She does this from the vantage point of one whose innate drive (she’s a US Nationals bobsled champion, black belt in Tae Kwon Do, novelist and mother) and ability to overcome obstacles has led to an extraordinary capacity for imparting enthusiasm, revelation and motivation. Allred took the time to speak with WCDA about the challenges facing women in a society where, unfortunately, sexual equality before the law is not always easily transferred into our everyday lives.

The old boys are still here
On the topic of equality in the workplace Allred candidly reveals that, through recent conversations with both sexes, she has discovered that “the old boys’ network does exist; there is a double standard to this day.” Allred goes on to extol the positive aspects of having lived and fought for women’s rights during the feminist revolution, identifying a flipside to this type of dangerous stereotyping: “for a lot of women pioneers, we intuitively understood that things weren’t even...love it or hate it, I knew it. But for most young women today, they are coming into business and it’s a different, unfamiliar and sometimes shocking situation.”

In fact, she continues, “today’s young women are at a disadvantage—everything’s pretty fair, but then they venture into the business world it’s a shocker. There are still many employers who believe that they’d rather not hire a woman for a job, but a man instead.” Allred bravely makes this public after speaking with various employers in the business milieu, “the thinking behind that is ‘I’d put too much time into training to have my employee take maternity leave.’”

Equality in all “fields”
Allred remains a pillar of the movement for equality in sport for women and girls in America and her accomplishments deserve as much recognition as those of the women who have blazed the same challenging trail in other arenas. She is quick to acknowledge the contributions of women entrepreneurs such as Debbie Fields, of Mrs. Fields Cookies, whom she interviewed for her book, Passion Rules! Allred is adamant that it is a different world for businesswomen today, in comparison to when women entrepreneurs such as Fields were starting out. Even in the not-so-distant past, she says, “women didn’t traditionally get aggressive, or be competitive,” whereas “it’s great for young women today because now most women have been exposed in some manner to sports, and they understand the concept of working hard for a goal and fair play.”

It is on the subject of Title IX that Allred unflinchingly lays bare her concerns regarding the past we ignore, as women, at our own peril. For those who are unaware of this landmark 1972 amendment to American law, Title IX entitles women’s school athletics [funding] to total equality to that of men's school athletics. Allred maintains that “many women don’t know what women in the past have had to go through so that women today can have equality.” Although Allred allows that that’s how it should be, she stresses that it’s a problem because the business world hasn’t changed at the same pace. In other words, young women come to accept that they are equal—for the most part—in sports and in education, but then “in the business world, guess what? The pay scale isn’t even.”

Allred explains that because Title IX “demanded that equal money and equal opportunity be given to boys and girls in middle school, high school and college, a lot of people [who felt that women were making it harder for men's sports teams] fought that demand.” But Allred makes it known that the bar has been raised since 1972; as she explains in Atta Girl!, her global exposé of women pioneers in sport, Title IX may redefine American women’s ability to succeed in a broad variety of endeavours.

One bobsled track, two teams
In a further example of the ways in which women’s participation in sport has improved internationally, Allred cites her experiences after joining the US Women’s Olympic Bobsledding Team in 1994. “When [the Olympic Administration] decided to step into the modern world and have tryouts for a [women’s] team, the men were furious,” she claims. “Men objected to having to share their coveted ice time. Since there was only one track upon which only one bobsled can practice at a time, they now had to cut their time in half because, with women on the ice track, we just doubled the number of bobsledders and teams.”

The Men’s B Team was indignant that what little equipment they had was now going to be shared with the new Women’s A Team. Allred recalls a particularly bitter lesson for her and her team-mates: “I still remember sitting in the cafeteria at the Lake Placid Olympic Training Center and someone came up to warn me to ‘get up to the office and get your stuff.’ It got so bad that when we got a sponsor and equipment, the men raided and pilfered our equipment when we were on lunch in the cafeteria, and this was our top-of-the-line stuff!”

Although the men had sunk to a new low, the women stood their ground. It turned out that American sponsors were so taken with the image of women bobsledders that they provided them with multimillion-dollar deals.

Ironically, the women’s team made their contract a package deal, so the men also received sponsorship (and their own better-fitting new equipment). “They fought us like cats and dogs,” Allred laughs, but in the end “they walked away with more equipment, better travel opportunities and with more sponsorship than they would’ve had otherwise. Let me tell you, though, it was ugly to begin with.”

One of Allred’s proudest moments was watching her training buddy Jill Bakken make the 2002 Olympic debut for women's bobsledding—and win gold. (Allred had retired in 1998 but still kept with the campaign to bring women’s bobsledding into the Olympic arena.)

Attitude is everything
When asked her advice for women entering the world of business, Allred responds that “beyond doing your homework, understanding your market audience and being careful with whom you trust, look at your history and the history of men and women in business. Know that the old boys’ network does exist. When you are aware of that going in, you can knock their socks off with your knowledge and ability. But sometimes a jerk is just a jerk.”

In no way does Allred advocate surrendering. “If things don’t go the way you want them to, then you change strategies.” When asked why she was invited to stay on in bobsledding while other, more “elite” athletes were cut from the Olympic team, she explains that it had everything to do with confidence and attitude.

“We had some field hockey players who were phenomenal. The right build, and strength—they were the total package. But they had no concept of teamwork.” Two teams of women were required to lift the sleds and the so-called elites, according to Allred, “had no interest in that and they thought that the world revolved around themselves.”

Allred was considered instead, in part because, in her own words, “I wanted to learn everything. Not only did I understand the track, but I wanted to know everything about the sled.” So she spent time in the sled shed asking endless questions about the mechanics and maintenance of the equipment. Word got back to the coaches about Allred’s sincere interest, and that’s what impressed them.

Moving forward
Allred is part of a group of female writers and although they also tout that ”women can do anything,” she regrets that women will often claim that their boyfriend or significant other will hold them back.

“Historically, women support; men do not. Most women write from home, so you’d think that would be okay. But some men don’t appreciate that her passion or interest is not accorded to the king and the throne,” she says. Nonetheless, Allred points out that the biggest mistake women make is to stay within boundaries set by others. Some women may feel the need to protect the image of their husbands or boyfriends, Allred admits, “but they need to talk to other businesswomen because, I promise, other women have great strategies and suggestions.”

As we have learned, internalizing won’t help. Meaningful connection with other women can serve as a valuable source of knowledge and guidance, since those who have gone before have a deeper understanding of their respective fields. Allred rightfully asks, “Why step into the business world without an understanding of the rules? As in baseball, we need to know the rules, and in this case they fall under the rubric of bank loans, or location selection… An idea can be fabulous, but women shouldn’t just charge ahead.”

In light of her own exciting and insightful experience, Alex Powe Allred is living proof that practice makes perfect.

Click here to read a review of Alex Powe Allred’s book, Atta Girl! A Celebration of Women in Sports

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