Meet Trailblazer Alisha Godette

Today we’d like to introduce you to Alisha Godette.

So, before we jump into specific questions about what you do, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
As a former college basketball player, I was always passionate about the game. I learned about the many roles to take on when it comes to the game such as playing, coaching, officiating, and being a fan. In 2016, I connected with Brianna Hypolite who was also a former college player and other women who were just as excited about exposing more girls and women in the Denver Metro area to the joys of the game. We both worked in education and coached high school girls basketball. We started our first organization World Hoops Academy, as we recruited girls from the Aurora, Commerce City, and Denver neighborhoods. While there are many organizations that offer basketball training, we wanted to offer the full experience of preparing to become college student-athletes. Our purpose is to support and develop the academic, athletic, and leadership abilities that empower young women involved in sports. In providing academic support, basketball skill-building, and leadership activities to fill the summer achievement gap, our mentors encourage female student-athletes to be confident as they consider the opportunities to take on leadership roles in the sports industry. We believed that we had a great opportunity to mentor girls basketball players in the community, cost-efficiently, and have some fun along the way!

In addition to coaching and teaching, I have been pursuing my career as a college basketball official. This has not been an easy path as the field is male-dominated and very competitive. RefGirl was founded in early 2018 because I had a belief that the lack of female basketball officials had a direct correlation with the lack of career guidance. Determined to make a difference, I created a program that would expose girls and women to the excitement of the career and teach them how to perform the job well. I recruited mentors, women officials in the area who also are committed to the game and seeing more female officials move up the ladder. RefGirl strives to educate girls and women about the officiating career path, rules knowledge, court mechanics, communication skills, and game management skills by progressive development and mentorship to increase and retain the number of competent female basketball officials.

We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc. – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
The journey thus far has been rocky at times because we face challenges of finding spaces to workout with players. We also struggle to find players who have a support system that challenges these young women to stick with an activity to see results. Basketball is a sport where skills are developed each time you step onto the court. However, funding for tournaments and meals, transportation for players to games and practices, gym space, uniforms, and shoes all become a factor when trying to build a successful team. As a coach, it has been a struggle at times to find players who are also serious about taking care of business in the classroom. We hold tutoring and study session and hope girls show up to take advantage. Finding girls who are committed to learning the rules of the game to become competent basketball officials is also a challenge because the game is so complex that it takes patience to get plays correct. Also, with RefGirl, many times new officials just want a job where they can earn money so they just want to be good enough to make that happen. It has been challenging to find new officials who want to become better so they can move up and advance in the career.

In order to make things happen, we have done many fundraisers such as selling candy, t-shirts, to hosting 3v3 tournaments where we give away prizes. This has been the most helpful when taking on the financial aspect of running the programs. Also, just continuing to reach out to current and former players to check on them has helped keep girls connected to our program. I believe they appreciate knowing we genuinely care about their success on the court and in the classroom.

We’d love to hear more about World Hoops Academy & RefGirl.
I believe our desire to expose young women to the possibilities of success with the game of basketball is the most important work we do. Being consistently there for them by holding workouts, study sessions, team building activities, traveling, college visits, final four watch parties all play a part of what successful players do. We hold high expectations for any student who comes through our program. I believe we have a strong understanding of how to teach and inspire young women to perform at their highest levels and have self-respect because they are confident in what they do.

We’re interested to hear your thoughts on female leadership – in particular, what do you feel are the biggest barriers or obstacles?
As a college basketball official, I believe the biggest barrier I face can be being the only woman in the room, on the court and sometimes in the gym. Men’s and boys basketball can often get more attention when it comes to supporting their games. Many times, the girls and women’s programs are a second thought. Just like being an official, most people expect to see a man wearing the stripes. I also believe when working on the court, I have to take on a stronger demeanor to be taken seriously and earn respect. I am ok doing this, in turn, I teach the young women in my program how to carry themselves when they step onto the court. I also teach the amount of time it takes to put in the work so people understand you know what you are doing.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.worldhoopsacademy.org
• Phone: (720) 432-9286 (720) 446-8090
• Email: coaches@worldhoopsacademy.org
• Instagram: @worldhoopsacademy
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/worldhoopsacademy
• Twitter: @academy_hoops
• Other: www.refgirl.org

Image Credit:
World Hoops Academy Girls Team, Coach Brianna Hypolite

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