The importance of women in the sports industry will be discussed Thursday night in University Ballroom in the Martin Luther King Jr. University Union.

Women who were and are currently involved in the sports industry will be visiting Eastern as a part of the second annual Women in the Sport Industry Round Table discussion.

The women who will speak include Joni Comstock, senior vice president at NCAA; Maria Woods, senior associate athletic director at University of Illinois; Kathy Schniedwind, the retired head athletic trainer for Illinois State; and Angela Nicholson, head coach of Eastern’s women softball team.

Nicholson said this is her first year participating in the discussion.  The talk will be a question and answer session, so the topics are dependent of what the audience asks.

“I am involved because I am a mother of four children, so (the school) really wanted to have someone speak about being in athletics, coaching and also being a mother and how it all works,” she said.

She said a main topic she plans to cover would be how she tries to balance home and work life.

“I am very lucky to have a spouse who was also a Division One athlete, so he knows what this life is like,” Nicholson said.  “He actually became a stay-at-home dad to watch our children and get them to where they need to go, such as practices and games.”

She said she makes an effort to attend her children’s sporting events.

“I also try to make as many practices/games and be there to support them. When I cannot my husband films everything so I can watch it at home with the kids,” she said.

Woods said although only women are speaking, men attendees can learn from the discussion.

She said it is a way for men to realize what women can do in the field.

Nicholson said the talk could relate to fathers of young girls who play sports.

“There are many fathers who are coaches who can apply this to their life,” she said. “(Men) may one day marry a woman who is involved in athletics or coaching and learn how to be a supportive spouse and father for his partner,” she said.

Both Nicholson and Woods said they want people to understand women can be successful in the sports world and maintain a positive family life.

“I love the fact that my kids get to see their mom work, I feel like it’s good for my girls to see that they can be just like their mom,” Nicholson said. “My son gets to see that women can do anything that men can do.”

Stephanie White can be reached at 581-2812 or at sewhite2@eiu.edu.