By Eva Costa, Staff Writer
On Feb. 5, the athletics department joined with the women’s sports alumni and the president, Dr. Jim Burkee, to celebrate National Women in Sports Day. They held a banquet in the Wellness Center for women athletes on Saint Leo University teams and their coaches.
When you walked through the entrance, there was a free dinner with delicious food, including salad, fruit, and cheese. As well as different types of pasta and a dessert table with cookies and coffee.
Imani Holmes, a freshman cheerleader majoring in Criminal Justice, expected this event to be an opportunity to meet new people since every woman was from a different sport. Holmes had high expectations that it would be fun!
“For me, Women in Sports Day is important because we get that recognition through always working hard,” Holmes said.
This event was set up by assigning athletes from the same team to different tables. The student-athletes had a name tag on each chair. The organization group of people from the athletics department was responsible for placing one male or female (if it’s a coach) fromeach team at each table. This is a strategic setup because it provides opportunities for each athlete to share their experiences and the team’s background. This was also a great opportunity to build new friendships with girls from other sports and allow them to meet new people.
During the event, there were speeches from Marcel, the President of the Athletics Department, a women’s softball coach, and two senior student-athletes, one who plays golf and the other, soccer. They both spoke about how to succeed in the future and to always keep pushing through life. They were inspirational and showed how the Saint Leo community embraces women’s achievements in sports.
Ivanna Todd, a sophomore cheerleader majoring in Pre-Nursing, recognized how important the Women in Sports Day is for the entire Saint Leo community because it reinforces how women can also be stronger and fight for medals or titles in sports.
“After the coaches’ and women’s speeches, I felt motivated to keep fighting and keep pushing even on my hard days. It was a great event.” Todd affirms.
Julianna Nash, a sophomore majoring in Nursing from the Gold Rush Dance Team, was expecting to remember old experiences because she had been to this event before and enjoyed it.
“This is an event where we celebrate uplifting women and the stories behind everyone,” Nash said.
Therefore, Nash thinks that women in sports nowadays are important because they have achieved their goals and proved they can do what men can, such as jumping high, making a basket, and kicking a ball at high speed.
“It’s important to keep that hard work going from decade to decade,” Nash said.
Overall, the Women in Sports event was full of celebrations that honored each sport remaining in the university. It was an inspiring night for all the female student-athletes who chose to be a lion at Saint Leo.
1 Comment
Great article!