Female Athletes at CU Hope to Inspire Change on National Women and Girls in Sports Day

Wednesday, Feb. 2, 2022, marked the 36th anniversary of National Women and Girls in Sports Day and the recognition of all women in sports. The day acknowledges the accomplishments of female athletes and brings attention to the areas in the sports industry that still have a long way to go before becoming equitable for women and girls across the country. 

To bring awareness to common issues in women’s sports, the community outreach program for the CU Athletics Department held an event on Sunday, Feb. 6 for elementary school to middle school-aged girls to have the opportunity to talk to and train with the female athletes at CU Boulder. 

The event included various training stations for girls to play with female college athletes from a plethora of teams. It was held to inspire and encourage young players in the Boulder area to keep playing their sport and to raise awareness for the female collegiate sports at CU. 

At CU Boulder, women weren’t introduced into their respective sports until the 1970s. Since then, the women’s teams on campus have consistently proven their ambition and worth on the college courts, fields and courses. 

In 2017, the CU Athletics Department released a five-year Gender Equity Plan in hopes of making women’s sports at CU equally acknowledged and funded compared to the men’s sports. 

CU’s Gender Equity Plan mentions increasing the Women’s Golf Team budget to that of the Men’s Golf Team, as well as upgrading the women’s locker rooms and coaches offices of various women’s sports teams. 

“It’s really special to represent women’s golf in general and here at CU,” said Hailey Schalk, a sophomore at CU Boulder and a member of the women’s golf team. “I think being able to develop the game of golf and influence younger girls to play is awesome. Golf is definitely a growing game and I hope our team can make an impact to influence others to play women’s sports.” 

Schalk feels that women’s golf has been historically underestimated and wants to see some change in the future with more coverage of women’s golf on television and recognition for professional female athletes. 

She’s not alone in feeling that. Megan Forster, a senior at CU Boulder who is on the tennis team, seeks inspiration from her idol when she’s on the court. 

“I look up to Serena Williams for her advocacy in women’s tennis and how she fights for what she believes in and her tenacity on the court,” she said. “She is an unreal athlete who has inspired me for many years.” 

Anna Shultz, a junior on the Track & Field team, has goals for her sport this National Women and Girls in Sports Day. 

“There are some issues on the collegiate and professional levels. Body shaming and hyper-focus on what women look like in running have been prevalent for a long time and are still an issue. We still have a long way to go but I am hopeful that the world of running will soon come to an understanding.” Shultz said.

In recent years CU Boulder has made a commitment to women’s sports and creating equality between the male and female teams. The Gender Equity Plan, the implementation of more Community Outreach Events and generally more attention put towards the women’s teams will hopefully bring more recognition to the women’s sports at CU.

The female sports industry still has a long way to go towards becoming equitable for women and girls all across the country. On National Women and Girls in Sports Day, it is important to acknowledge the women who have made an impact as well as the young women who are striving to make their sport better with each practice.