January 30, 2008

OWU to Celebrate National Girls and Women in Sports Day

Ohio Wesleyan University will help celebrate National Girls and Women in Sports Day by hosting a girls sports clinic prior to the Battling Bishops’ women’s basketball game against Wooster on Tuesday, February 5.

The evening begins with clinics hosted by Ohio Wesleyan women's teams from 6-7 p.m. at Gordon Field House on the Ohio Wesleyan campus, to be followed by a picnic from 7-7:30 p.m. in Gordon Field House and then the Battling Bishop-Wooster women’s basketball game tipping off at 7:30 p.m. in the adjoining Branch Rickey Arena. Registration for all events will begin at 5:45 p.m. in Gordon Field House.

Admission to the clinic is free for girls in kindergarten through sixth grade, and the picnic will be free of charge for clinic participants. Admission to the basketball game will be free for children under 18 and accompanying parents or guardians.

National Girls and Women in Sports Day is Wednesday, February 6. Thousands of sports educators, coaches, athletic directors, recreation directors, association members, sponsors, students, and parents across the country will show their support of the day and of this year's theme, "All In!". NGWSD is celebrated in all 50 states with community-based events, award ceremonies, and activities honoring the achievements and encouraging participation of girls and women in sports.

NGWSD began in 1987 as a day to remember Olympic volleyball player Flo Hyman for her athletic achievements and her work to assure equality for women’s sports. Hyman died of Marfan’s Syndrome in 1986 while competing in a volleyball tournament in Japan. Since that time, NGWSD has evolved into a day to acknowledge the past and recognize current sports achievements, the positive influence of sports participation, and the continuing struggle for equality and access for women in sports.

– Mark Beckenbach