Adrienne Smith
“This is a momentous occasion for women in professional sports and especially football.”—Adrienne Smith
NEW YORK (PRWEB)
March 22, 2021
Adrienne Smith, creator of Blitz Champz, Boston Renegades Wide Receiver, football advocate and spokesperson, Orange is the New Black actress, and entrepreneur, has joined the American Flag Football League (AFFL) to head up the new Women’s Division. In this role, she will oversee football operations and corporate partnerships.
“This is a momentous occasion for women in professional sports and especially football,” Ms. Smith stated. “Flag football is one of the most exciting and accessible sports today. Leading the AFFL’s new Women’s Division—with an equal grand prize to the Men’s Division—represents greater gender diversity and equity in sports. This perfectly aligns with my company Gridiron Queendom’s mission in promoting women and girls in football.”
The AFFL’s new Women’s Division will have a qualifier April 30 – May 2 at the Lynn Lewis Foundation Invitational in Palm Coast, FL. The Lynn Lewis Foundation is a non-profit group founded in 2007 to increase breast cancer awareness in the women’s football community. The Lynn Lewis Foundation Invitational is the longest-running and largest women’s flag football tournament in the United States.
“We are excited to partner with the AFFL to highlight the immense pool of talent in women’s flag football,” said Mashonda Gilmore, Founder & CEO of the Lynn Lewis Foundation. “It is time for women and girls to have equal footing. We are proud to be a part of this important movement.”
As part of Women’s History Month, Ms. Smith participated in a panel discussion hosted by The New England Patriots and New England Revolution featuring influential women in sports, discussing their careers and challenges they have overcome to become leaders in the sports industry. This lively panel discussion may be viewed on the Patriots’ website at https://www.patriots.com/video/patriots-and-revolution-host-women-in-sports-panel.
As a professional athlete, and having grown up playing team sports, Ms. Smith believes that sports foster an essential attitude of sportsmanship, teamwork and drive to succeed. In 2016, Ms. Smith created Blitz Champz, a football-themed card game for kids and families. The game has quickly become a part of family game nights, a tech-free activity for kids and families, and as a math-learning tool.
“I created Blitz Champz to share with kids and families the fast-paced joy and excitement of professional football while learning math in a painless and effective manner,” Ms. Smith said. “The game has become a learning tool for families, teachers and even school districts. My vision is for all kids around the world to have access to Blitz Champz, burnish their math skills, and have more offline fun with their friends, siblings and families.”
Ms. Smith started her football career in 2006 as a member of the New York Sharks, and went on to compete internationally, bringing home silver medals in Sweden and Canada as a member of the U.S. women’s national flag football team. In 2010 and 2013, Adrienne helped the U.S. women’s national tackle football team bring home the gold medal in the International Federation of American Football’s Women’s World Championship.
Since 2011, Ms. Smith has played for the Boston Renegades, a tackle football team in the Women’s Football Alliance and winner of national championships in 2011, 2014, 2018 and 2019. Ms. Smith’s professional career began in Japan, where she worked as a translator and Coordinator of International Relations for the Japanese Board of Education. During her two years in this position, Adrienne produced and co-hosted a local television show geared towards educating Japanese people about American culture. Ms. Smith earned her MBA from Columbia Business School in Media & Entertainment; and her Bachelor’s degree in Japanese and Film, with a pre-med concentration, from Washington University in St. Louis.
About Blitz Champz
Blitz Champz is a fun and competitive card game that teaches and tests football knowledge, strategy, and critical math skills. Created by Adrienne Smith, Boston Renegades Wide Receiver, football advocate and spokesperson, Orange is the New Black actress, and entrepreneur, Blitz Champz is a family-friendly, tech-free solution for today’s COVID age and emphasizes the importance of learning critical math skills while having fun. A fast-paced, action-packed game perfect for kids age 7 and up as well as their families, Blitz Champz may be used at school as an educational tool, and at home for fun and family bonding time. The game features 100 vibrantly-illustrated playing cards characterizing a diverse lineup of male and female players. A selected product at Walmart’s 2018 Annual Open Call Event, and a 2017 National Parenting Product Awards (NAAPA) winner, Blitz Champz is a simple way to bring the magic of football, math skills and fun into kids’ lives, and into schools, homes and communities. For more information, please visit http://www.blitzchampz.com.
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Travis Burnett
A pioneer in the flag football community, Travis helped co-found the Flag Football World Championship Tour, FlagSpin and USA Flag. Featuring 15+ years of content creation for the sport of flag football, creating and managing the largest flag football tournaments on the planet, coaching experience at the youth and adult level as well as an active player with National and World Championship level experience.
