National Girls and Women in Sports Day

Tue, Feb 2, 2016, 11:41 PM

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Feb. 3 is National Girls & Women in Sports Day. Recognized annually across all 50 states, this year we celebrate the 30th anniversary of NGWSD with the theme Leading the Way. NGWSD was created to empower women and girls, and to help them push past their limits both in sports and in life. This year the Mystics organization participated in two days of events and activities at the White House and on Capitol Hill. Take a look at the recap this year’s historic celebration, and then use #NGWSD to share how you’re celebrating women in sports in your community.

Tuesday, Feb 2

Mystics Color Analyst Christy Winters-Scott participates in White House Roundtable with @WomensSportsFdn,@nwlc, @girls_inc for National Girls & Women in Sports Day. Roundtable participants shared personal stories, and discussed ways to continue empowering girls and women through sports.

 

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Mystics’ Christy Winters-Scott joined by 4x Olympic medalist and Co-chair of the President’s Council on Fitness, Sports and Nutrition Dominique Dawes.

 

Senior Advisor to President Barack Obama Valerie Jarrett tweets photo of #NGWSD White House roundtable featuring Mystics’ Christy Winters-Scott.

Christy Winters-Scott reflects on her visit to the White House to celebrate #NGWSD. This roundtable included Administration Officials, Council Members, professional athletes and leadership from the Women’s Sports Foundation, Girls Inc., and the National Women’s Law Center. Christy and the group discussed ways to use sports as a vehicle to promote women’s health, education, and positive social change, including leadership development and violence prevention.
 
We began the day at the White House, and I was most impressed by the response to the question, “how many of you play/played a sport?” When every single hand went up, I had chills running through my body.  Not only were there Olympic Gold Medalist at the table, but CEOs, business owners, and Gold Medal Para-Olympians.  What was most rewarding to me was the ability to relate to likeminded and powerful women. Even with all of our physical differences, we found common ground in terms of our mindset and competitive fire.  
 
We all agreed that we have all benefited from the passage of Title IX, in athletics and in life.   Many of us at the table were mothers, and can directly pass down our experiences from generation to generation. Whether it be sons or daughters, the sentiment was the same.  Experience in athletics is an invaluable tool for our youth, and statistics have shown that self-confidence, goal setting, being purposeful and bold have all been directly related to participation in sports.
 
In this 30th year of celebrating National Girls and Women in Sports Day, I am thrilled to examine the evolution of how female athletes are now more accepted and respected in our society.  I know for sure that thirty years from now, we will have our daughters, including my daughter, reaping the benefits of the hard work of so many women who have been steadfast in their plight to afford all women and girls equity in athletics.  I am looking forward to that day with the same hope of the women who began the fight thirty years ago. Persistence will pay off.  
–Christy Winters-Scott

 

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2x Olympic medalist and U.S. Women’s Hockey Team member Caitlin Cahow attends Washington Capitals game with Montgomery Youth Hockey Association. Mystics head coach Mike Thibault and guard Natasha Cloud joined Cahow and on the #NGWSD Leading the Way panel on Capitol Hill.

Wednesday, Feb 3

Mystics head coach Mike Thibault and player Natasha Cloud joined a coalition of athletes and coaches for the #NGWSD Leading the Way panel on Capitol Hill. Coach Thibault and Cloud talked about the importance of coaches challenging their teams to succeed, and the importance of girls having faith in their own potential. Other panel participants included Angela Hucles, President of the Women’s Sports Foundation and Olympic medalist for the U.S. Women’s Soccer Team, and Caitlin Cahow, Member of the Women’s Olympic Ice Hockey Team.

Check out photos from an exciting morning in the Nation’s Capital!

 

 

Click here for a Mystics Minute with Marianne Stanley on the importance of #NGWSD.

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