Boston Lobsters To Host “A Salute To Strong Women”

BOSTON - June 15, 2015 - PRLog -- Manchester by-the-Sea, Mass.  (June 15, 2015) – The legendary Billie Jean King will host “A Salute to Strong Women”, on Wednesday, July 22nd prior to the Boston Lobsters match against the Philadelphia Freedoms.

The event, designed to inspire girls to pursue their dreams, will feature a panel discussion and Q&A with women from the sports, political and business worlds, including Olympic medalists Nancy Kerrigan and Angela Ruggiero, Salem’s mayor Kimberley Driscoll, local tennis legend Avis Murray, and Northshore magazine publisher Kelly Schetzsle.  The discussion will take place at 5:30 pm and is open to all girls 18 and under who have a ticket to the Lobsters match that evening.  The “Strong Women” will also be introduced on court during halftime of the match that night. To purchase tickets, please visit www.bostonlobsters.net.

“We are extremely proud to host this unique panel discussion with the goal to further inspire young women to pursue their dreams,” said Boston Lobsters general manager Colleen Hopkins. “We have an amazing assortment of accomplished women who will talk about how they overcame obstacles to achieve success.”

Billie Jean King is the founder of the Billie Jean King Leadership Initiative, the Women’s Sports Foundation, and the co-founder of Mylan World TeamTennis.  She has long been a champion for social change and equality and was named one of the “100 Most Important Americans of the 20^th Century” by Life Magazine.  In 2009, President Obama awarded her the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation’s highest civilian honor.

Nancy Kerrigan is the 1994 Olympic Silver Medalist in figure skating, 1992 Olympic bronze medalist, a two-time world medalist, and the 1993 US National Champion.

Angela Ruggiero is a four-time Olympic medalist (one gold, two silver, and one bronze) in ice hockey, where she spent over 15 years as a defenseman wit Team USA.  Angela is also a four-time World Champion, the all-time leader in games played for Team USA, male or female, and a member of the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame.  She graduated from Harvard University and also completed her MBA from Harvard in May, 2014.

Avis Murray has been coaching tennis since 1971 and has been inducted into the USPTA New England Hall of Fame, Gloucester High School Athletic Hall of Fame and the USTA New England Tennis  Hall of Fame. Before joining the USPTA she served nine years in the Women’s Army Corps.

Kelly Schetzsle has enjoyed a meteoric rise through the publishing world, going from advertising sales at a small newspaper in Indiana to becoming the publisher of a top magazine in a major media market.   Kelly was recognized by Diversity Journal as a “2015 Woman Worth Watching”, and was a nominee for Folio Magazine's Rising Star awards.  Kelly hosts multiple events and fundraisers throughout the year and serves as an Executive Board Member for the American Diabetes Association North Shore Tour de Cure and the North Shore Chamber of Commerce.

Kimberley Driscoll has been Mayor of Salem since 2006 and is the city’s first woman Mayor.  She has led the City though several years of progress, growth, and balanced budgets.  Prior to being elected Mayor, she served two terms on the Salem City Council and as the Deputy City Manager and Chief Legal Counsel for the city of Chelsea, MA.

For more information on A Salute to Strong Women, please call the Boston Lobsters at 877-617-5627.  To purchase tickets, please visit www.bostonlobsters.net.

ABOUT THE BOSTON LOBSTERS: The Boston Lobsters are one of seven teams competing in the 40th season of Mylan World TeamTennis, the groundbreaking leader in professional team tennis competition.  This summer, Mylan WTT becomes only the fifth major professional team sports league in the U.S. to reach the 40^th season milestone.