Since its inception in 1987, National Girls and Women in Sports Day has become the premiere occasion to celebrate the participation, success and accomplishments of girls and women athletes. What started in 1987 as a single event in Washington, D.C. to honor Olympic volleyball star Flo Hyman has grown into a nationwide celebration across all 50 states.
Get a glimpse of our day on Capitol Hill where we lobbied for the future, and join us as we reflect on the past.
In honor of the 23
rd annual NGWSD, the coalition delegation, including champion athletes and middle and high school athletes from Girls Scouts of the USA spent the day on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., and met with members of Congress to discuss central issues surrounding female participation in sport. The Olympic and professional athletes who participated in the coalition’s lobbying efforts were current Foundation president and Olympic gold medalist Jessica Mendoza, softball, two-time Olympic gold medalist Donna de Varona, swimming, the first U.S. national champion in the 800m, Dr. Lillian Greene-Chamberlain, track and field, three-time Olympic medalist Angela Ruggiero, ice hockey, and champion freestyle skier Grete Eliassen. The coalition groups urged lawmakers to support equal opportunities for both sexes to participate in sports. The speakers shared with legislators the physical and psychological benefits girls receive from sports participation, and the athletes told stories about the effects of sports on their lives, highlighting how sports not only kept them physically active but also made them more well-rounded individuals.
The coalition of advocates and athletes visited the offices of more than 50 Senators and Representatives, including Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), Sen. Pat Roberts (R-Kan.), Sen. Barbara A. Mikulski (D-Md.), Rep. Louise M. Slaughter (D-N.Y.), Rep. Carolyn McCarthy (D-N.Y.), and Rep. John Kline (R-Minn.) to discuss the need for legislation to require high schools to report gender equity data. The bill was introduced last session and will soon be reintroduced this year in the House of Representatives, where it is called The High School Athletics Accountability Act (HR 901), and the Senate, where it is called the High School Sports Information Collection (SB 518) Act. This important bill requires high schools to report basic data on the number of female and male students in their athletic programs and the expenditures of their male and female sports teams. Currently, high schools are not required to publicly disclose such data, making it difficult for students, parents, and community members to ensure fairness in their school's athletics programs.
*Pictured on homepage: student-athlete Katelyn Reis, Jessica Mendoza and Andrea Reis (National Association of Girls and Women in Sports)
Check out local celebrations of NGWSD.
Order our free National Girls and Women in Sports Day posters.
See how your state ranks in participation opportunities for girls.
A look at how far we have come…
Then….. One in 27 girls participated in high school varsity sports
Now…… 1 in 2.5 are playing
Then…. 300,000 young women participated in interscholastic athletics
Now….. There are presently more than 3 million female scholastic athletes
Then…. NGWSD was a single event in Washington, D.C.
Now….. NGWSD was celebrated in many cities across all 50 states
Then… Women participated in only 13 of the 24 events of the 1984 Olympic Games
Now…. In Beijing in 2008, female athletes competed in 28 of the 32 Olympic events
Then…. The Women’s Sports Foundation was the sole organization promoting NGWSD
Now… NGWSD is supported by an entire coalition of organizations that 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.
Then…. Title IX was the only legislation pertaining to the involvement of girls in sports
Now…. As of October 2006, 34 states have additional legislation that involves minimum requirements for school physical education programs
Then…. Female professional athletes received far less prize money compared to their male counterparts
Now… At Wimbledon in 2007 and the Winter X Games in 2009, identical purses were given to both men and women winners.
The enacting of Title IX in 1972 opened countless doors for women in athletics and brought to America's attention the idea that sports should be a place where all girls and women can realize their potential. Without Title IX, there would be no equal prize money, no Olympic gold for the U.S. softball team, none of those unforgettable happenings in women's sports. View a countdown of 35 of those most memorable moments.
The individual benefits of physical activity are undeniable, but did you know participation in play also helps families? Read our Go Out and Play report, an exhaustive study of children’s participation in sports and exercise and the first to document the benefit of sports to the wellness of families.