The Rochester (N.Y.) Red Wings are the Triple-A affiliate of the Washington Nationals, and the team recently hired its first two female staff members in the team’s history. Amanda Means, associate strength and conditioning coach and Vanessa Weisbach, assistant athletic trainer, said the team has been very welcoming.
According to Rochester First.com, both Weisbach and Means experienced years of challenges coming up in the male-dominated field of baseball.
“I even had a particular team say, ‘Hey, you’re the best candidate, but we’re not ready to have a female in the organization,'” said Weisbach. “Like, okay, you have my contact info. Let me know when that changes.”
But the pair found a home in the Redwings, and they acknowledged their newfound role not only as members of the team, but as role models for other women and girls.
“I think about it every time I step out on the field for warmups, that if there’s one little girl watching me, then I’ve accomplished something,” Means said. “If I can do it, anybody can do it.”
Weisbach has been an athletic trainer at every level of play, from her early days at Lackawanna Trail High School to her most recent role with the New York Mets. She has also served in private practice, working several years at ProCare Physical Therapy. Weisbach attended East Stroudsburg University of Pennsylvania.
Means’ experience has focused in academic spheres. She served as a sports science intern and strength and conditioning intern at University of Pittsburgh. Prior to that, she was a research assistant at the University of Delaware and worked in the biomechanics lab at Penn State. She also has athletics in her background, having played soccer as a student-athlete at Point Park University.
“I have accepted that I should be here, and it’s alright that I’m here, and I’m allowed to be here,” Means said.
“Just because somebody tells you your goals are out of reach, it doesn’t mean anything,” Weisbach said. “It only means that your goals are out of their reach, not yours.”
