By Julie Leard
Last week, prominent members of the women's sports community teamed up with leading female teen athletes to discuss a topic that remains a critical issue: inactivity in girls.
Dr. Donna Lopiano, CEO of the Women's Sports Foundation opened the symposium, bringing attention to the reality of America's health crisis. With no immediate intervention, one in three American children born in 2000 will contract Type II Diabetes and that currently, one in six girls today is obese or overweight. In her speech, she said, “The problems are evident, and the benefits of physical activity are clear. What we need to focus on now are ways to get girls moving.”
Ellen Wessel, founder and president of Moving Comfort, the first company dedicated exclusively to making high-performance athletic apparel for women, said, “For nearly 30 years, Moving Comfort and the Women's Sports Foundation have shared the same vision of inspiring and motivating women to be active and expand their opportunities to participate in sports.” After acknowledging the need to get girls active, Wessel introduced the teen panel, led by Tori Allen, a national champion rock climber and pole vault athlete, and including two SportsGirl of the Year finalists, Myia Jones and Elizabeth Ruiz.
What motivates you and what can you do to motivate others? That was the opening question posed by Allen. She prompted the conversation by sharing her own source of motivation. “I love going to the gym. I climb walls to show that I'm not a failure. That's what motivates me.” Jones, a 12-year-old basketball player from California, said that her biggest motivation is friends and family. “I know little kids look up to me,” said Jones. Fourteen year-old soccer standout Ruiz from Idaho agreed that friends and family are her biggest motivators. “I need to be a role model for younger girls,” she said.
At the conclusion of the teen presentation, Dominique Dawes, president-elect of the Women's Sports Foundation, began the adult panel by introducing the four participants:
• Jennifer Azzi, Olympic gold medalist and WNBA champion
• Dr. Doreen Greenberg, sports psychologist and author
• Gillian Horovitz, champion marathoner and Moving Comfort race team member
• Aimee Mullins, world record-holding Paralympic sprinter, model and actress.
All of these adult panelists have succeeded with the help of other women and girls who motivated them throughout their lives. Not only has being physically active improved their health, it has opened many doors for them. The adult panel focused their discussion on key factors in motivating girls to get active because they want future generations to have the same opportunities in life.
Want to know the top five ways to motivate a girl and keep her active?
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Make it part of her daily routine – We live in a society where brushing one's teeth and taking a bath are considered necessities in our daily routine. Physical activity offers just as many benefits as these! Mullins suggested taking spontaneous 10-minute breaks with a girl. Turn on the radio and dance – everything counts!
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Support and encourage her – “Leave notes of encouragement in her lunchbox or tennis shoes,” said Greenberg. Offer to accompany a girl during her activity or invite her on a walk.
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Expose her to positive role models - Girls model their behavior and actions after the women in their lives. Azzi suggested taking girls to local sporting events and reading magazine articles about female athletes.
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Let her make her own decisions – “Girls are more likely to follow through on a commitment when they've made their own decisions,” said Horovitz. “Give a girl a sense of empowerment and ownership by letting her make her own decisions of what type of activity she'll pursue.”
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Demonstrate your commitment – Set aside time daily with your daughter to focus on a physical activity, Call local organizers and find out what's available or what needs you can fulfill – never be afraid to share your ideas!
Editor's Note: In their continued support of GoGirlGo!, Moving Comfort will donate 5 percent of all purchases in November to the GoGirlGo! campaign. Check out the apparel at www.activasports.com and help girls gear up for happy and healthier lives.