2004 Annual Report - Girls Inc.

Girls Inc. Sporting Chance
1984
2004
Fewer than 1.8 million girls participate in high school athletics.
Fewer than 100,000 participate in intercollegiate sports.
Girls' participation in both high school and college
climbs by 50%.
– Women's Equity Resource Center and
American Association of University Women
Girls Inc. Sporting Chance ® Invites Girls
Off the Sidelines and Onto the Playing Field
factor standing in the way of many girls’ ability to
embrace sports and fitness as a part of their daily lives.
Even bigger impediments were self-perception, an
uncertainty about the quality of their own movement
and strength, and the age-old stereotypes that girls were
better off as cheerleaders for boys’ athletic glories than
as players on the field.
The answer was Girls Inc. Sporting Chance — a
program that aims to make sports an integral part
of girls’ lives.
Photo by Lee White
The Title IX educational amendments of 1972
stipulated that no federally funded education program
in the U.S. could discriminate on the basis of sex.
It was a landmark law that laid the groundwork for
equal educational opportunity for girls and young
women on all fronts, including athletics.
But in 1984, a federal court ruled that Title IX
didn’t apply to athletics, except for athletic scholarships.
Federally funded secondary and post-secondary
schools didn’t have to provide equal opportunity for
girls to pursue athletics, and the outlook for women’s
sports again turned bleak.
It would be four years before that ruling was
overturned, and Title IX would resume its catalytic
impact on athletic opportunity for girls. But Girls Inc.
recognized that lack of opportunity wasn’t the only
On The
Horizon
“According to one expert, if a girl does not
participate in sports by the time she is 10, there is only
a 10 percent chance that she will be athletic when she is
25,” says Linda Haynes, Director of Innovative Projects
for Girls Inc. “When girls’ access to sports participation
is limited, they miss the chance to develop skills
and relationships that will help them succeed and habits
that can keep them healthy throughout their lives.
Sporting Chance helps them to overcome the obstacles
that stand in their way, so they can develop the confidence
to pursue sports and fitness on their own terms.”
Sporting Chance provides girls with opportunities
to have fun; learn basic movement and sport skills;
increase their coordination, endurance and strength;
consider the career opportunities connected to sports;
and learn about successful athletes and the history of
women in sports. They also learn how to be both
cooperative and competitive and how to discipline their
bodies and their minds.
There are many physical, psychological and social
benefits for girls who have positive experiences taking
part in active games and sports on a regular basis.
Playing sports helps them build healthy bodies, develop
Girls Inc. Adventure Girls
If Sporting Chance gets girls off the sidelines and onto the playing
field, a new component of the program aims to get girls off the road
and onto the trail. Adventure Girls will focus on outdoor sports and
healthy risk taking — “challenge by choice” in its developers’ words —
to connect girls to rock climbing, overnight camping, kayaking and
wilderness activities that they can pursue throughout their lives. The program will help
girls embrace the risk of trying more adventurous outdoor activities by building a sense
of community among participants. Funding for the component’s development was
provided by NFL Charities, Pepsi Co. and MetLife. Adventure Girls will be tested in the
fall of 2005.
Girls Incorporated
Strong
Smart