Fresno State celebrates National Girls and Women in Sports Day

FRESNO, Calif. - Fresno State celebrated its 11th annual National Girls & Women in Sports Day (NGWSD) on Saturday afternoon at the Save Mart Center. This year's theme of Lead Her Forward gave Fresno State the opportunity to honor the many ways that sports push girls and women to achieve excellence and realize their boundless potential.

Former and current Fresno State student-athletes gathered at the Save Mart Center prior to the women's basketball game to celebrate NGWSD, hosting a free and fun-filled afternoon for over 100 local youth that was capped with complimentary tickets to the game for the participants and their families.

NGWSD began in 1987 as a special day in our nation to honor women's sports. Since then, the day has evolved into an event to acknowledge the accomplishments of female athletes, the positive influence of sports participation and the continuing struggle for equality for women in sports. NGWSD is celebrated all across the country throughout February.

"For young kids to be around role models I think is really important," explained Fresno State women's basketball head coach, Jaime White. "The WNBA wasn't something when I was growing up, the international professional leagues were not as well-known and now it's a real goal for kids. Young kids want to wear WNBA jerseys, they know who Elena Della Donne is, who Sue Bird is, they know who some of these people are, and they know who Candice White is and that's cool that it has is even matriculated here into our community and that we can be those role models for those young kids."

Participants in Saturday's on-campus activities got the opportunity to meet with Fresno State student-athletes from six women's sports teams: basketball, golf, lacrosse, soccer, softball and volleyball.

The student-athletes and children were split into groups. From there, each group had the opportunity to focus on the individuality of every represented sport. On top of sharing their knowledge of their respective sports, the student-athletes were there to express their appreciation for their sport to the kids in attendance.

"National Girls and Women in Sports Day is a way for young girls to be proud of themselves and grow as a person, to reach for goals, and build personality and character," lacrosse sophomore midfielder Dawson Chalifoux explained on the importance of NGWSD. "It is a way to build confidence and find strength in success. I am really happy to be apart of it."

The children in attendance rotated through each of the six sports, getting approximately 10 minutes in each station to have the chance to gain hands-on experience with Fresno State student-athletes. The youth superstars were able to pass, dribble, putt, shoot and score with the Bulldogs on Saturday afternoon.

On top of that, the participants received a complimentary t-shirt, lunch and ticket to the women's basketball game versus Nevada that immediately followed. The participants of the clinic had a special visit from TimeOut and were able to take home autographs from the student-athletes to commemorate their experience at Fresno State's 2019 NGWSD clinic.

NGWSD is an opportunity that Fresno State capitalizes on every year to honor the women who paved the way, appreciate the woman who are blazing new trails and inspiring the youth who will carry on the tradition.

"Just the Ticket to Build Our Community" -The Bulldog Scholarship Fund gives Bulldog alumni, fans and friends the opportunity to support Fresno State Athletics and the student-athletes who inspire them. For information about how you can support the Bulldog Scholarship Fund, please visit www.bulldogscholarshipfund.comor call 559-278-7160.

Fresno State Athletics

Fresno State celebrates National Girls and Women in Sports Day

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