National Girls and Women in Sports Day

Twenty-four years ago in Washington, D.C. the premier of National Girls and Women in Sports Day celebrated the participation, success and accomplishments of girls and women athletes. What started as as a single event to honor Olympic volleyball star Flo Hyman has grown into a nationwide celebration across all 50 states.

On February 2, 2011, thousands gathered to celebrate NGWSD 2011 and "Play, Believe, Achieve," including our own SCORES female athletes from Redding Elementary.   Soccer Director Yuri Morales and Coach Fong escorted the Redding girls through the Tenderloin District to attend a match-up with two other local after-school female sports teams.  Team-Up For Youth organized this event at Salvation Army Kroc Center as part of their initiative "Team-Up for Girls."

Team-Up and SCORES are dedicated to bringing all the benefits of sports to young people as researchers have found that organized athletic participation is positively related to:

• Improved physical and mental health
• Decreased likelihood of dropping out of school
• Greater self-concept and sense of control
• Significantly lower rates of sexual activity
• Improved school grades
• Higher standardized achievement scores
• Higher college attendance and degree sought
• Greater advancement in college

Sports are more than a fun and healthy activity.  They contribute to the overall well-being of our youth for years to come.  We know that opportunity, access, encouragement, and exposure are critical for children to grow and develop in the classroom as well as on the playing field.  Allow girls to reach their potential.  Reach out!  Get girls in the game!

Here are a couple great resources to help recruit and maintain a roster of female athletes:

http://www.teamupforyouth.org/ourwork/initiatives/
http://www.womenssportsfoundation.org


-Shannon Burns
Coach and Program Coordinator