Charlotte Checkers and AHL leaders talk working in sports as women: ‘Your voice matters’
Tera Black still remembers watching a young girl on the Bojangles Coliseum ice, singing the national anthem with a big smile.
That was years ago, Black said. Seasons of Charlotte Checkers hockey have since come and gone. An American Hockey League championship has since been won. But when that same young girl from Antioch Elementary School met with the Chief Operating Officer of the Charlotte Checkers last week — Black remembered her.
“Kendall Smith,” Black said. “She’s our in-game emcee.”
Black added: “I just met with her last week, and she was like, ‘I followed your whole career. I just want to be in hockey.’ And so it was just this little connection from Antioch Elementary to here, and she’s now a kick-ass broadcaster/sideline reporter. She’s amazing.”
Black told this story on Wednesday evening, just before the Charlotte Checkers played a regular-season home game. She was on a panel assembled for International Women’s Day that featured nine women who shared advice and experiences and encouragement centered on working in sports.
Her story about Smith stuck out for a variety of reasons. Most prominent among them: It was a real-life example of what women representation in sports can do for inspiring other women to go into sports — and hiring those inspired women when they do.
“We try to build relationships that empower young people in all different ways,” Black said. “And obviously with our female staff, we are constantly looking to pluck girls into this.”
That’s not just lip service, either. About half of the Checkers’ front office is comprised of women, leaders said. Their range in responsibilities goes from group sales coordinator to vice presidents and beyond.
Many were in attendance on the panel Wednesday.
One of those people was Mary Grams, the Vice President of Corporate Partnerships for the Checkers. Grams “grew up on skates” and played hockey just as her and her three brothers did in her Minnesota home. When she was 17, her future husband, Tony, embarked on a career being a racecar driver, and she began selling corporate sponsorships for his ride.
Her career would then take her all over — from working for decorated driver Ryan Newman in the NASCAR ranks and elsewhere before landing in Charlotte working for the Checkers.
“I’ve seen all aspects (of sports),” Grams said. “And you just get to know as many people as you can, and hold your relationships. I’ve had the same relationships — I’m going to age myself here — for 35 years. ... So you make those relationships in this business and carry them wherever you go.”
Wednesday featured free advice about networking, about earnestly exploring a bunch of different fields within sports that you might not have thought appealed to you. Women on the panel also shared their favorite experiences working in sports. (One story, told by group sales coordinator Annie Eagle, involved her team giving her a standing ovation at work after she pulled off a huge project — one of many examples in the Checkers’ company-culture cap.)
And they also expressed obstacles they’ve had to hurdle in the industry — from overcoming self-doubt, to being a mother in a time-consuming industry such as sports and more.
“I think as women in the sports industry in general — at least I know I do — we always feel like we have something to prove,” said Hayley Moore, a hockey player with a decorated career who now serves as Vice President of Hockey Operations for the AHL. “I’m working on just having my work speak for itself and to just prove to myself that my experience is valuable and it’s valid, and your voice matters.”
A referee for the Checkers’ game, Elizabeth Mantha, shared that offering herself grace in her demanding position is something she’s cognizant of, too.
Black also weighed in on the conversation. The COO has made a lot of history at the Checkers. She was named the AHL’s Outstanding Executive for 2015-16 — the first woman to receive the honor. She was also the first woman to have her name etched on the Calder Cup when the Checkers won the AHL’s ultimate prize in 2019.
Her big advice? “Enjoy the journey,” she said.
”I’ve had the privilege of having 27 years in this business, and I wish so much that I would’ve enjoyed the early days more because I was so stressed out about how I was going to be the best and getting to the next step,” she said. She added, “Enjoy the moment.”
Before the puck dropped on Wednesday, which resulted in a down-to-the-wire 3-2 Checkers loss to the Bridgeport Islanders, another young girl stepped on the ice, just like a current employee did all those years ago.
That girl had a crown on her head. She wore a white and pink sash. With a spotlight on her, she was handed a microphone and then belted out a beautiful rendition of the national anthem — the future bright in front of her.
This story was originally published March 9, 2023 at 7:00 AM.
