Wednesday was National Girls and Women in Sports Day. I was going to post on social media about how my life wouldn’t be the same without sport, but I wanted to dig a little bit into what the day is and what it means. As someone invested in knowing the history of women’s wrestling, I also want to learn more about the history of women in sport. This post just shares a couple observations and highlights, so it’ll jump around a bit.
I’ve been following the Women’s Sport Foundation for a couple years now. They champion all women and women’s sports. The organization first really came on my radar in 2019 when the Life University women’s wrestling team was awarded one of five grants (from all sports) from the WSF Tara VanDerveer Fund for the Advancement of Women in Coaching. Since then, I’ve followed their advocacy and touched on some of their expansive list of resources.
When I read that 2022 is the 36th annual celebration of NGWSD my brain doesn’t really do the math, but when I look up the years and read though what was happening, it makes sense.
In my quest to dig a bit more about NGWSD I learned that the WSF was created in 1974. I also learned that on top of advocacy and programs they have a research division. This makes sense, as research and data drives decisions and is the foundation for conversation and pushing for legislation. I appreciate this piece a lot with my data loving background and how we use it to actually tell a story.
I learned that Flo Hyman, an Olympic volleyball player, was as much a voice in fighting for equality in women’s sports as she was a force to be reckoned with on the court. She passed away prematurely in 1986 from a rare disease.
I learned that February 4th, 1987, was designated National Women’s in Sports Day by a joint resolution in October, 1986. And that late president Ronald Reagan shared proclamation 5606 regarding National Women in Sports Day on February 3rd, 1987. The language in the joint resolution and in Reagan’s proclamation feels like the same conversation we are having today.
From Proclamation 5606:
“The history of women in sports is rich and long and has provided millions with an opportunity for growth, development, and the pursuit of challenging goals. From youth sports to the Olympic arena, female athletes have shown levels of spirit, talent, and accomplishment undreamt of on that midwest campus a century ago.
Participation in sports contributes to the emotional, physical, and intellectual development of women of all ages. Through individual and team activities, young girls develop self-discipline, initiative, respect for fair play and cooperation, and communication and leadership skills that will help them succeed throughout their lives. Early positive experiences strongly influence wholesome lifelong habits of physical fitness, and thus have a direct bearing on the health and well-being of this Nation.”
I can only imagine the pressure placed on the administration for women’s sports during this radically changing time for women in every arena—it falls 10-15 years after the Equal Pay Act (1963), Title IX (1972) and sex becoming a protected class in 1974.
Anyways, I’m not a history buff but I do want to learn more. For todays purpose these are a few dates for context. The WSF continues to lead the charge for women’s sports.
One of the best breakdowns I read about NDWSD as we continue to celebrate it today was this: “The day has evolved to commemorate all women athletes, their achievements, the positive impacts of inclusion of women in sports, and to address the challenges regarding equal participation of women in sports activities. The day also appreciates the progression made since the enactment of the civil rights law, Title IX.”
I really like it, and now I feel like I understand it more wholesomely.
An important observation I made was that the narrative of the day champions women belonging in every aspect of sport. Every aspect of sport. This includes media, administration, officiating, coaching, etc. In a sport like wrestling, visibility of women in sport, and in roles encompassing all of sport are crucial.
For me specifically, the psychological battle of belonging in wrestling as a coach and in the media was one that took time to grow into. I’m really pleased that today I am secure there and plugged into a lane that shows women in these roles kicking ass at what they do. What I questioned once seems commonplace to me now, but it’s still not super evident to outsiders or those not plugged in—men occupy most leadership roles in the sport.
Girls who wrestle, especially if it’s their only sport, might not see very many women in leadership roles on their path just yet, and this does impact how they move into the world beyond sport.
The timing of NGWSD is pretty neat. Last weekend I got to witness and be part of history as the Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association hosted their first-ever high school girls state wrestling tournament.
I want to recognize and give a nod to all the girls in Wisconsin specifically: the ones that competed at the state tournament, the ones who came before them that didn’t get the opportunity to compete in an equal field (myself included) and the ones that will come next who have less barriers to break so they can simply reap the benefits of inclusion.
I want to highlight the positive impact of that inclusion—the physical, mental and emotional benefits for athletes, and the positive impact teams and hard work has on becoming fire-tested and confident people. Sport is a controlled environment in which we can shatter our breaking points, go to the dark place in confidence and done correctly, come back for more without fear of failure because we are secure in our sense of self apart from outcome. Sport can transform people into the strongest version of themselves and puts them in situations to lift learnings and apply them to life.
Additionally, I want to highlight the positive impact of women in sport as it permeates the parameters of sport and is a lens in which we can see the greater heights for women in societal roles in and outside of athletics.
I do want to momentarily address the challenges. The number of opportunities for girls and women in wrestling is unprecedented, but there is a lot of work to be done in ensuring that quality girls-only opportunities emerge for practices, development, resources, teams, and competitions outside of the end of season championship. I appreciate living through the growing pains and milestones of women’s wrestling, but I’m also here for its overall advancement. We were built for this time.
USA Wrestling really wanted to show how girls and women’s wrestling is a team sport this year. I like this. Not only because we become who we are with our friends and comrades, but because it’s been all-girls opportunities that have grown the sport at scale and continues to shock the world.
I am excited and grateful that I get to be living life and serving through sport. I am grateful for my team, and my coaches. I am recognizing more all the time that with new roles and understandings comes new levels of responsibilities. The work we do matters.
All love in life through sport,
GLK
Two comments:
I was telling a friend I’m ready for the switch from advocacy to just creating champions on the mat and in life, but here we are again with a semi-advocacy piece. I think as we move onward in the pursuit of our goals it’s necessary to observe and think critically about the big picture and influencing factors, so there will always remain a balance for advocacy.
I also just want to be very clear: wrestling has been and is greatly advanced by men who continue to open doors and support women. My life has been changed and continues to be impacted by outstanding male coaches and leaders.
