On Friday October 2nd at the Navy Women’s Lacrosse alumni night, Pat & Doreen gave the first ever Wings for Val award to a current player who exhibits similar team spirit and hustle as Val did. Val (Class of 2009) wore the #6 jersey proudly and was the heart and soul of her team during its transition from a club sport to Division 1 even though she was far from being the best player. She is remembered by her teammates as being a source of positive encouragement for those above and below her no matter what the situation. Molly McNamara was chosen by her coaches to receive this award in honor of Val. Her name was etched into a custom plaque that will hang proudly and accumulate with a new name each year.

Val’s dad, Pat, expands on the purpose of the award:

The intent of the Wings For Val foundation is to inspire the next generation of young women leaders. The path to successful leadership can be fairly different between men and women. But in both cases, it does rely on strong personal character. This is something that needs time to develop. It takes perseverance, sometimes mostly failures and successes.  You do not learn this in a book or in a classroom but you can be inspired by examples. Examples do not need to be Captain of a team but they do need to show that they care about their teammates, help the ones that may need encouragement and sometimes a gentle push. They need to show perseverance and fearlessness on the field. They also need to show physical courage to go through daily practices. They know that it is not about them but about something much bigger than themselves. This is our hope for that award: Finding that kind of person. Our challenge is that we can only pick one and there are so many good examples on this team. Coach Cindy Timchal, you also deserve some credit for developing such a fine group of young ladies. They are truly the best we have and this is not just about Lacrosse. 

For those who don’t know, Molly has chosen “Submarines”.  This is not a small decision to make to be one of the first female officers in that line of duty.  Molly, you will be a great leader for the upcoming class of enlisted female selectees.  The deep sea is now your limit.  God Bless.

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