OWU to celebrate National Girls and Women in Sports Day by holding sports clinics
Kate Carlin, Transcript Correspondent
Issue date: 2/4/10 Section: News
On Friday, Feb. 5 Ohio Wesleyan University athletes and coaches will reach out to the community and celebrate the 24th annual National Girls & Women in Sports Day.
The day was first recognized in 1987 as a tribute to Olympic volleyball player Flo Hyman for her athletic achievements and her efforts to assure equality for women's sports. This year, female athletes will sponsor a sports clinic for young girls before the women's basketball game against Wooster.
Senior Mollie Campbell, a tennis player, has been working for months to organize National Girls & Women in Sports Day here at OWU.
Campbell said she was inspired to take on National Girls and Women in Sports Day for a class project.
"In Facility and Event Management class, we are required to take on a special events project throughout the year," Campbell said. "I thought National Girls and Women in Sports Day would be a fun and interesting challenge."
Campbell has contacted and communicated with female coaches, found donations and helped get girls from the Delaware community involved.
Women's field hockey coach Marge Redmond was a four-sport collegiate athlete and said she knows firsthand what it is like to be discriminated against as a female participating in athletics.
"When I was in college it was always a competition for facilities," Redmond said. "The girls' teams were always stuck with the leftovers after the boys and intramurals had practiced. It was unfortunate that we were treated like second hand citizens. We were not even recognized as a sport while representing the university."
Redmond's teams had volunteers as coaches and were granted less than half the money the boys' teams were.
Junior field hockey player Jess Wright said the day is important for recognizing the importance of sports in girls' and women's lives.
"National Girls and Women in Sports Day is a great way to recognize the importance of female athletes," Wright said. "It is important for women to participate in sports because it helps us develop our confidence and become strong women with the skills to pursue all present and future endeavors."
Julie Duffy, the women's lacrosse coach , said there are many valuable things about females playing sports.
"By participating in athletics women have the opportunity to gain strong qualities of confidence and self-empowerment," Duffy said. "Playing sports has taught me that if you work hard, things you thought you couldn't achieve you actually can,"
The event on Friday will begin with a free sports clinic for girls' kindergarten through sixth grade in the fieldhouse at 6pm. Every year, several OWU women's sports teams participate in the clinic. This year, volleyball, soccer, field hockey and lacrosse will be involved in the one-hour clinic.
Campbell said she will break the girls into groups and rotate them through each sport.
After the clinic there will be a picnic dinner for the participants and athletes before the 7:30 tipoff. At half time at the game, all OWU women's sports teams will line up to be announced and recognized.
The day was first recognized in 1987 as a tribute to Olympic volleyball player Flo Hyman for her athletic achievements and her efforts to assure equality for women's sports. This year, female athletes will sponsor a sports clinic for young girls before the women's basketball game against Wooster.
Senior Mollie Campbell, a tennis player, has been working for months to organize National Girls & Women in Sports Day here at OWU.
Campbell said she was inspired to take on National Girls and Women in Sports Day for a class project.
"In Facility and Event Management class, we are required to take on a special events project throughout the year," Campbell said. "I thought National Girls and Women in Sports Day would be a fun and interesting challenge."
Campbell has contacted and communicated with female coaches, found donations and helped get girls from the Delaware community involved.
Women's field hockey coach Marge Redmond was a four-sport collegiate athlete and said she knows firsthand what it is like to be discriminated against as a female participating in athletics.
"When I was in college it was always a competition for facilities," Redmond said. "The girls' teams were always stuck with the leftovers after the boys and intramurals had practiced. It was unfortunate that we were treated like second hand citizens. We were not even recognized as a sport while representing the university."
Redmond's teams had volunteers as coaches and were granted less than half the money the boys' teams were.
Junior field hockey player Jess Wright said the day is important for recognizing the importance of sports in girls' and women's lives.
"National Girls and Women in Sports Day is a great way to recognize the importance of female athletes," Wright said. "It is important for women to participate in sports because it helps us develop our confidence and become strong women with the skills to pursue all present and future endeavors."
Julie Duffy, the women's lacrosse coach , said there are many valuable things about females playing sports.
"By participating in athletics women have the opportunity to gain strong qualities of confidence and self-empowerment," Duffy said. "Playing sports has taught me that if you work hard, things you thought you couldn't achieve you actually can,"
The event on Friday will begin with a free sports clinic for girls' kindergarten through sixth grade in the fieldhouse at 6pm. Every year, several OWU women's sports teams participate in the clinic. This year, volleyball, soccer, field hockey and lacrosse will be involved in the one-hour clinic.
Campbell said she will break the girls into groups and rotate them through each sport.
After the clinic there will be a picnic dinner for the participants and athletes before the 7:30 tipoff. At half time at the game, all OWU women's sports teams will line up to be announced and recognized.
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