Getting Chicago Girls Active
Published: May 29, 2008
The Women’s Sports Foundation’s GoGirlGo! Chicago GoGirlGo! Week encouraged more than 2,000 girls to get active through FREE “open houses” around the Chicago metro area. Organizations host "open houses" for girls ages 8-18, designed to encourage inactive girls to try a physical activity, make new friends, learn the importance of health and fitness, and ultimately, continue to participate in sports.
More than 40 organizations opened their doors to encourage tween and teen girls to participate in fun activities that included a sport or movement activity component. One of the featured events hosted at the Chicago Park District’s Kosciuszko Park was a pool party that 97 girls attended and got to share time in and out of the pool with Kristen Kjellman, Lacrosse – Three-time national champion, two-time Tewaaraton Trophy winner, three-time Honda-Broderick Award recipient, three-time first-team All-American, 2007-08 U.S. Elite Women’s team member, two-time Sportswoman of the Year finalist.
Why is GoGirlGo! Week so important?
According to the Women’s Sports Foundation’s Report on The Status of Female Youth Health and Physical Activity in the Chicago Metropolitan Area:
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Female youth in the Chicago area are not getting sufficient physical activity.
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Chicago girls rank worse than the national average on nine out of 14 health indicators, including nutrition, teen pregnancy and sport team participation.
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Only 57.3% of Chicago youth attend physical education classes one or more days a week.
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Only 38.3% of female high school students in Chicago participate in sufficient vigorous physical activity each week.
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Nineteen percent of Chicago youth are at risk of becoming obese, compared to the national average of 15.3%.
What is GoGirlGo! Chicago?
To get involved as a sponsor, donor, foundation, media or company, contact Val Bushey, GoGirlGo! Chicago Director, at VBushey@WomensSportsFoundation.org or 773.478.8839.
To get involved as a GoGirlGo! Supporting Program, contact Regina Rizzo, GoGirlGo! Chicago Program Coordinator, at RRizzo@WomensSportsFoundation.org or 773.478.8839.