Lansing Celebrates Girls and Women in Sports

Every year the sports community acknowledges National Girls and Women in Sports Day, an annual day of observance to celebrate the accomplishments of female athletes and recognize the influence that sports participation has on women and girls. It's also a day of honoring and advocating for equality for women in sports.

To celebrate, we asked four women who are involved with sports in Greater Lansing a few questions about what the day means to them. Check out the video below for a quick preview, or keep reading for the full Q&A. 

What does National Girls & Women in Sports Day mean to you?

It means a time to celebrate everything that we have created for our young women in athletics. I think it’s a time to celebrate those connections and pathways that we’ve given them to succeed.

Who is a woman in sports that has inspired you?

So many women have inspired me and led me to the place I am today. I think that the unsung heroes of women in sport are mid to low-level coaches who teach our young women how to be confident, character-driven people. I can think of a million physical education teachers who take an extra job after school just to have an impact on young women in sports.

What advice do you have for young women in sports?

My advice for young women in sports is to say yes to every opportunity. Say yes to playing a position you haven’t tried before. Say yes to helping out a teammate in need. Say yes to being a leader every single day.

What do you want people to better understand about women's sports?

I absolutely am passionate about creating opportunities for young women in sports. I think it is the best place to develop confidence, the best place to develop character, and the best place to develop great people and our future leaders, in America and elsewhere. I think young girls in sport are better people, they are better teammates, and they are better able to overcome adversity throughout the rest of their lives.

What does National Girls & Women in Sports Day mean to you?

It has given us the opportunity to shine a little light on not only women’s basketball, but sport for girls in general, and to look at the accomplishments that have been garnered for women in sports recently with Serena Williams, Caitlin Clark, Sha’Carri Richardson, or any top athlete that you can think of. I think this spotlight is very important and hopefully will help more girls and women stay and be in sports.

Who is a woman in sports that has inspired you?

A woman who inspired me is Wilma Rudolph. I had the distinct pleasure of playing sports with her daughter, and she was in and around Indianapolis and the head of the track association committee. Just knowing her, knowing her story and her battles with physical health, and me being an athletic trainer, seeing her aspire and become an Olympian was very special to me at a young age.

What advice do you have for young women in sports?

My advice for young women in sports is cross training. You don’t have to train or play one sport continuously to become a great athlete. You need to cross train. That will help your body, and it will help your longevity in sport. I’m an athletic trainer, so that’s my best advice to young women and older women participating in athletics.

What do you want people to better understand about women's sports?

Remember that some of the best sports of our time, period, are females. Women are great athletes too.

What does National Girls & Women in Sports Day mean to you?

It's an opportunity for our student-athletes and coaches to get involved with the community, to show young girls what they can aspire to be. And it’s a really cool opportunity to showcase women in sport and the leadership qualities that they learn, teamwork, hard work, that it’s cool to sweat. It’s cool to be tough. And I think sport showcases that to girls.

Who is a woman in sports that has inspired you?

A female in sports that has inspired me as a mentor is Karen Langeland. When I first got to Michigan State, she had so many words of wisdom for me, not just as a coach but as a woman in this profession. I had to manage difficult situations, had to handle student-athletes and parents, had to thrive in this environment. And I still call Karen to this day for advice and tidbits of information.

What advice do you have for young women in sports?

The advice I’d give young women in sports is to persevere because there are so many life lessons taught through sports. It’s not just about winning and losing. It’s about growing in your confidence, growing in your relationships, and learning about yourself and your ability to push through hard times, as well as feeling joy with a group of other people. I think there’s so much value that comes from being on a sports team that takes you through the rest of your life.

What do you want people to better understand about women's sports?

I think oftentimes when you’ve got a sport that’s got a male and a female counterpart, you’ll hear people say the women’s sport is slower or they’re not as physical. And I think you have to look at it as in there’s different attributes and skills that those athletes bring to the table. The game might look a little different, but they’re working equally as hard, the game is just as enjoyable to watch, and you’ve gotta look at it from a different lens, especially if you’ve always just watched men’s sports. There are some amazing things that female athletes are doing on a daily basis, whether it’s in high school, middle school, college, or professionally, and it’s worth watching and enjoying and supporting.

What does National Girls & Women in Sports Day mean to you?

What it means to me is that women are given a chance to express themselves in sports, not just as an athlete but further along. Playing, coaching, contract writing, ownership. Just a chance for women to show their pride in sports and how it affects them.

Who is a woman in sports that has inspired you?

Her nickname was Flo-Jo, but her name was Florence Griffith Joyner, and I loved her because no one had ever seen anybody like her before. She was athletic, strong, beautiful. But the power, the speed, her hair, her nails, her outfit, it just changed the sports world. She made records that are still held today in the 100 and 200 meters, and I just loved her because she was magnificent and something the world had never seen. And it came from a woman. So that was empowering and it was great to see as a young child growing up.

What advice do you have for young women in sports?

Don’t limit yourself, don’t think about what you can’t do. Think what you can do. There used to be this advertisement from Gatorade that said “play like a girl.” I wish they still had, that but it’s just something that girls should think about. Play like a girl, because I look at it as a compliment.

What do you want people to better understand about women's sports?

I think it’s about the limitations. Remember there was a time that women couldn’t even participate. A woman had to pretend, to get into the Boston Marathon. So now, not only are women playing in sports, participating in sports, they’re owners, coaches, contractors, helping write things. So I think this is a great time for women in sports from beginning to end. Just to see the progress, I love it.

Photo Credit: MHSAA, Matt Mitchell, Kelly Branigan, Lynika McCrary