Then she got hit upside the head with a brick, as she likes to say. In researching material for her thesis in a Master of Fine Arts in writing from Spalding University, Izzi found some stunning numbers in sports.

"Over 92 percent of all television sports media is geared toward the male audience," she remembers. "Finding that out made my hair stand up. When it comes to women as role models, there is a black hole in sports and I wanted to do something about it."

Such revelations shocked Izzi like the proverbial brick to the head. She decided she had to do something about it, and now is launching her own nonprofit organization called Athletic Girl Productions that is championed on her new Web site GirlsAreChampions.org.

Izzi says her main initiative is to increase exposure for positive female role models in sports through media channels including the Web site and TV. She is gathering funds and packaging together a cable TV show highlighting women in sports.

"I haven't gotten much sleep lately," she says. "I've been in full attack mode with this, doing fund-raising and making this thing happen."

Izzi's personal drive comes from the success she relates to her own athletic career. A four-time All-American, Mitzel helped the Utes win four straight national titles from 1983 to 1986 and was named one of the university's top 25 all-time female athletes.

"No doubt about it, [coach] Greg Marsden and Megan [Marsden] were some of my biggest role models," she says. "I learned so much there, about coming together as a team and putting all of our energy and beliefs into one goal. Those are all the same skills you need to succeed in life."

Now a resident of Menlo Park, Calif., Izzi is eager to continue spreading the lessons she learned through her new venture. She never imagined she'd own her own company, but now can't imagine putting her energy into anything else.

"When you grow up and go to college, you wonder if you're going to get married, you wonder what career you are going to have and what is going to be fulfilling to you," she says. "When I was competing it felt like a calling and when I was coaching it felt like a calling and now this. It's a big transition, but I'm open to all kinds of possibilities."

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* LYA WODRASKA writes a weekly column and welcomes comments at lwodraska@sltrib.com.