U.S. mountain bike Olympian Kate Courtney launches foundation to get more girls on bikes
If she can see it, she can send it.
This is the motto cross-country mountain bike athlete Kate Courtney chose for the launch of her new non-profit—the She Sends Foundation, The 28-year-old Stanford University graduate launched her new foundation with the aim of attracting more girls and women to mountain biking.
Courtney said in an Instagram post “I could not be more excited for the launch of @shesendsmtb! It’s been a dream of mine for a long time to find a bigger way to connect and support women and girls through mountain biking.”
Courtney, the 2018 World Champion, 2019 World Cup Series Overall Champion and a Tokyo 2020 Olympian, is currently the top-ranked U.S. women’s rider in the UCI rankings. The launch comes just ahead of the start of the 2024 UCI World Cup race series, which kicks off in Mairiporã, Brazil, from 12 to 14 April.
Courtney has shared that she will once again have her eyes set on earning one of two US women’s quota spots for the Olympic Games. At Tokyo 2020, she finished a disappointing 15th place. The UCI World Cup results through 26 May will count toward the Mountain Bike Qualification ranking for Paris 2024.
The impetus for the She Sends Foundation
According to the She Sends website, Courtney’s idea for the foundation came out of her involvement with Little Bellas, a mountain bike organization that encourages young women to get on bikes through camps and ride programs. Courtney initially funded a Little Bellas pilot program, and the experience sparked her to find a more powerful way to connect women in mountain biking.
In a podcast interview with Girls Gone Gravel, Courtney shares that the foundation's big theme is to “try and create more connection and community within women’s mountain biking and use that to support these programs that are increasing accessibility and getting more girls on bikes.”
Courtney also shares that the idea of “sending it” applies beyond the bike, she says, “Mountain biking is an amazing vehicle to learn skills of self-confidence, overcoming challenges, building a community, and gaining those skills you need to take those next steps.” She notes that she has used these skills in her professional mountain bike career, but she adds, “I find that impacts so much off the bike and my ability to send it in other things.”
She Sends Foundation focuses on funding existing programs
On the She Sends Instagram post announcing the launch, “Today’s launch is about more than us ... it’s about supporting amazing organizations already working to get #moregirlsonbikes! We are celebrating […] by highlighting two exciting projects we are helping fund through NorCal GRiT and Little Bellas.”
Shortly following the launch, the She Sends Foundation announced a grant partnership with the National Interscholastic Cycling Association (NICA) GRiT (Girls Riding Together) Grants program. This program is similarly focused on recruiting and retaining girls and female coaches in NICA programs. The GRiT program was founded in response to girls representing only 24 per cent of NICA’s overall national student-athlete participation—a number that the program is actively working to increase.
Does the She Sends Foundation support competitive riders?
The She Sends Foundation hints at future opportunities for competitive athletes to receive funding through the foundation. The website mentions a forthcoming opportunity to “support empowerment through competition,” promising a grant program in the future to “provide direct support to female athletes competing at the national and international level in XC MTB Racing.” Stay tuned!