Women conquering barriers – Bold Betties, Title Nine and Team Evergreen

How women can identify and reduce the traditional barriers to women’s full participation in outdoor sports was the theme of “Celebrating Visionary Women,” part of the Jeffco Conservation Summit Series.

The free, public conference was sponsored by Jeffco Open Space and PLAN Jeffco and held June 30 at the Boettcher Mansion near the Jeffco Nature Center on Lookout Mountain. The craftsman-style cottage and popular wedding venue was the perfect setting

The event included complimentary breakfast and lunch, speakers, a panel discussion and audience participation, concluding with an hour of yoga. Some 50 people, mostly women, listened to inspiring stories and shared their experiences facing the fears and obstacles involved in outdoor sports.

The speakers represented an element of the outdoor recreation industry that is attempting to become more sensitive to the needs of women to enable them to get more active.

Lise Aangeenbrug, executive director of the Outdoor Foundation, formerly of Great Outdoors Colorado, said the introduction of the iPhone in 2007, which led to a general increase in the amount of screen time, has caused an alarming decline in outdoor activity. Aangeenbrug cited a 2017 Yale study showing that 50 percent of people are active outside only once a year.

Niki Koubourlis, founder and CEO of Bold Betties, said one of the major obstacles women face is the popular marketing image that sports are for extreme athletes who like such things as hanging from rocks upside down.

Another obstacle is typically women are taught to be “neat, sweet and in their seats,” Koubourlis said.

Based in Denver, Bold Betties is an online startup that aims to provide outdoor activities for women of beginning skill level.

By maintaining a website (boldbetties.com) the company helps connect women to 200 mostly free outdoor adventures in 36 cities, with the goal of expanding to 50 cities in a year.

Activities are advertised through social media and meetups and are designed to be supportive, safe, inclusive, uncritical and respectful. Operating principles include “no ridicule” and “no mean girls.”

Koubourlis described how she evolved from an unhappy, obese corporate over-achiever to a long-distance cyclist. She said her outdoor experiences gave her the confidence and the mental stamina to become an entrepreneur.

Alexia O’Connor of Title Nine, a women’s apparel company, told the story of founder Missy Park, who started the firm in her garage with only 56 orders, 49 of which were from her friends.

This was in the days when women were still forced to wear men’s gym shorts and athletic shoes. “She had no idea how she was going to do it but she started anyway,” O’Connor said.

Title Nine aims to encourage women of all ability to get active by featuring “real women who all have day jobs” in their catalogs. Title Nine also sponsors a local hiking series called Summit Sisters for women who want to hike and do a 14er at the end. Starting Block is a grant program to help women start group activity programs for the young or disadvantaged.

Jennifer Barbour, executive director of Team Evergreen, a cycling club and organizer of the famous “Triple Bypass” bike race,  which is held in mid-July, praised the virtues of persistence and determination for women interested in the outdoors.

She encouraged them to “ignore the governor,” referring to an inner voice that wants to impose irrational limits.

But she also said there is a  time to stop. “You can say you don’t have to be there, if it’s not serving you. It’s OK to quit and move on.”

She advised getting comfortable with the idea of seeking assistance. “Drafting (or riding behind another cyclist to reduce wind resistance) can be a good thing. Use other people to help you if you can,” she said.

A concluding panel discussion gave the audience a chance to share stores about barriers to outdoor participation and how they coped with the challenges.

Visionary Women is the first of a series that will address visitorship, stewardship and enjoyment of our open space parks. Future topics will be announced.