BENNINGTON, Vt. – Last Sunday, Southern Vermont College participated in its first National Girls & Women in Sports Day (NGWSD) by welcoming over 50 girls ages 6-13 to the Mountaineer Athletic Center for a celebration of female athletes and their accomplishments.

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The event allowed the area youngsters to meet SVC student-athletes involved in women’s athletics programs at the College and learn about how sports can positively impact their lives. The participants selected to play in one—or multiple—sessions that included soccer, lacrosse, softball, running, basketball, and volleyball.

“The atmosphere was uplifting and fun,” commented Maria Francese—SVC’s Coordinator of Student Involvement & Civic Engagement who helped organize the day in conjunction with Assistant Director of Athletics Ashley Hodges. “Usually, when dealing with kids, you never know what to expect, but the girls had amazing attitudes and enjoyed each activity,” Francese added.

There was no charge for registration to the event as it was supported by the National Collegiate Athletic Association—allowing any young female in the age range access to occasion.

"It was amazing to be able to put this event on free of cost thanks to the NCAA Initiatives grant,” said Hodges. “It was fun to watch our female athletes translate their love of sport to the girls in attendance. I look forward to seeing this event grow."

February 1, 2017 was the official day of the 31st annual NGWSD, but Francese and Southern Vermont opted to hold off and run theirs this past Sunday to have it better suit the SVC student-athletes’ schedules; the date also allowed it to tie in with March and Women’s History Month as well as this Wednesday’s International Women’s Day.

“I think this program is definitely something we should do again,” Francese continued. “Young women and youth sports in general are a worthy investment of SVC, so I hope to do more programs that feature free ways for the community to interact with us. I hope this event alone can become an annual event that the community and our teams look forward to.”

Each sport-specific session was facilitated by members of that Mountaineer squad who were eager to pass along their knowledge and enthusiasm of athletics to the participants.

“It was a great experience for our team to work together in finding and running fun activities for the girls,” noted Nicole Matthews (Pittstown, N.Y.)—a junior captain on the SVC softball team. “We wanted to show the girls, whether they had ever played before or not, how fun the sport of softball is. It was a rewarding and fun time to see the girls really enjoy the activities we had them do and keep them engaged all day.”

“My teammates and I were saying, after, that we wish there were things like this when we were younger,” stated senior Emily Lesure (Cheshire, Mass.)—a member of the SVC women’s cross country team and one of the captains of the College’s women’s lacrosse squad. “Just the exposure to the different sports is great and something that I didn’t have when I was that age. I think all our players really enjoyed helping out, and it was a great way to give back to the community and do our fair share in helping out those in the area who support us."

“Our athletes shined most of all,” Francese added. “Their level of enthusiasm set the tone for the day, and the young girls really followed their lead with drills and with their attitudes. Watching each group get together for a picture and team cheer after the clinic made everything come full circle.”

The NGWSD Coalition is comprised of four premiere organizations in the United States: the Women’s Sports Foundation, the National Women’s Law Center, the President’s Council on Fitness, Sports & Nutrition, and Girls Inc. The first event took place in 1987 as a special day in the nation’s capital to recognize women’s sports, and it has since grown to be occasion for acknowledging the accomplishments of female athletes, the positive influence of sports participation, and the continuing struggle for equality for women in sports. To learn more, visit ngwsp.org.

– #LetsGoSVC –