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(L-R) Jen Moody, Director of Administration at the Tampa YMCA; Alexis Mendenhall, Director of Competitive and Developmental Swim; Devin Cosper Sports Program Director at the Spurlino Family YMCA.
At the Tampa YMCA, lasting personal and social change is best accomplished when we all work together to invest in the communities we serve. This February, we are investing and celebrating National Women and Girls Sports Month. This is a time when we can recognize the significant achievements of female athletes, coaches and role models throughout our Ys and their dedication to promoting gender equality in sports.
Jen Moody is our Director of Administration at the Tampa YMCA and is always eager to share her “Y story,” as it has greatly shaped her life.
Jen notes, “I played sports as a young girl but had limited opportunities unless I played on a boys’ team. Thanks to the YMCA, I was afforded an opportunity to play girls' basketball in elementary school, and therefore, I began my love for competitive sports.”
Jen went on to play basketball and softball in high school and played basketball in college at Waynesburg University. She says, "I always loved football, but again, I never had an opportunity to play until a couple of years after I graduated college." Jen began her football career with the Pittsburgh Passion, playing seven years as a Wide Receiver and Punt Returner, earning one National Championship.
In 2012, Jen formed the Tampa Bay Inferno, a professional women’s tackle football team. Today, the team has roughly 50 players, and their 2024 season will kick off at the end of April!
Alexis Mendenhall, Director of Competitive and Developmental Swim at the YMCA, swam competitively in college. She was greatly impacted by her coaches and was moved to give back to the next generation of swimmers. While in graduate school, Alexis took on the role of Volunteer Swim Coach at her local YMCA. Now, 20 years later, Alexis is still coaching and is proud to be one of the few female coaches in a male-dominated sport.
Alexis shares, “My daughter is 16, has grown up competing in our YMCA swim leagues and is now on the Competitive Team. She is one of our Sectional Qualifiers, which is on our upper-level swim team.” Alexis is proud of her daughter and the girls on her teams. They work tirelessly to reach their goals, and many of them are preparing to swim in college. One of Alexis’s past swimmers attends FSU and has found her passion for coaching while working alongside Alexis.
Devin Cosper is the Sports Program Director at the Spurlino Family YMCA. She has loved playing sports from the age of five. She is a former State Champion in the 100-meter dash, a junior college First Team All-American and a three-year letter winner in basketball at the University of Arkansas.
Devin is an only child and shares that sports were a way for her to connect with peers and create lasting relationships she otherwise wouldn’t have.
“I have met some amazing women during my time in sports. They have shown me there is no limit to what you can achieve and the work and dedication it takes to get there. I’m so grateful to have been guided by them along my journey!” she adds.
Today, Devin is proud to be a role model for the young female athletes at the Spurlino YMCA. She hopes to positively shape and impact the future generation of women in sports.
You can join Jen, Alexis, Devin and countless Y staff in mentoring today’s youth. To learn more about our staff, sports programs and mentorship opportunities, head to: tampaymca.org.
Published Wednesday, Feb. 7, 2024.