‘Super mom’: Kelsey Stewart-Hunter showing what’s possible in pro sports as a mother
An Olympic silver medalist, a two-time national champion and a professional athlete, Kelsey Stewart-Hunter has accomplished everything she could have envisioned in a softball career.
But that is not where the Arkansas City native found fulfillment in her life.
“I truly believe my purpose in life was to be a mom,” Stewart-Hunter said. “But there has been this stigma that tells women that when we have kids, our dreams of being a pro athlete are over. I have always thought, ‘Why can’t we have it all?’”
Stewart-Hunter, a 2012 Maize graduate, is leading the charge to change the narrative about what is possible in motherhood for female athletes.
She surprised herself earlier this summer, not just competing in the Athletes Unlimited Pro Softball AUX season in Wichita, but finishing with the 11th-most points among 42 of the best professional softball players in the world — just 13 weeks after giving birth to her second son.
“I feel like I viewed it as kind of normal, but the amount of people who tell me I’m this ‘super mom,’ it makes me think maybe it is kind of special,” Stewart-Hunter said. “I just had a baby 13 weeks ago, that is kind of insane. I’m really proud of myself because hopefully I am helping break those barriers for women and hopefully motivating women to continue to chase their dreams.”
Stewart-Hunter, 30, is far from the first to return to professional softball as a mother, but she is part of an important, growing group of women who are proving both can be possible.
Athletes Unlimited, which offers professional women’s sports leagues for softball, basketball, lacrosse and volleyball, has been a committed partner in helping athletes find solutions — like offering a childcare stipend — to the many challenges moms face when playing professional sports.
“There’s no better example in our league than Kelsey, who showed she could still perform at an elite level and what is possible when you support mothers,” Athletes Unlimited vice president Cheri Kempf said. “People are really moved by stories like hers, but the problem is that women have always been perfectly capable of this, they just haven’t been enabled and supported. It has almost been a foregone conclusion that you play sports until you decide to have children and then it’s just an absolute that it’s over. And then Athletes Unlimited came along and thought that idea was ludicrous and women like Kelsey have helped us prove that out.”
Not that it didn’t come without difficulties.
Stewart-Hunter admitted the first time running to first base after giving birth in March felt like an “out-of-body experience.”
“I learned pretty quickly that I was going to have to give myself time to get back in it,” Stewart-Hunter said. “I was only 13 weeks out, so it might have been a little crazy to try to come back so soon. But with the village of support I have and all of those girls in Athletes Unlimited, it made the comeback so much easier for me.”
More importantly, Athletes Unlimited has encouraged mothers to include their families during competitions.
Wherever Stewart-Hunter has gone to play for AU, her husband, Brice, and their two sons, Trace and Hutton, have followed. Playing this summer in Wichita was a particular treat for Stewart-Hunter, who had dozens of family members able to watch her play professionally for the first time at Wilkins Stadium.
“Being able to bring my sons with me is actually a super huge deal to me,” Stewart-Hunter said. “I don’t allow myself to go to spaces where my family is not allowed. So for Athletes Unlimited to allow them to be a part of this and support us in so many different ways, it’s such an amazing thing.”
Stewart-Hunter’s oldest son, Trace, has become a popular fixture in the AU softball world.
While he might be too young to soak in all of the experiences this summer, Stewart-Hunter said it is vitally important to her to have her sons around during her professional career.
“I feel like automatically I’m raising allies for women’s sports,” Stewart-Hunter said. “You always see men’s professional stars having their kids in the stands watching and that’s cool, but I want to show the other side. I want my boys to watch me from the stands and be proud, ‘That’s my mom. That’s my role model.’”
This story was originally published October 2, 2024 at 6:03 AM.
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