Manheim, PA -  Recently, we had the privilege of catching up with NWCA Deputy Director Dr. Jackie Paquette as she marked the completion of her first year with the organization. In our conversation, Dr. Paquette graciously shared insights about the exciting initiatives she is spearheading and shed light on her recent address at the NCAA Career in Sports Forum. Despite her demanding schedule, we are grateful for the opportunity to chat with Dr. Paquette and delve into her experiences and visions. 

Q1: Can you provide a brief overview of your recent talk at the NCAA Career in Sports Forum?
I had the amazing opportunity to speak with the CSF cohort around Pursuing Passion Amid Challenges. The NCAA always puts on a fantastic event for these student-athletes, and this year was no different. I discussed being a woman in a male-dominated space and the challenges of choosing your own path when representation isn't always there for where you'd like to go.

Q2: What were some of the key takeaways from your talk that you would like to highlight?
Do not be afraid to choose your own Path
Pursue your Purpose: Find your Passion 
Risk Heartbreak

Q3: Could you share a bit about your background and how you became the Deputy Director of the NWCA?
Prior to joining the NWCA, I served as Senior Associate Director of Athletics at the University of Indianapolis. At UIndy, I oversaw the wrestling program and was also the academic advisor and media relations contact for the program. I was also UIndy's senior woman administrator and served on various NCAA committees, including the Division II Wrestling Committee. My educational background includes undergraduate degrees in Journalism and History from Butler University, a Master's in Sport Management from UIndy, and a doctoral degree in Sports Administration from NorthCentral University.

Funny story as to how I became Deputy Director at the NWCA…Mike Moyer called me on a random Thursday, and I didn't even realize he was asking me to come work for the Association. It took me a solid five minutes to realize he wanted me for the job, not just to help him out until he hired someone for the position. This speaks directly to why representation matters, and I am so proud to be the first woman hired in an executive position by the NWCA.

Q4: What inspired you to get involved in wrestling, and what challenges did you face along the way?
I was actually brought into the sport through my time at UIndy. I'm very grateful to Jason Warthan and Bob Brubeck for their acceptance of me and influence on me falling in love with wrestling- I hadn't even seen wrestling until my time at UIndy as my high school and undergraduate university do not sponsor the sport. Through working day-to-day with Jason, Bob, and the UIndy program, I developed a passion for the sport and its people, and I've been fortunate to be able to grow that into my current position. 

There are always challenges in any journey, and wrestling is a very male-dominated space. The example I gave in my NCAA talk was "Whose mom are you?" because that may be the most frequently asked question of me over the last decade in the sport, or if I'm an athletic trainer. Spoiler alert- I'm no one's mom; I'm actually usually in some part running or working the event. 

Q5: As a woman in a male-dominated sport, what unique perspectives do you bring to the table as the Deputy Director of the NWCA?
I think that a woman's perspective should always be taken into consideration, but especially when talking about women's sports. I think my perspective as a woman, coupled with my collaboration with other women across the sport, are valuable to the NWCA because it simply hasn't been there before. I think my background in research, as well as in intercollegiate athletics administration also offer perspective to the conversations the NWCA is having around adding new programs and serving our members in as many ways as possible.

Q6: Can you give us a sneak peek into the upcoming NWCA Convention? What can attendees expect, especially in terms of women's wrestling?
We have a full slate of sessions planned in more of a "track-like" format than we have ever attempted before. In respect to women's wrestling, we have tailored many of our sessions to be gender-specific, if possible, to cater directly to coaches of women's wrestling or men's wrestling. In addition, we will also be hosting a Celebration of Women's Wrestling at the 2023 Convention highlighting the amazing things so many women across our sport are doing.

Q7: What initiatives or programs is the NWCA currently working on to promote and support women's wrestling?
We are currently working hard to support women's wrestling through trying to cultivate, train and place as many women's coaches as we can to support the infrastructure of collegiate programs across the country. We are also working hard to support the transition of these collegiate programs to being sponsored as championships by the NCAA, NAIA, NJCAA, and CCCAA. We are also now up to 39 high school associations sponsoring girls wrestling championships. We have a great staff that is working on all of these things, with a special shout out to Dave Kemmy for working day-to-day directly supporting our NCAA women's coaches, and to Jim Fallis for amazing work with our Leadership Groups and the NCAA Women's Wrestling Executive Committee. 

Q8: How do you envision the future of women's wrestling, and what steps are being taken to further its growth and development?
Well the truth is in the numbers…and with the number of young women wrestling at the high school level growing steadily, we are going to need to continue to provide opportunities at the collegiate level for these women. We are working with institutions across the country to do this and also to recruit and train women to become our next generation of women's wrestling coaches.

Q9: What are some of the biggest obstacles that women's wrestling still faces, and how does the NWCA plan to address them?
I think the biggest obstacle currently is having enough qualified female coaches to lead our young women. I talked a lot about representation at the NCAA, and that is something I truly believe in. If you can SEE someone like yourself in a role, it makes it so much easier to envision yourself in that role. We need to cultivate and train females to be the coaches of our next generation of women's wrestlers. The NWCA is addressing this through the intentional invitation to our CEO Leadership Academies, both at the Scholastic and Collegiate levels.

Q10: Are there any exciting announcements or developments regarding women's wrestling that you can share with us ahead of the NWCA Convention at the end of the summer?
Probably the biggest development is the move towards NCAA sport sponsorship. We were fortunate to have 43 teams reach the sport sponsorship minimums this past season, so now the work becomes sustaining these programs and working with the 14 new NCAA programs competing for the first time this fall. There is still the NCAA process to work through for an official championship, but the first biggest hurdle has been surpassed. We are also so fortunate to have the NJCAA with women's wrestling as an emerging sport, and the NAIA sponsoring the sport as an official championship. 

Before we conclude our conversation, we'd like to engage in a quick "lightning round" of questions. 

LR1: Favorite Food?: My mom's pork tenderloin or a good homemade mac & cheese

LR2: Coffee or Tea?: Coffee, and ALWAYS iced. I don't care if it's -30 degrees outside. Always iced. 

LR3: Fries or Tots?: Fries- but not shoestring or curly.

LR4: Texting or Talking?: Texting.

LR5: Favorite Holiday?: Traditional holiday, probably Christmas. But those who know me know that the Midwest Classic is actually a holiday for me.

Lastly, can you share something that most people wouldn't know about you?: I've officiated two weddings and am officiating another one (of a former Division II men's wrestler) this September.

In closing, our conversation with NWCA Deputy Director Dr. Jackie Paquette has been both enlightening and inspiring. Dr. Paquette's dedication to promoting women's wrestling and her unique perspective as a woman in a male-dominated sport bring invaluable insights to the NWCA. As we eagerly await the NWCA Convention, it's evident that Dr. Paquette's passion and the organization's efforts are propelling women's wrestling toward greater recognition and success.

You can find out more about the 2023 NWCA Convention by clicking here.