MINNEAPOLIS - Lindsay Whalen has been an inspiration to a generation of girls basketball players, and on the day of her retirement announcement, it's now apparent that she's among an influential group that has propelled girls high school sports to new highs in Minnesota.
According to the National Federation of State High School Associations, participation in girls high school sports has grown by more than 16 percent in the last decade. There are now nearly as many girls (49%) playing high school sports as boys (51%) in Minnesota. The largest percentage in the country.
As a new generation of girls pick up basketballs across Minnesota, the influence of a certain championship team is obvious.
"Just seeing how well (the Minnesota Lynx) are doing, it makes me want to be like them," said McKenzie Wells, a 13-year-old basketball player from Minnetonka.
She's not alone, girls basketball has grown by 7 percent in the last decade.
"All of them are such strong women," said Katie Leisen, 15.
"They came from the same place that we do," said Blake Greer, 17. "They had the same opportunities, so it's what you make out of it."
In Minnesota, those dreams aren't limited to one sport. As the University of Minnesota Volleyball team sells out and competes for national titles, high school volleyball participation has shot up 16 percent in ten years.
"For me, just because I moved to Minnesota, I saw hockey, girls hockey, take a big part of it," Greer said.
Hockey was already popular ten years ago but has still grown by nine percent.
"Regarding hockey, I don't find that surprising at all because we are the state of hockey and we've got a lot of great Minnesotan role models when it comes to girls hockey," said Anna Sorenson, a junior hockey player from Minnetonka.
And hockey isn't the only Olympic sport offering inspiration. Long before she won gold in cross-country skiing, Afton's Jessie Diggins was inspiring young athletes to try a new sport. The sport has seen a 49 percent increase in participation in the last decade, and that doesn't include the most recent Olympics, meaning the impact could soon be even greater.
"I think we take it for granted," said Minnetonka hockey player Rory Guilday. "Because not everyone gets this chance."
"If it's available for boys, it's most likely available for girls too," Sorenson said.
And as the number of girls participating nearly matches the number of boys, the next generation doesn't have far to look for new inspiration. Many of the high school athletes are busy working summer camps to help the younger kids along.
"Trying to pass that on I guess, to the younger kids," Guilday said.
"We want to be those girls for the younger girls coming up," Sorenson said.