Sports Up

Kai Wong is a senior at Portola High School in Irvine, CA. Kai has been a competitive swimmer since age six, competing in both club and school teams. She was a Champion at the 2017 CA GWCA Freaky-Sprint-Meet, placing first in the 100 Y Back race. Kai was recently recruited to swim at Stevens Institute of Technology, where she plans to pursue engineering. 

How does a high school athlete balance school, work, extracurriculars, and a sport? What are the best ways to stay motivated and navigate the college recruitment process during a global pandemic? 

Current high school senior Kai Wong has experienced this balancing act firsthand. As a competitive swimmer, she is used to stressful situations. But, when college coaches became harder to reach and her progress was slowed because of the pandemic, how did Kai stay motivated? She’s here to share her story and the challenges and successes she faced along the way.

On this episode of the Sports Up Podcast, Meredith Syms talks with high school swimmer Kai Wong. Kai discusses how she fell in love with competitive swimming, the different experiences of female swimmers versus male swimmers, and why she almost quit her sport. Kai also gives an inside scoop into what the college recruitment process looks like during the pandemic. You don’t want to miss this!

Emily Atkins is a former hockey player and a current student at Harvard University. While attending Choate Rosemary Hall, Emily was a star player on both the Mid Fairfield Stars hockey team and the varsity team at Choate. After graduating, she decided to pursue hockey further at Grand Canyon University. However, after sustaining two traumatic head injuries, Emily shifted her life’s path and is now working toward a master’s degree in Biotechnology at Harvard University.

Imagine this: you’re an all-star hockey player who has paved the way for women in your sport. You’ve received offers from multiple D1 and Ivy League colleges asking you to play for them. Then, your world crashes down on you.

That’s what happened to former hockey player Emily Atkins. Emily played on various varsity and all-star hockey teams throughout high school and college before sustaining two major head injuries that cut her sports career short. Although Emily stopped playing hockey, she found her true calling in academic medicine—and now her story and legacy live on for girls and women in sports everywhere.

On this inspiring episode of the Sports Up Podcast, host Meredith Syms sits down with former hockey player and current student at Harvard University, Emily Atkins. Emily shares her experience as a female in a male-dominated sport, her journey to playing for a D1 hockey team, and her career-ending injuries that altered the direction of her life. She also discusses her exciting future plans and goals. You don’t want to miss this!

Meredith Syms is a high school student, athlete, scholar, and lifelong sports fan. She started the Sports Up Podcast to highlight female representation in the sports industry and the challenges and triumphs that come with that, both on and off the field. Meredith interviews groundbreaking leaders, from athletes and coaches to managers and broadcasters, and more. She is particularly excited to share these personal stories to lift up young women and inspire them to achieve their goals in sports and beyond. Meredith’s biggest personal and professional goal is to be one of the top female leaders in sports broadcasting.

What is so special about sports? While they are grounded in competition, sports have a way of bringing people together—even if those people are supporting rival teams. As an aspiring sports broadcaster, Meredith Syms has seen firsthand how impactful sports can be on the people in the stands. Today, she’s here to share a few of these inspiring stories and the snippets of knowledge she’s gleaned from her experiences with sports.

On this episode of the Sports Up Podcast, aspiring sports broadcaster Meredith Syms talks with Dr. Jeremy Weisz about how sports bring people together. You’ll hear about Meredith’s experience witnessing a traumatic injury on the football field, why she loves talking to fans of opposing teams, and much more. Stay tuned! 

Meredith Syms is a high school student, athlete, scholar, and lifelong sports fan. She started the Sports Up Podcast to highlight female representation in the sports industry and the challenges and triumphs that come with that, both on and off the field. Meredith interviews groundbreaking leaders, from athletes and coaches to managers and broadcasters, and more. She is particularly excited to share these personal stories to lift up young women and inspire them to achieve their goals in sports and beyond. Meredith’s biggest personal and professional goal is to be one of the top female leaders in sports broadcasting.

How can a high school student make an impact in the sports broadcasting world? Which female sportscasters have pioneered their way in a male-dominated industry? And, perhaps most importantly, which team is better: the Eagles or the Patriots? Stay tuned for all this and more in the exciting first episode of the Sports Up Podcast, with host Meredith Syms!

In this episode of the Sports Up Podcast, Meredith Syms, a high school student and aspiring sports broadcaster, sits down with Dr. Jeremy Weisz to discuss her passions and goals of becoming a sports broadcaster. Meredith shares her favorite football players, what it means to be a female in a male-dominated industry, and her biggest personal and professional inspirations. You don’t want to miss this inspiring and trailblazing episode!