Sat 30 Jul 2022 07:00 am
Story and photos by Karen Carr Keefe
dr. Stacey Schroeder-Watt, a phenomenal star at Grand Island High School, got a boost on her career path in medicine through sports. “Because I had a scholarship as a result of Title IX,” she explained.
Title IX is the groundbreaking legislation that changed the face of women’s sports forever 50 years ago.
And 2022 will also mark 30 years since Schroeder-Watt made a record-breaking 172 foot discus throw, one of only two state records she held that still stands today. However, she says she would be happy to see the records fall. “They are made to break… someone else has to enjoy them; I’ve had my fun.”
Schroeder-Watt, chief of department of the anesthesiology division at Kaleida Health, is a strong supporter of not only athletics for women, but also encouraging girls and women to break through another barrier and advance the STEM careers of science, technology , engineering and mathematics.
In STEM fields, as in sports fields, women are still underrepresented compared to men, she notes. Schroeder-Watt is working to level the playing field in both arenas.
Grand Island High School Athletic Director Jon Roth remembers her as an outstanding three-sport athlete at GIHS. She excelled in volleyball, basketball and, most notably, track and field.
Recently retired Grand Island teacher and coach Craig Davis recalls that record-breaking day, May 9, 1992, when Schroeder-Watt’s discus throw stunned the crowd at the Jamestown Classic, a major track and field event.
“The guy who was measuring — most throws go like 100, 110 feet — so he was standing at about 130 feet and she threw him right over his head. So he watched it go over his head and then landed and he marked it and it was 172 feet,” he said.
“There was a lot of enthusiasm. Everyone who was there clapped and applauded her,” he recalls. “She was competitive… and I never saw her lose.”
“I believe she helped the track team this year, so it’s come full circle,” Davis said. “She’s a great athlete, a great student, a great doctor and a great mother.”
Schroeder-Watt said she is grateful for the opportunities Title IX has given her and so many other women since June 23, 1972. Then the Civil Rights Act of 1964 was updated to protect women from discrimination in all education programs – but with an effect that was especially felt in women’s sports.
“Title IX, especially since this is now the 50 . ise For years it was really an eye-opening experience to remember all the people that came before you and all the opportunities that have been generated as a result of Title IX.”
“Everyone knows that football teams, basketball teams, generate a lot of revenue and sustain themselves, but it’s nice to see schools invested, and now, with their initial investment in Title IX, women’s sport has taken off.”
“I wish they would say they are now at the level of men’s sport, but alas. we’re not there yet. I hope we get there? Absolute!
“So, I’m a really big fan of athletics in general. I think it adds depth to a person’s resume, but also to their life experience. I think they’re better teachers, better doctors, better lawyers, better people, better community citizens when it comes to sports because they learn to work together. They learn how to be a team and a unit and fight for a greater cause or good. And I think sometimes that’s missing, especially now.”
dr. Stacey Schroeder-Watt, with her daughters, Espen “Alexandra,” 15, left; and Audrey, 13.
••••••••
Schroeder-Watt emphasizes the importance of reinvigorating school athletics and shaking off the ripple effects of the COVID-related cancellations.
“I think it’s a call to action for everyone to say, ‘Let’s go back and get back to the fields, get back to athletics.’ It takes a community for that.”
She is equally passionate about sports and the STEM fields as keys to growth and civic engagement for young people.
“The community part is central. I think not only does sport bring a lot of people around, but I’m also a big believer in the STEM fields… I think we need to get back to that. Because not everyone is going to have a video channel on YouTube and make a million dollars.”
She said that when she goes to schools to lecture, she asks students questions like, “What do you want to do with your life,” and “What are you going to do to make the world a better place?” She said that too many times for her, the answer is something like, “Well, I’m going to do it through my Instagram channel.”
Schroeder-Watt said, “Things are away from community and activism, getting out there and learning what your community needs and what you can do with your skills.”
For several years now, Schroeder-Watt has been hosting a panel discussion on STEM careers in high school. The program is sponsored by the Zonta Club of Grand Island, of which she is a member. It is held in memory of Amelia Earhart, a member of Zonta who was the first female aviator to fly solo across the Atlantic.
COVID sidetracked the program, but it returned in April with a panel of five young students from the University at Buffalo pursuing careers in nursing, pharmacy, and medicine.
She hopes girls will be inspired to pursue STEM careers in greater numbers to bridge the significant gender gap in these fields. “They are still very much underrepresented, and I can tell you that as an anesthesiologist. While women in medicine are 50%, women in anesthesiology are only in the 30% range, and as you move up into leadership roles in anesthesiology, our number drops to 8% to 13% – and that’s sad, and that is low.
“We all have a path and I go further than the last woman before me. So they paved a trail, I went a little further. I hope maybe I can make it wide enough so that more people can follow and go even further .”
“The challenges again are that women are usually told, ‘Math is for the boys; you know, science is for the boys. And don’t worry, you can write creatively or make art.” Even though those are beautiful fields – I celebrate them – why can’t you just celebrate every field?” she asked. “Support them in whatever area they choose.”
“I think we’re further along, we’ve moved the needle, but it’s not where we need to be yet.”
Schroeder-Watt illustrated her point with an anecdote from an earlier panel discussion by Amelia Earhart.
To be inclusive, the school district wanted to invite all students, both boys and girls, to the panel discussion, a decision it agreed with. Still, a key goal of the Amelia Earhart panel is to encourage girls to pursue STEM careers to increase the ranks of women in those professions.
“A guy came up to the front row and shot his hand up and said, ‘How come all the panelists are women?’ And I pointed it out to him, I said, ‘Well, you heard who the panelists are;’ and he said, ‘Yes, of course. I’ve heard we have a pilot, a scientist, a doctor, an engineer and we have someone who works in mathematics.’ And I said, ‘Yeah, they just happen to be women,’ and the light bulbs that shot into this boy’s eyes were just, ‘Oh!’ I said, ‘Don’t look at them because of their gender, look at them because of the fields they represent and who they are.’ ‘ She added: ‘No one remembers when they lined up a panel of all the men. Nobody turns a blind eye.”
Schroeder-Watt said having a sports background also helped her study. “It has had a huge impact on my ability to manage time, to actually prioritize tasks, to really master goal setting at a young age, and that set a very early stage for success, not just in college, but also afterwards, in medical school.”
A sports analogy illustrates her point: “You know when it’s the last second of a match and you’re two points behind and that stress is high, you can handle it better than most,” she said. “You remember that and you can handle it.”
Schroeder-Watt’s domestic life is also a strength. She and her husband, George, have two daughters, both of whom play sports. Her husband maintains the fortress at home with the children. “That he is a collision specialist and then gives that up to be a stay-at-home dad is a really great thing!” said Schroeder-Watt.
Audrey, 13, started out as a dancer, transitioned into indoor athletics and hybrid defense training, and is interested in volleyball for the upcoming fall season. Her oldest daughter, Esten ‘Alexandra’, 15, took first place among 8-to-13-year-olds in powerlifting in a national bench press competition. She has also pitched, like her mother, and is also interested in hockey. Schroeder-Watt is just happy to be going into athletics. “I want them to know what it feels like to be part of a team,” she said.
“I owe a lot to the field and I owe a lot to the sports community. I owe a lot to Grand Island. They supported me through high school and they encouraged me through college. And they welcomed me back after medical school to rejoin and be a part of the community… and raise my family here. I mean, I couldn’t say enough about this island.”
“My parents were a huge support to me… There were no limits to what you wanted to try,” she said. “They wanted me to experience everything and I really tried to bring that to my own children. You know, give it a shot. And I think that’s the way in life too.”
At first she thought she would become a civil engineer. But when her grandfather became ill during her freshman year, she witnessed a heartbreaking lack of concern and respect from a doctor who treated him. Her grandfather turned to her after the doctor left his hospital room and told her, “You could do better than that,” and encouraged her to consider becoming a doctor. After doing some research on what was needed, she said she decided, “For him, I’ll try.”
During her athletic and medical career, Schroeder-Watt said there are highlights that stand out:
“Having a record for thirty years – the discussion record – was an honor; is inducted into the Buffalo Sports Hall of Fame; and the New York State Athletic Association Hall of Fame have been real highlights of my athletic career,” she said.
“When it comes to my academic and medical career, serving as Kaleida Health Chief of Service has been incredibly important to me, especially as part of John R. Oishei Children’s Hospital. I make a difference every day. At work, I can feel it. because also, as an educator at the University at Buffalo, she teaches nurse anesthetists. I teach the people who will take care of my children in the future – and me. If I can teach them to be good people, to do it right, and everything else, they will take off. “
Helping others find their calling is a central part of Schroeder-Watt’s life mission.
“I’m such a believer that you give back. If you only focus on your individual footprint…and don’t lift your head and look around you, you miss life. I love that I have footprints in multiple places They will eventually wash away, but for now they are still there.”