read Dr. Susan Brownell's Training the Body for China: Sports in the Moral Order of the People's Republic (1995) or her more recent book of Beijing’s Games: What the Olympics Mean to China (2008).

Previous lectures

What's Inside

Distinguished Lecture Series

Spring 2009 Distinguished Lecture Series

Fall 2008 Distinguished Lecture

	Janis Klecker competed in the 1992 Olympic marathon in Barcelona, Spain—the same year she won the Olympic Trials. A native of Edina, and an alumnae of the U of M, Klecker is a five-time qualifier for the Olympic Trials, Twin Cities Marathon champion and winner of countless other races. Such achievements have earned her a place in the U.S. Track & Field Minnesota Hall of Fame. Currently, Klecker holds the women’s world record for the 50K, a record she has held for over 25 years .
	Carrie Tollefson began her career as a distance runner while growing up in Dawson, Minnesota. She was a 13-time Minnesota State High-school Champion in both cross country and track & field. But her unprecedented achievements were just beginning. At Villanova, Tollefson continued her winning ways when she became a five-time NCAA Champion and 12-time All-American. During her post-collegiate career she has won a national championship in both cross county and indoor track. In the 2004 Olympics held in Athens, Greece, Tollefson competed in the 1500m race after winning the Olympic Trials.
	Shani Marksb>, a native of Apple Valley, was a three-time All-American triple jumper and NCAA runner-up while competing for the U of M. Marks is also a two-time defending national champion in the indoor and outdoor triple jump, the current Olympic Trials champion, and just represented the United States in the triple jump at the Beijing Olympics. Marks is currently in her fourth season as a volunteer track and field coach for the U of M.