Getting to Know You
Women’s FEST’s 2023 Sportswoman of the Year
Erin Reid is a born athlete—one of those people who excels at just about any sport. She admits to being a sports junkie and certainly is an inspiration for others.
Her golf team placed first in the 18-hole tournament at The Rookery during CAMP Rehoboth’s Women’s FEST. She and her pickleball partner followed up by taking the top prize in that tournament during that same weekend.
Her father inspired her love of sports. Reid’s dad exposed her and her two sisters to tennis, basketball, miniature golf, and bowling—and that was just for starters. “I was blessed to have a supportive mom and wonderful coaches/mentors who guided me along the way,” she said.
As a youngster, she played basketball, softball, and soccer for the Boys and Girls Club. In high school, she played on the varsity basketball, softball, and tennis teams. A cherished memory for her was when her Parkdale High team won the Maryland 4A State Girls High School Basketball Championship with her younger sister as her backcourt mate.
One of her proudest accomplishments was winning a full scholarship to play basketball at Georgetown University. After college, she played adult basketball, softball, flag football, and soccer. Whew! She continued to receive awards in various sports at all levels but says that playing with “awesome teammates” and forming longtime friendships is most important to her.
Erin says her favorite sport has always been basketball. Knee issues have limited her basketball playing days, so she has moved on to golf as her “favorite sport” with pickleball a close second.
Reid spent her early years living in Berwyn Heights and Dayton, Maryland. As an adult, she owned a rental property in Rehoboth and visited for over 30 years. She says it was an easy decision to move to Rehoboth full-time when she retired in 2021 from Northrop Grumman Corporation after a 38-year career.
She joined Kings Creek Country Club in 2020 and played on their WPGA match play golf travel team this year. She has also played in many WPGA and DWGA golf tournaments. She belongs to First State Pickleball and typically plays in a handful of local pickleball tournaments.
Her passion for sports goes beyond her playing expertise. She also believes in giving back. She coached boys and girls Travel/AAU basketball for a dozen years, served as an evaluator of women’s basketball officials for the Big East, ACC, and Big Ten Conferences for over 25 years and a few years for the WNBA. For 20 years, she hosted an annual women’s golf tournament with her sisters in Maryland after their mother died of ovarian cancer. Participants and sponsors raised $187,000 for the Ovarian Cancer Research Alliance.
She credits success at Women’s FEST to “good friends as teammates who just have fun, have each other’s backs, and as former college athletes, have a little competitive side, too,” citing her golf foursome as an example: Beth Petitte played field hockey and softball at Virginia Commonwealth University, Lori Guitson played softball and field hockey at Bloomsburg, and Lisa Lekawa played tennis, basketball, and volleyball at West Chester. Pickleball partner Lynn Casey played field hockey and tennis at High Point.
Playing sports is just part of the fitness mix for Reid. She goes to the gym at least four times a week and takes some group fitness classes. And works in beach walks and biking on the area’s extensive trail network.
She is a big advocate of CAMP Rehoboth and sees it as an integral part of the community. “In addition to my membership, I try to support as many events as I can,” she said.
Advice that she offers others is something she learned for herself—“Believe in yourself, put in the work to succeed, and in the end make sure you are always smiling.” To her, sports participation instills a sense of belonging, confidence, and support.
“I absolutely encourage everyone to be involved in some type of sporting activity—especially as we get older—obviously for the physical health advantages, but the social aspect is just as important,” she said. “It’s never too late to start.”
“The Rehoboth area has a robust community for all kinds of sports, but you must put yourself out there to take full advantage,” she said. “There are both organized leagues and recreational events for whatever sport you love. I have met so many wonderful people by just getting involved with the avenues that are available to all of us.” ▼
Mary Jo Tarallo is a former journalist and public relations professional for various non-profits including a ski industry trade association. She won a Gold Award for a United Way TV program starring Oprah Winfrey.
Photo L-R: Lynn Casey and Erin Reid, 2023 Womens FEST champs