Photograph by: Perry Bennett

Hopefully by now most of you have heard about the Wendi Allen Scholarship Fund. The purpose of the fund is to provide assistance to women that show promise of developing into outstanding Solo drivers and contributing supporters of the SCCA Solo program.

A Selection Committee has been formed and I am honored to be selected as the chair of this committee. This committee will consist of championship caliber women Solo drivers. Our task is to seek out nominations, considering the merits of those nominated, and make a final selection prior to the SCCA National Convention. Nominations will be solicited from SCCA members, Solo schools, and Club officials. There will be two recipients selected each year which will each receive $1500 to support their travel to National Solo events and the Solo National Championship that year. Additionally, the SCCA will waive the event entry fees for the scholarship recipients at all National Solo events attended during the year.

The Selection Committee will consist of myself (Tara Johns), Beth McClure-Strelnieks, Denise Cashmore, Shelly Monfort, and Patty Tunnell. Combined, these ladies account for 83 appearances at Solo Nationals and 31 championships. All of these women are honored to be a part of this Committee to help grow the number of women attendees in our sport.

This is an amazing opportunity to get more women involved in this great sport. As women, we tend to be more cautious entering into an intense sport, especially one that is dominated by men. I am hopeful that through this Fund, we will be able to mentor women who will develop into amazing competitors and assets to our community. I remember how intimidating it was to go to my first national level event. I also believe that we can help these promising women ease into the sport and continue to grow competitive ladies classes.

What do we need from you? If you know of any women in your local region who show promise in our sport, please tell us about them. You can do this by email to hduncan@scca.com, mail to SCCA c/o Howard Duncan at P.O. Box 19400 Topeka, KS 66619-0400, or fax to 785-232-7228. We will be scoping the country to find women who could be among the recipients of the Wendi Allen Scholarship Fund. We need your eyes and ears out in your local regions in order for us to find those bright new stars, and to help them develop a love and competitive drive to potentially become a national champion.

With Thanks,

Tara Johns
WASF Selection Committee Chair

For more on the Wendi Allen Scholarship Fund go to SoloMatters: Wendi Allen - Driven to Make a Difference for Female Racers