As the first woman to lead the WIAA, Stephanie Hauser doesn't always think about the ramifications until she sees the reaction.
"A leadership role in athletics is a possibility," WIAA Executive Director Hauser says. "It's not just a dream. It's a reality."
Last year, she led high schools in celebration of 50 years with Title IX and points to one advancement in high school sports.
The first-ever WIAA girls individual wrestling tournament.
"It made this Red Robin very proud," Hauser says. "What I love the most, I think about girls athletics across the nation and in Wisconsin is people are finally referring to them as athletes instead of female athletes or the girls athletes. They're just athletes."
TMJ4's Lance Allan caught up with Hauser and her husband Dave as her son Sam and the Celtics faced the Bucks.
Allan asks, "How do you deal with your job and then having two boys that play high-level sports? They both wear green. Neither one of them play for the Bucks. One's with the Celtics, one's Michigan State."
"And my daughter is the director of volleyball operations at the University of Virginia," Hauser says. "So this mom is proud three times over. We caught the end of Sam's game on TV. And Doris (Burke) was talking about the great shooting night Sam was having. And she said, well how about the other son? Joey just went off against Ohio State. Hit six 3's. Can you imagine being the Hauser parents today? And my husband and I looked at each other and we were like, well, we are the Hauser parents!"
She's in charge of the direction of Wisconsin high school sports, but she's a human and a mom.
"Keep it real," she said. "As a parent, make sure that your child's goals are your child's goals, not yours."
While she has seen and experienced a lot, her heart stays with Wisconsin prep sports.
"When I go to the state championships, it is truly my favorite part of my job," Hauser says. "I get to sit there and watch those kids just be who they are, and look around and see their whole community there, cheering for them, because those are memories that you truly will never forget. They're special."
Hauser says the important thing is that she and her husband Dave are blessed, seeing all three of their kids be happy and successful in the sports world.
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