National Girls and Women in Sports Day, a national event celebrating and recognizing the girls and women who participate in sports and athletics and all of their achievements, was recognized again this year at Lake Forest College. The day honors the progress and continuing struggle of women to achieve equality in this particular arena, and provides young and old female athletes alike with important lessons, resources and encouragement. It is also a day to inspire and empower those girls and women who do not play a sport to be more active in general.
Lake Forest hosted its annual event on February 16th, hosting 100 youth female athletes for their annual National Girls and Women in Sports Day. The day on campus involves stations covering many of the Forester women’s varsity sports, including basketball, tennis, soccer, volleyball, track, cheerleading and softball.
Each station is led by a group of LFC student-athletes, and teaches the younger girls some small aspect of their respective sport. For example, volleyball taught the girls how to spike, and soccer taught them how to shoot a goal. Participants rotated through all 7 of the stations, and ended the day with a short yoga session, allowing them to get a taste for a multitude of sports. At each station, the student-athletes also shared some tips about being good athletes, including proper health and wellness practices involving, sleeping, eating, stretching habits, sharing leadership and sportsmanship practices, and teaching the participants about sports that are less commonly known to non-athletes, such as rugby, equestrian, etc.
All in all, it was a rewarding day for the college student- athletes and a fun, active day for the girls participating. If you would like to see some photos from the event, please click here! Next year’s event will be held the second Sunday in February, so be sure to mark your calendars now!