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This year marks the 27th annual celebration of National Girls and Women in Sports Day. On February 6, 2013, 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, “Girls in Sports, An Investment in the Future.”
Mike Aycock, Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College soccer head coach, expressed support for women’s athletics. “The rise of women and girls in sports since Title IX has been incredibly significant because it has provided the same kind of testing at the edge of one’s abilities, confidence, health, and leadership development that men and boys have enjoyed for millennia. It’s no wonder that athletes develop passions for their sports. It’s deeply satisfying to cultivate and use all the astonishing physical gifts we’re given. So it’s also no surprise that women have flocked to take advantage of new opportunities, and the result, quite simply, has been more confident and empowered women. The Woods exemplifies this spirit of empowering women.”
National Girls and Women in Sport Coalition is responsible for organizing the National Girls and Women in Sport Day. The Coalition combines the experience and resources of the five premiere girls- and women-serving organizations in the United States: Girl Scouts of the USA, Girls Incorporated, the National Association for Girls and Women in Sport, National Women’s Law Center, and the Women’s Sports Foundation.
Athletics is a proven investment in the future. “The statistic from American Alliance for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance is that 82 percent of businesswomen have played a sport in high school or college indicating tangible proof that sports have been part of a revolution,” Aycock added.
SMWC Athletics
- SMWC offers: basketball, cross-country, golf, soccer, softball and two equestrian teams – hunt seat and western.
- Conferences – United States Collegiate Athletic Association and Intercollegiate Horse Show Association.
- 30 percent of the student are athletes and maintain a higher GPA than the entire campus student body.