Female members of ECU's Student-Athlete Advisory Committee put on their annual 'Women in Sports Day' event, hosting girls from the Boys and Girls club of the Coastal Plain
 
National Girls and Women in Sports Day was celebrated across the country last week, recognizing the achievements of female athletes while empowering younger girls. At ECU, members of the volleyball, softball, women's track and field, women's cross country, women's tennis, soccer and lacrosse teams assembled in the practice facility at Minges Coliseum with girls from the Boys and Girls Club of the Coastal Plain prior to the women's basketball conference clash against Wichita State. Hosted by the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC), the goal of ECU's Girls and Women in Sports event is to spread girl power, self-esteem, confidence and athlete "swagger" to the younger girls.
 
"Teach by example," women's basketball head coach Heather Macy said. "Show them the attributes as women we need to be role models, and show them through seeing us act in our behavior, attitudes and work ethic."
 
Stations provided by each of the teams were set up throughout the gym to conduct activities for the girls. Every activity not only got the girls moving but created interactions between current Pirates and the aspiring Pirates-to-be. Women who play collegiate sports are role models to young girls across the country, serving as an achievable target for many kids who dream about one day filling their shoes.
 
"You have to see it before you can really dream that you want to do it," Macy shared. "It gives the girls confidence and hope that with the right work ethic they'll be able to accomplish their goals."
 
It is vital that women not only empower one another but also feel comfortable in their own skin. Sports provide girls with a way to enjoy the success of others while also feeling proud about their own physical achievements. The SAAC event allowed the female athletes to connect with the girls from the Boys and Girls Club, who may lack in self-confidence or assurance, and help to create physically and mentally strong young girls who will one day become even stronger women.
 
"Athletic involvement is very important for women because it is a major factor in creating a healthy foundation for life to develop," said Grace Sullivan, junior on the track and cross country teams. "Personally, being a part of athletics brought upon lasting friendships and memories that I am excited to share with the future generations of younger girls."
 
Coach Macy added that confidence is key in coaching female athletes. Every day, she said, you have the ability to instill and build confidence. Danielle Morrin, director of life skills and community service liaison at ECU, also recognized the importance of confidence in a girl's success.
 
"It's really important to me that my student-athletes and young girls believe and understand that they can do anything they put their mind to," Morrin said.  "I want them to know that nothing is out of reach with a little hard work and dedication."
 
Morrin, a former swimmer for the ECU swimming and diving team (2011-15), explained that playing sports are more than just running fast and throwing hard. "I am who I am today, because of my involvement in sports growing up," she said. "The memories, lessons, and friendship I have from playing sports, I wouldn't trade for the world."
 
Life lessons, community involvement and building relationships are what the current female student-athletes are trying to hand down to the next generation of girls— along with embodying a passion for playing a sport, of course.
 
"It's events like National Girls and Women in Sports Day that inspire the younger generation of female student-athletes," Morrin stated.
 
The girls spent the afternoon learning how to kick, run, jump, play, draw and live confidently…like a girl. After the games and crafts, the girls were led to the basketball arena to watch the ECU women's basketball team defeat Wichita State.
 
The ECU athletes hope that this day packed full of fun leaves the younger girls with a sense of pride in who they are and what they can become. National Girls and Women in Sports Day will continue to be celebrated yearly at ECU to encourage strength and confidence in younger generations of women.
 
"I always like to reinforce to the younger girls to always wear a smile. It is such a simple idea but creates an impact not only on themselves but on others around them," Sullivan  said.
 
Whether it's wearing a smile or fierce eye black on game day, never underestimate the capability of girl power.