Brainerd High School Alumna Wins Award for Female Sports Media Coverage

A Brainerd High School alumna recently won a national award for her coverage of female sports in Minnesota.

Sherece “Shari” Lamke
Credit: Brainerd Public Schools

Sherece “Shari” Lamke was named a 2023 National Girls & Women in Sports Day award winner for Minnesota. The award honors and represents individuals, organizations and groups in female sports. According to the press release, Lamke will be officially recognized on Wednesday, February 1, 2023, which marks the 37th annual celebration of this event.

She will receive the Kwame McDonald Media Award at the event. Named after a civil rights activist and pioneer in female sports coverage, this award is presented to a member of the media who provides consistent coverage while also supporting female sports. Lamke works as a leader and storyteller to highlight coverage of female accomplishments in Minnesota sports, while also aiming to raise equity for women’s sports in her stories.

Lamke started her career in television with Twin Cities PBS in 1982. She worked her way up to Managing Director of Production Services while there. She also helped to launch the Minnesota Channel and worked with the University of Minnesota’s Tucker Center for Research on Girls and Women in Sports. Through data gathered at the Tucker Center, Lamke created three documentaries that all received regional Emmy award nominations. In 2015, her documentary “Media Coverage and Female Athletes” won the Sports Documentary Emmy.

Since 2021, Lamke began to work at Pioneer PBS in Granite Falls as President and General Manager. She plans to continue to lead production efforts with Pioneer PBS.

More than 600 Minnesota organizations, teams and individuals have been recognized for their work toward equity in women’s sports since 1995. Each year, NGWSD-MN award honorees are nominated by individuals and organizations across the state and various sports platforms.