2021 LYNN LEWIS FOUNDATION SPECIAL EDITION
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14th ANNUAL LYNN LEWIS SPECIAL EDITION
COUN CIL
COMPETE SPORTS DIVERSITY PUBLISHER Eric Carlyle, SDLT eric@competenetwork.com EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Connie Wardman, M.A., SDLT connie@competenetwork.com VICE PRESIDENT Jared Garduno, SDLT jared@competenetwork.com This special issue of Compete was created in partnership with the Lynn Lewis Foundation. If your organization produces or hosts a run, tournament, sports festival, awards ceremony or other type of event, please contact Compete today to find out how we can partner to produce a high-quality issue unique to your organization and its special events. Email us at publications@competenetwork.com Compete Unites the World Though SportsTM Copyright © 2021 MEDIA OUT LOUD, LLC All Rights Reserved. Corporate Office 6991 E Camelback Rd., Ste. D-300 Scottsdale, Arizona 85251 800-489-1274 Compete is a trademark of Media Out Loud, LLC
Thank You to all of our volunteers, including League AT&T of Greater Florida for supporting the event. And thank you to the Lynn Lewis staff for coming to Miami from cities near and far. A special thank you to the Lady Elite for sponsoring the "LLF Coach Award." www.CompeteNetwork.com
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WELCOME
WELCOME Dear Participants, As the Co-Founders of the Lynn Lewis Foundation, it is our pleasure to welcome you to the 14th Annual Lynn Lewis Foundation Invitational Flag Football Tournament in Miami, Florida. We would like to give a special thank you to Compete Sports Diversity for their support during this journey. This is a landmark event as we will be celebrating the life of all those women and men who have had breast cancer, won the fight and are surviving to tell their stories as well as those who are currently battling breast cancer and living to tell their stories. Most importantly, we will commemorate those who lost the battle, but passed their stories on so that others may benefit, survive and live life to the fullest. This weekend's event is an excellent opportunity for you to meet women from all over whose lives are touched by this disease. Listen to them as they share their lives, their battles, their struggles and their survival. Learn how having a life-threatening disease does not determine who you are but empowers you to become the person you never dreamed you could be. Games will begin October 16 at 8:00 a.m. and conclude on October 17 at 10:00 p.m. We look forward to meeting you all in Miami at what promises to be a most unforgettable and enjoyable event! Good luck this weekend!
Mashonda Paschal- Gilmore Executive Director/Co-Founder
Zeric Foster Chief of Operations/Co-Founder
Donna Spilotras Board of Directors Member/Co-Founder
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FIELD MAP
FOOD TRUCK VENDORS
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OCTOBER 16-17
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AMELIA EARHART PARK PALM AVE. & W. 65TH ST. HIALEAH, FL 33012
Vendors parking lot
restrooms event administration
5 6 girls camp & team warmups
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medical official’s station fields
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ABOUT US The Lynn Lewis Foundation (LLF) is committed to growing and promoting breast cancer awareness through flag football within its communities from state-to-state and country-to-country. It is fulfilling its mission of helping both survivors and caregivers from all walks of life who are or have been impacted by breast cancer. An important goal of the LLF has been to provide an avenue of relief for breast cancer caregivers from the exhaustive experience of caring for their loved ones through programs that are designed to give back to the community. This year the LLF launched a scholarship fund to assist women or men who play or support women’s flag football and who have been affected by breast cancer. Scholarships have been granted to persons who have been faced with this deadly disease during this pandemic in accordance with the foundation guidelines. In just this year the foundation has financially empowered over 100 people through scholarships and grants by hosting their annual events and charities. We also welcome your donations for this worthy cause. www.lynnlewisfoundation.com THANK YOU GUIDE PARTNERS
UPCOMING EVENTS WFFF International Bowl February 19-20, 2022, Orlando, FL Lynn Lewis West Coast Tournament April or May 2022, Las Vegas, NV Pee Wee- Mixing Bowl June, 2022, Washington, DC
blissdentalmiami.com
Lynn Lewis Foundation 15th Annual Invitational October 8-9, 2022, Washington, DC www.CompeteNetwork.com
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The Lynn Lewis Flag Football Invitational celebrates its 14th tournament this year in Miami. The event continues to grow each year and has attracted 1,000+ participants at past events. Attendees for the tournament typically travel from the East Coast (feeder markets include Georgia and Florida). The 13th Anniversary tournament was held in April 2021 and attracted 700 athletes (during the COVID pandemic). The Stonewall Sports Official Tournament Guide is produced by Compete Sports Diversity. Compete, celebrating its 15th anniversary this year, connects, educates, empowers, and inspires mission driven LGBTQIA+ and allied sports and community leaders, sports organizations, nonprofit groups, tourism partners, corporate partners, and athletes to further sports diversity together.
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THE STRENGTH IN NUMBERS: POWER OVER PASSION “When one moves up, we all do.” Mashonda Gilmore is certainly not the first nor is she the only person to ever express this sentiment; however, it is rare in this day and age to meet someone who actually lives by these words. Mashonda is such a person. Among a plethora of academic, athletic, and professional accomplishments, Ms. Gilmore is the founder and executive director of the Lynn Lewis Foundation, an organization whose mission is to promote women’s flag football, empower women and bring awareness to cancer research and education. Sound like an odd pairing? You bet! But if you ever have the pleasure of meeting Mashonda and foundation namesake, Lynn Lewis, it will all make sense. Friends describe Mashonda as quiet, focused and, steady, while words used
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14 YEARS STRONG
to describe Lynn are fierce, tenacious, and tough. Women’s football officially began in 1967, reaching its height in popularity in the 1970s during the women’s rights movement. Due to cultural shifts and financial limitations, interest in the sport waned until a resurgence in the late 1990s. It is at this time when Mashonda first met Lynn. These two women, together and on their own, have worked for the better part of the past three decades to promote the sport by educating the general public, inviting young girls to learn about football, and selflessly giving their time and treasure to ensure the continued development and expansion of women’s football. To be clear, these women athletes are working to solidify their place in the arena; not to be compared to men, simply to be considered as the elite athletes in a sport all their own. There are generally no salaries and limited other resources and supports. The
women who organize, coach, and play flag football do so for the love of the game and one another. Almost 14 years ago, Mashonda’s steadiness, the seemingly infinitely sourced energy, was ignited by Lynn’s spark. Lynn encouraged Mashonda to start her own flag football tournament stating, “I told her, she needs to do a tournament. She has the power, resources, and tools.” Mashonda
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echoes, “She (Lynn) basically saw something in me more than I saw in myself.” Mashonda, in her continuous desire to give back, started the Lynn Lewis Foundation in conjunction with her first tournament to honor her friend and support Lynn in her thenrecent diagnosis of breast cancer. Lynn, who received support from her wife Donna and football family across the country, underwent chemotherapy for over ten years. “As a lawyer, football player, and coach there were always times I had to fight to persevere until the goal was met and ultimately achieve the final goal, which was to win. And win we did—in court and football—but the biggest win now, and admittedly the most important, is to win the fight against cancer. This dreaded disease tries to take away a part of me everyday, but I have to use the same tenacity and determination I have used thus far in life to fight this disease each and every day.” These are the words of Lynn Lewis over five years ago before Lynn lost her battle. The Lynn Lewis Foundation is a cause within a cause. The Foundation holds flag football tournaments as a place
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to be accepted and supported in one way and a call to action to support in another way. It is a call to recognize our common struggles and understand we are all raised up when we support one another by empowering each other. And it doesn’t stop there. The foundation has expanded programming to support survivors and caregivers, including support groups for children of parents diagnosed with cancer as well as a community outreach program to assist those struggling through recovery with support, ranging from financial help to help with transportation, medical expenses or running errands. Twenty-some years ago, Mashonda and Lynn met over their shared love of football. They met at a women’s football tournament playing on only two of the five teams competing. Today that number has more than tripled and is still growing in the United States and internationally. Mashonda and Lynn inspired one another, but it has been true teamwork that puts the Lynn Lewis Foundation over the top. As Lynn said, “It is team over talent.” For more information about and how you can support the Lynn Lewis Foundation contact mashond@lynnlewisfoundation.com.
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5 woman non-contact
5 woman contact
7 woman screen
8 woman non-contact
7v7 HS Girls17U
5v5 MS Girls14u
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