Women Who Win: Crystal Ho
May 9, 2018
The D10's Women Who Win series, brought to you in collaboration with ADAY, spotlights some of the incredible female athletes who take to The D10's playing field each year. Meet Crystal Ho of Morgan Stanley.
Why do you compete in The D10?
I choose to compete with The D10 because of the amazing professional and athletic community it brings together. Not only does it support such a meaningful cause, it also brings together an awesome group of people who want to encourage one another to reach their goals. For me personally, it was such a transformational experience because I’ve reached athletic and fundraising goals I never thought I’d achieve.
How did you get involved?
As women, we often feel like we have to be good at something already before we can beconfident enough to participate. When I was first approached about competing in The D10, I immediately said “No,” and disqualified myself from even trying. I couldn’t do one pull-up, let alone a competition with nine more challenges. But after several years of persistence and encouragement from my friend Peter, I finally said yes. It’s been one of the best decisions I’ve ever made.
I want women to know that taking that step to compete will help you get out of that cycle of inaction and doubt, and actually help build your confidence. You’ll also meet other motivated women, who are a great network of support and friendship. By the end of the training and competition, I became stronger, came away with a dozen new friends and raised over $11,000 for Memorial Sloan Kettering!
Can you share some tips about training and fundraising for The D10?
The D10 features a wide range of events, so I like to mix up my training too. I usually go to Barry’s Bootcamp classes for running and high-intensity interval training, and meet with a trainer a couple times a week to help me with strength and agility. I run at a track once a week and do yoga on Sundays to make sure I’m staying flexible and injury-free.
Fundraising requires making sure that your friends and colleagues know you’re participating in The D10. When they see how hard you’re working to raise money for such an amazing cause as pediatric cancer research, they’ll often be happy to donate.
Describe The D10’s community of female athletes -- what makes them special?
The D10 women are some of the strongest and most motivated women I’ve ever met. They inspire me with their athleticism and professionalism. Although we’re all competing against each other, during game day, you’ll see everyone cheer and support one other at every event. It’s definitely a great community to be a part of.
Crystal Ho, Senior Vice-President at Morgan Stanley, raised more than $11,000 last year in her inaugural D10 competition. Support her by donating here. You can also support Crystal by contributing to her head-to-head matchup with Sloane Klonsky, here. Every dollar at stake in each matchup goes directly to Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in the winner's name.