Teams participate in National Girls and Women in Sports Day

Five of UCF's women's athletic teams spent the day investing in girls in the local community at the National Girls and Women in Sports Day on Saturday at UCF.

More than 30 girls ages 12 and under interacted with members of UCF's women's soccer, rowing, track & field and volleyball teams and the KnightMoves dance team. The event, which is a nation-wide initiative to encourage girls and women to participate in sports, was at both the UCF Track and Soccer Complex and The Venue.

Participants also got an autograph signing with the volleyball team, a free ticket to the UCF women's basketball game against East Carolina at 7 p.m. and an autograph session with the team after the game.

The event started at 5 p.m. on the Track and Soccer Complex with the soccer, rowing and track & field teams at separate stations teaching girls the basics of each sport. The participants were split among the groups in rotations lasting 10 minutes each.

The women's rowing team brought its Ergometer (erg) machines which simulate the actual rowing motion to teach girls how to properly row on land, which involved showing them the breakdown of how a stroke works, Lauren Hampson said. Hampson, team member and senior history major, said events like the National Girls and Women in Sports Day encourages girls to get involved in sports at a young age.

"It lets girls know that there's a place for them in sports," Hampson said. "We're successful girls and it shows them that you can go to college and be successful, too."

The soccer team taught girls how to dribble-controlling the soccer ball while kicking it from one foot to the other while in motion-and how to shoot into the goal.

The final rotation was with the track & field team. Katrina Skinner, team member and sophomore nursing major, taught the girls proper stretching techniques including hamstring and arm stretches. The team also played the games red light, green light and sharks and minnows with the girls.

Skinner said events such as this one helps draw attention to women's sports, which often take a backseat to men's sports.

"Women's sports aren't as popular as male sports, and events like this shows girls how female athletes have made it and are successful," she said.

Assistant director of marketing for UCF Athletics Jay Hatch said that this event is also important for the university because it introduces girls to UCF athletics early on. Hatch said the athletes participating have a big impact on the girls and the large turnout of UCF athletes shows "tremendous dedication."

At 5:30 p.m., the event moved into the The Venue where the volleyball team taught girls how to properly serve and hit the ball. Once the girls learned the techniques, they hit the ball over the net and played a few volleyball games along side the track & field athletes.

Kristina Jones, 9, and Laquisha Williams, 8, said the volleyball station was their favorite part of the event, and "hitting the ball was so much fun." The two girls said they wanted to continue playing volleyball or go back to the rowing station, but they were also excited about learning from the KnightMoves dance team.

The event concluded with a hip hop routine taught by KnightMoves to the song "T-Shirt" by Shontelle, and an autograph signing with the volleyball team in the lobby of the UCF Arena before the basketball game.

Michele and Steven Overs, whose daughter Deja, 11, participated in the event, were pleased with how well it went. The parents said that they bring Deja to a lot of UCF athletic events, and that she admires the female athletes.

"These athletes help her understand the challenges she's going to face and that it takes work and dedication to get to where they are," Steven Overs said. "They always inspire her to do more."