A Passion for Women’s Sports

Amy Moritz’s enthusiasm for women’s sports began in her youth, growing up in Western New York. She played a pivotal role as the manager of her high school’s women’s basketball team, even reporting scores to local media outlets. Her career trajectory led her to nearly two decades at the Buffalo News, where she focused on covering significant events in women’s sports.

A Vanishing History

During an interview at Saint Bonaventure University, where she currently serves as a Professional In Residence in Sports Media, Moritz expressed concern about the diminishing narratives surrounding women’s sports history. “I realized that there’s a real rich part of our history that kind of is vanishing because the people who played it or know about it, they’re getting older,” she noted. Moritz aims to prevent these stories from becoming mere footnotes in media guides.

The Birth of herstoryWNY

To address this knowledge gap, Moritz launched herstoryWNY, an oral history initiative aimed at cataloging the experiences of prominent female athletes from the region. As of now, she has recorded and shared the stories of 21 local athletes, coaches, and administrators, highlighting their significant contributions to sports.

Sharing Challenges and Triumphs

Moritz has found that many of her subjects candidly discuss the challenges they faced throughout their careers. “There were challenges. But then they ended up working through,” she explained. Notable figures featured in the project include:

• Tara VanDerveer: A Hall-of-Fame coach who transformed the Stanford women’s basketball program into a national powerhouse.
• Sally Kus: The Sweet Home High School volleyball coach whose teams set a record for consecutive wins nationally.
• Yvette Angel: An All-American basketball player from Sacred Heart Academy who made a mark at Ohio State.

Moritz expressed her appreciation for the talents of these athletes, noting that their achievements are often overlooked.

Expanding the Initiative

The scope of herstoryWNY is expansive, with Moritz seeking narratives from a variety of sports, including softball and figure skating. To encourage participation, an outreach form has been made available for individuals to propose potential subjects for the project. Moritz emphasized the importance of diversity, stating, “I would like, just love, to be able to fill out with as much diversity as possible to make it as inclusive as we can.”