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February 6th celebrates the 16th annual "National Girls &
Women in Sports Day." This year's theme is "Celebrating 30
Years of Title IX".
Please consider how you might organize recognition of this important
event. As you are probably aware opportunities for participation
by girls and women in sports have increased greatly since Title
IX. Your support of the Day will go a long way to increase visibility
for female athletes and advance their struggle for equality in sports.
A free "Community Action Kit" can be downloaded
here.
You might also consider increasing recognition by contacting your
local media. Ready-to-use press releases are available here.
Most of all, please DO something at your schools to celebrate this
important occasion. For our part we have devoted the content of
this issue of "Coaching & Sports" to feature some
selected resources from web sites that specifically address girls'
and women's' issues.
Steve
Jefferies
Coaching Section
Editor
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The
Melpomene Institute helps girls and women of all ages link physical
activity and health through research, publication and education.
Named for an inspiring Greek woman who ran the first Olympic marathon
in 1896, Melpomene was founded in 1982 as a unique research and
resource center for women interested in physical activity at all
levels of frequency and intensity.
A current topic of interest at this web site is ways to attract
and keep girls involved in sports. The following link provides reference
sources that address this topic.
Resources
for Talk on Keeping Girls In Sports: What are their needs?
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The following tidbits of information appear on the Melpomene
Institute web site:
* If a girl doesn't participate in sports by age 10, there is only
a 10% chance she will be physically active by 25 (Source)
* On average, girls' high school athletics receives $84 for every
$100 spent on boys athletics. (Source)
* The two primary reasons adolescent girls participate in physical
activity are to have fun and stay in shape (Source)
*Sports appear to help integrate physical, personal and social
processes that can reduce the risk for teen pregnancy. (Source)
* Elementary school boys & girls actually play differently;
organized ball games for boys, simple games more social in nature
for girls. (Source)
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Women's Sports
Foundation
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Founded in 1974 by Billie Jean King, the Women's
Sports Foundation is dedicated to ensuring equal access to participation
and leadership opportunities for all girls and women in sports and
fitness.
In following article Dr. Donna Lopiano
addresses some important issues concerning gender equity,
Gender
Equity in Sports: Whose Responsibility Is It?
The real reason we want equal opportunity for our daughters to
play sports is so they too can derive the psychological, physiological
and sociological benefits of sports participation. Sport has been
one of the most important socio-cultural learning experiences for
boys and men for many years. Those same benefits should be afforded
our daughters. (Click here
to read more)
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Help
Celebrate
"National
Girls & Women in Sports Day"
February
6th
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Girls Incorporated is
a national nonprofit youth organization dedicated to inspiring all
girls to be strong, smart, and bold. Their web site has a number
of interesting resource related to girls' activities and health
issues. Here's a sample:
Girls
and Sports (selected items)
* A 1998 study by the Sporting Goods Manufacturers Association found
that 42 percent of girls between the ages of 12 and 17 and 32 percent
of girls between the ages of 6 and 11 participate in sports activities
at a level that is considered ³dedicated.² For most sports activities,
this means 100 or more days per year. Among 6- to 11-year-old girls,
this represents an 86 percent increase since 1987.
* Not all girls participate at equal levels. Only about one-third
of black and Hispanic high school girls participated in school-sponsored
sports in 1997 (33 percent and 32 percent, respectively) compared
to about one-half of white girls (49 percent).
* The American College of Sports Medicine warns that girls who
participate in certain types of sports are more at risk of developing
osteoporosis or an eating disorder and of delayed menarche than
other girls. These three conditions are known as the ³The Female
Athlete Triad.² Girls who participate in sports where a low body
weight or prepubescent body type is valued or required and girls
that participate in sports who require revealing clothing for competition
are most at risk.
Click here
for the complete article and many more interesting facts. References
for the research from which this information came are also included.
Sporting
Chance
The Sporting Chance program helps older girls and teens develop
leadership skills, provide assistance to adult coaches and gain work
experience as peer coaches. Girls ages 6-11 are provided opportunities
to develop their motor skills and become involved in the world of
organized sports. |
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Girl Scouts Health
& Fitness Initiative
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Are you aware that the
Girl Scouts of America are actively involved in encouraging
girls to participate in sports and health promoting physical activities?
In the following article Dee Ebersole-Boukouzis
and Wendy DeGiglio offer specific ideas
for increasing female participation:
Hot
Tips for Cool Workouts
Here are surefire tips to help you and your girls embrace GirlSports,
GSUSA's widely popular sports, health, and fitness initiative. No
experience is necessary‹just a desire to be a role model for girls
and to recognize that good health requires work and love of fun.
(Click here
to read more)
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| Coaching the Female Athlete |
| If you have ideas, comments, letters to share, or
questions about particular topics, please email one of the following
Coaching Section Editors: |
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Questions to Ask, or
Thoughts to Share?
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