OUR UNTOLD STORY

David oversees all operations at Untold Athletes including content creation, strategic positioning, and partnerships. He works heavily on the story production side by interviewing athletes and working with them to tell their stories. 

DAVID’S UNTOLD STORY

“I grew up around competitive sports. My two older brothers both played Division I tennis and had made it to the NCAA tournament. They pushed me, and my dream was to achieve exactly what they had accomplished and then some. At BYU, the majority of my teammates were international. In addition to loving how tennis forced me to progress and development in numerous ways – as an athlete and a person – I became fascinated with how a sport could bridge a seemingly impenetrable gap and provide a common language for people inherently different. As fate would have it, on March 12, my twenty-year tennis career came to a screeching halt due to COVID-19, and I was left with unfilled dreams and unachieved potential. As I talked to athletes around the country, it pained me to hear that so many athletes felt similarly and that they would not get the closure or recognition they deserved with such an abrupt ending. These athletes’ stories were powerful and inspiring; I wanted to seize the opportunity to share their stories at a time when light was needed.

With the help of some amazing individuals, I started Untold Athletes as a way to honor the power sports have to connect, unite, inspire, and uplift us. It began as a way to share the inspiring stories of athletes who lost their seasons to COVID-19. We soon expanded rapidly, and with the rising racial tension in the country, we shifted the Untold Athletes platform to sharing all athletes’ stories, focusing most recently on Black athletes. We want this to be a platform where we openly celebrate the experiences of athletes, at every level, and where marginalized and underrepresented voices could be heard and elevated. Ultimately, our mission is to empower athletes, inspire readers, and amplify voices by sharing untold stories.”

Whitney oversees Untold Athlete’s Satellite Programs, and assists with diversity and inclusion initiatives. Additionally, she manages business development strategy and implementation and aids in story sourcing. 

WHITNEY’S UNTOLD STORY

"When I was in 6th grade I was asked, “What do you want to be when you grow up?” Confidently I said, “I’m going to play in the WNBA.” I loved basketball; both my parents had played in college, so it seemed natural for the sport to maintain a dominant role in my life and identity. All I ever wanted was to be great at basketball. And I pushed myself in effort to achieve my full potential.

After high school, I headed to college on an athletic scholarship. I was the only freshmen to have been recruited that year. I worked hard, yet I could feel my teammates’ frustration as my young, comparatively weak body struggled to adjust to increased sprint times and massive amounts of weight added to my barbells. In my distress to keep up, I adjusted my eating habits. I ate less. I skipped meals. I would go to bed crying – my body and mind starving for nutrients that I was too stubborn to supply. I was certain that if I could shed a few pounds my speed would quicken, and I wouldn’t be the recipient of snide comments and exaggerated eye rolls as my lagging feet added another sprint to our team’s conditioning.

My plan worked. Soon, I was making sprint times. I was improving on the court too – soaking in drills and technique and coach’s barks as if they were all I lived for. So I continued to starve myself, erroneously thinking that was the key to my improvement. By the third game of the season, I was exhausted. I remember warming up, wondering how on earth I was going to last the full season. My body responded to that question in the second half as my left ACL, MCL, and meniscus tore – the result of a foul to the head, mid-layup, and a hard landing. That was the first of three season-ending injuries – a ruptured Achilles’ tendon and another torn ACL followed. After seven years, my collegiate basketball career ended, and I was not headed to the WNBA.

Though basketball afforded me opportunities that have changed my life for the better, the sport itself left me broken. Yet it was in those moments of despair and distrust, that I found me. I am perseverant. I work hard. I am consistent. I am strong – mentally, physically, and emotionally. Though my dreams of going to the WNBA were never realized, my collegiate career ended with me having exhausted my eligibility and playing my last year healthy. I finished two degrees. As I have pursued a career as a collegiate athletics administrator, I am driven to help athletes recognize their value and identity outside of their sport. Though one’s athletic career may not go as planned, the lessons, opportunities, failures, friends, and successes lived in that space can help one influence and determine their destiny in the best way." 

Sydney oversees marketing activities including media relations, public relations, and content strategy. She also works with the development team to launch campaigns, generate content, and aid in story sourcing.

SYDNEY’S UNTOLD STORY

“Growing up I pursued excellence in everything I did, I was willing to put in the work to be the best. From a young age, I found joy in competing whether it was on the ice rink, figure skating, or on the stage, dancing. In the 7th grade, I fell in love with lacrosse. It was the first time I participated in a team sport and loved being a part of a team. I lucked out and had some natural talent, I started on the JV team as a 7th grader and soon after made a top club team in my area. It was my freshman year of high school when I realized that I had the ability to play in college if I was willing to put in the work. I committed to the University of Notre Dame my sophomore year of high school and I was thrilled to have the opportunity to compete at a top 20 school. Little did I know committing to Notre Dame would change my life in a way I would never have expected. 

Although committing to Notre Dame was exciting, it also came with a lot of worry and anxiety. Being from North Carolina, a non-traditional lacrosse area, I began to doubt my ability to make an impact at Notre Dame. I started worrying if I was good enough to go to such a prestigious school. Would I be able to hang in practice? Would I ever see the field? Will my teammates think I am bad at lacrosse? This worry stuck with me throughout my senior spring of high school into freshman year. Despite having a great high school career earning All-American honors and leading my team to its first state championship, I was terrified to live out my dreams of playing DI lacrosse. 

What I feared became a reality my freshman year. Although I did not expect to get a lot of playing time, I did not realize how much not playing would affect me mentally. I went from never sitting a minute on the bench in high school to sitting the whole game in college. I struggled with my confidence and started doubting my abilities on the lacrosse field. Going to practice made me extremely anxious, I felt that I had to play perfect if I ever wanted to get on the field. The combination of my lack of confidence and anxiety greatly affected my performance. 

Over the course of my time at ND, I struggled to find worth in myself and my role on my team. I found myself dreading practice, crying after games, and lacking motivation. I thought that there was something wrong with me, that I was not tough enough to be a collegiate athlete, that I let my family and friends back home down. 

Being a psychology major, I decided that I should see a sports psychologist. I started focusing on the things I could control: my effort, attitude, and individual game. I worked to build my confidence on the field and accept my mental health off the field. My senior fall rolled around and I started enjoying the sport of lacrosse again. I was playing for myself and the 7th grader who fell in love with the sport. Unfortunately, I never had the opportunity to fully make med my relationship with lacrosse as my senior season was canceled due to covid. However, if my season was not canceled I would have never found Untold Athletes or be able to continue to share other athletes’ untold stories.”