Fresno State Athletics
Our Day is Every Day
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Jan. 27, 2000
FRESNO, Calif. - Women in athletics have made great strides in last 100 years.
Their competitiveness has come a long way since the early days of "lady like" approach to sports such as croquet, archery, bowling, tennis, and golf. Women now have a presence in previously dominated sports such as baseball, ice hockey, boxing, sailing, and motor sports. Women now compete in professional leagues like the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) which began in 1997, and softball with the Women's Pro Softball League that started in 1996.
Here at Fresno State women have proved to be a powerhouse in the school's athletic programs. The Fresno State softball team, which captured the university's first national title by any team sport in 1998, made its 12th Women's College World Series appearance and its 18th straight NCAA Tournament appearance last year. Also, pole vault star Melissa Price became the first female national indoors champion in the pole vault for the school. She is currently training in hopes of competing in the upcoming Olympic Games. Inside the classroom, 16 women student-athletes have captured GTE Academic All-America accolades out of the 25 recognized and three have received NCAA Postgraduate scholarships in the last three academic school years. Achievements are seen throughout all of the university's women's teams. They have all earned respect and have become national competitive programs.
These local achievements, as well as national, will be recognized February 9, 2000 as we celebrate the 14th annual National Girl and Women in Sports Day. This year's commemorative day proclaims that "Our Day in Sports is Every Day," which pays tributes to the influence women have in athletics today.
National Girl and Women in Sports Day began in 1987 as a day to remember Olympic volleyball player Flo Hyman for athletic achievements and her work to bring equality and recognition to women's athletics. Hyman died of a heart attack in 1986 while competing in a volleyball tournament in Japan. Since, NGWSD has become a day to acknowledge the past and recognize current sports achievements, the positive influence of sports participation and the continuing struggle for equality for women in sports.
Since 1987, Congress has proclaimed this a national day. The Day is organized by Girls Incorporated, Girl Scouts of the USA, National Association for Girls and Women in Sport, Women's Sports Foundation and YWCA of the USA. This day helps acknowledge the progress of girls and women in sports and the benefits that sports brings to the lives of all girls and women. Benefits in participation of sports, like boys and men, include health, leadership skills, teamwork, loyalty, commitment, dedication, and desire.
Celebrations on Wednesday, February 9 are planned in all 50 states and in locations all around the world. Here at Fresno State, coaches and student-athletes will host clinics, sign autographs and much more. The general public will be able to meet with all the Bulldog women coaches and the student-athletes while learning about recruiting, academics, and nutrition and conditioning.
The national celebration, which includes a ceremony on Capitol Hill, honors a female athlete with the Sports Foundation Flo Hyman Award who captures her "dignity, spirit and commitment to excellence."
The first recipient of this award was tennis star Martina Navratilova in 1987. Other winners include track stars Jackie Joyner-Kersee (1988) and Evelyn Ashford (1989), tennis legend Chris Evert (1990), world disabled ski champion Diana Golden (1991), golf champion Nancy Lopez (1992) and Hall of Fame golfer Patty Sheehan (1994), basketball star Lynette Woodard (1993), Olympic gymnastic gold medalist Mary Lou Retton (1995), Olympic swimming champion Donna de Varona (1996), tennis legend Billie Jean King (1997), seven-time Olympic gymnastic gold medalist Nadia Comaneci (1998), and the most decorated U.S. athlete in Winter Olympic history speedskater Bonnie Blair (1999).
Women's athletics is relatively new, its history only dating back only a hundred years. It has come a long way since 1896 in which the first-ever women's intercollegiate basketball game was held between University of California-Berkeley and Stanford University. Recently, though, an explosion of top-notch female athletes has welcomed some well-deserved recognition. In 1996, the women's soccer and softball made their debuts in the Olympic Games. The U.S. women dominated the team competitions by winning the gold medals in basketball, gymnastics, soccer, softball, and synchronized swimming. In 1998, women's ice hockey made its first-ever Olympic appearance in which the U.S. earned the first gold medal. The most recent accomplishment perhaps brought the most attention to women's athletics. In 1999 America was swept by soccer fever as the U.S. team wins the 1999 FIFA Women's World Cup.
All of these recent accomplishments have brought well-deserved recognition in the historically overlooked world of women's athletics. Amidst Title IX controversy and equality issues, female issues have shown that they do belong in competitive athletics. These recent milestones have given numerous role models and avenues to travel for young athletes and have proclaimed that "Our Day in Sports is Every Day."