NIC Women’s Golf team invited as special guests to Women in Red fundraiser

The NIC women’s golf team, along with 500 others, attended the Women in Red fundraiser on Saturday at the Coeur d’Alene Resort. The event organizers invited a total of 26 female athletes from Kootenai County, including the Cardinals, after an anonymous benefactor sponsored their tables at the event.

The Kootenai County Republican Women Federated (KCRWF) hosts this event annually, this year selling out their tickets. Attendees came to participate in the traditional and silent auctions, as well as hear from speakers such as Idaho Representative Barbara Ehardt, Kootenai County Commissioner Bruce Mattare, and keynote speaker Riley Gaines.

Sofia Lippiello, a sophomore member of the Cardinal golf team, attended the event with most of her teammates. Their presence prompted their benefactor to sponsor a third table to seat them all.

“[They] wanted to have female athletes there to meet Riley and to hear her speak about her experience at the event. ” said Sofia, “It was an awesome experience.”

Riley spoke about her experiences as college athlete at the University of Kentucky’s swim team and having to compete with transgender athletes. The Women in Red event was her latest stop as she speaks at events across the country advocating for the intercity of women’s sports.

Davalu Cummings, President of the KCRWF, reported the audience felt “engaged listening to her.” She went on to describe Gaines’ speech and presence as “captivating.”

Idaho State Representative Barbara Ehardt also spoke and introduced Riley. Representative Ehardt, a former NCAA Division I women’s basketball coach for 15 years, introduced Idaho’s “Fairness in Women’s Sports Act,” prohibiting transgender women from participating in women’s sports.

The KCRWF raises funds to promote American values, provides constitution booklets to high school seniors, awards scholarships and engages in other community-minded activities. The Women in Red event serves as a platform to unite like-minded individuals, discuss critical issues, and showcase prominent voices, such as Riley Gaines, as well as local and state elected officials.