--- title: HK Poet's Inspiring Speech About Being a Woman Athlete description: She gave a rhythmic, emotional opus about what it means to be an athlete and a woman. canonical: https://time.com/4210841/female-football-player-inspiring-speech-2/ author: Katy Steinmetz article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2016-02-06T21:38:13.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-10-05T08:41:32.582Z og:title: HK Poet's Inspiring Speech About Being a Woman Athlete og:description: She gave a rhythmic, emotional opus about what it means to be an athlete and a woman. og:url: https://time.com/4210841/female-football-player-inspiring-speech-2/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt08d1331fbe17dd08/69887c79a988ca42666b6787/screen-shot-2016-02-06-at-4-26-26-pm.png?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 2564 og:image:height: 1442 og:image:alt: Screen Shot 2016-02-06 at 4.26.26 PM og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: HK Poet's Inspiring Speech About Being a Woman Athlete twitter:description: She gave a rhythmic, emotional opus about what it means to be an athlete and a woman. twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt08d1331fbe17dd08/69887c79a988ca42666b6787/screen-shot-2016-02-06-at-4-26-26-pm.png?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Watch This Female Football Player's Inspiring Speech About Being a Woman Athlete > Sponsored content. 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Every edition is assembled by TIME editors rather than generated automatically. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-brief-2026q3/newsletters?i=17946e49-a5ac-46f7-bd05-d2937101665d&cr=time-nl-brief-2026q3-v1) ## Video: HK Poet at the NFL Women's Summit [Watch (HLS stream): HK Poet at the NFL Women's Summit](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/baxffvM2.m3u8) (4:27)  _Published 2016-02-06_ by [Katy Steinmetz](https://time.com/author/katy-steinmetz/) ## Katy Steinmetz Feb 6, 2016 9:38 PM UTC by [Katy Steinmetz](https://time.com/author/katy-steinmetz/) ## Katy Steinmetz Feb 6, 2016 9:38 PM UTC Most of the speakers at the National Football League’s [first-ever](http://time.com/4208631/nfl-womens-summit-super-bowl/) [women’s summit](http://www.nflwomenssummit.com/) gave plain old talks on Thursday, with the exception of Holly K. Peterson. The women’s tackle football player, charter school athletic director and spoken word artist known as “HK Poet” took the stage either side of big names like Condoleezza Rice and Billie Jean King—and still may have gotten the biggest round of applause for her rhythmic, emotional opus about what it means to be an athlete and a woman. The summit took place over two days in San Francisco leading up to Sunday’s Super Bowl, with speakers explaining what sports mean to them and why that common endeavor may be a key factor in crafting the next generation of women leaders. ## Transcript I remember the first time I caught a ball. It was a happy accident. I was five or six years old at my daddy's baseball game, and I just happened to be running along the outskirts of left field when a foul ball took a bad hop. I barely remember seeing it but I remember hearing the sound of my glove pop. Feeling it stuck in my clutch like it belonged to me. Like it was a part of me. Like it was my destiny to be standing in that exact spot. I remember the way the crowd stopped and the amazement on their faces as I threw the ball all the way back to the third baseman. This was my first taste of greatness. And it was just a sip. Whether it was a catch, or a throw, or a pass, or a goal if you are savoring a similar memory on your lips then I know you know what I'm talking about. Because you see you and me we are part of sisterhood, a sisterhood of sports, of solidary of sports, a mixed bag of backgrounds bonded by every backhanded compliment that made us want to be better. Than just fast for a girl, than just strong for a girl, than just good for a girl. We are the lost stars of our universe, forever being compared to the sun. And we have fought our way through the darkness with blood, sweat, and tears striped down our faces. We go to bed with a sweet tooth for greatness and we wake up hungry for success. And whether you do it in a pants, suit, or a dress, I know that we have a uniform mindset. Women who may have never met if it wasn't for our drive that brought us together, we are a sisterhood. And we are joined by these journeys, synced through our sacrifices, and linked by our love for the game. And it's a shame cuz there's still far too many deserving who will miss out seeing their names inked to the history books. And even those who have managed to catch the lime light are still being overlooked 96 % of the time. Have far too often been judged based on how they look rather than how they play. Have been asked to twirl. And smile for the camera, having called a B word that isn't beautiful, having pushed back like a cuticle, and told that America is only looking for the slam dunk. [ NOISE ] So we got creative and we became resilient, because we went through the best adversity training that money could by, and thanks to Title 9, had our universities paid for and received an education. And so much more than we could have ever found on the pages. We found friendship. And we learned what it means to be a part of a team. To wildly bleed its colors so thick across our skin that the eye became camouflage. And we have seen a montage of great change. A movement led by our king. She opened up all sorts of doors, so that my generation wouldn't have to rest against their rusty hinges and so that our daughters may be born on the other side of them. So that 25. 4 million people tune in to the Women's World Cup and see Abby Wambach kiss her wife after Carly Lloyd lifted the heart of an entire nation from. Field. [ APPLAUSE ] So that the Williams sisters could change the way we feel in our skin to finally look at our muscular bodies and say I love it. So that Pat could rise to the summit. So that we could treasure those golden moments of 96, like when Kerri Strug stuck that landing and Mia Hamm started to grow that fan base. Watching Rebecca Lobo and Dawn Staley play, that's what made me wanna go for gold someday. And I'll never forget the day that I got it. July 6, 2013 playing for USA's Women's tackle football team. [ APPLAUSE ] Yeah. Women's tackle football team. A 17- year- old goal checked off the list. And when they placed that medal around my neck, I felt the weight of the world lifted from my shoulders. And there may not have been a million people watching, but you know who we are? Because, you see, you and me. We are part of a sisterhood, a sisterhood of sports, a lifetime of solidarity of sorts, that we are all so much better for. Thank you. 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