вторник, 18 сентября 2012 г.

Overtown Youth Center hosts girls for National Girls & Women in Sports Day - Westside Gazette

The Greater Miami Tennis Foundation conducted its Third Annual National Girls & Women in Sports Day at the Overtown Youth Center last Saturday. About 50 girls, ranging in age from as young as five to 18 attended the event. The girls who attended were given special clinics in the sports of tennis and basketball. They were also coached in life skills and presented career programs.

The Greater Miami Tennis Foundation does an after school and summer program as a partner with the Overtown Youth Center, which is funded by the John S. and James L. Knight Organization. The goals of the program are to improve the economic conditions and the opportunities of the areas they serve.

Some top women in Miami-Dade who have sports-related careers took time out from their busy schedules to take part in the program. Some of the participants were Jody Applebaum Steinhauer, Director of the Junior Orange Bowl Tennis Tournament; Vickie Ellis-Hatch, a nutritionist specializing in pediatrics; Dr. Janine Johnson, a podiatry fellow from Barry University's podiatry program; Vernessa Thompson, former girls high school basketball coach who works with the GoGirlGo program; plus staff members from the Overtown Youth Center.

Greater Miami Tennis Foundation Development Director Susan Krupnick-Gregorie spoke of some of the special topics some of the guest mentors addressed to the assembled girls.

'Through the GoGirlGo project, we combined sports for girls with an educational component that consisted of reading stories about famous female athletes, and addressing issues girls face such as ranging from being bullied, being considered different, having eating disorders, and things of that nature,' Krupnick-Gregoire told the Westside Gazette.

The number of attendees was a bit lower than Krupnick-Gregoire expected, possibly due to rain the day before the event, in her opinion.

'A lot of them (the girls) had played tennis or basketball before, while for others it was their first exposure. They were a little bit reluctant to try things but once they got on the court, they seemed to enjoy themselves,' said Krupnick-Gregorie.

Thirteen-year-old Daja Lucas played tennis and basketball for the first time. She said she did not have any favorite athletes, but she had fun playing and did not get too tired in the process.

Sixteen-year-old Shantle Brown played a little basketball and tennis. She said she thought about playing professional women's basketball one day, but during the program she just played for fun. Playing for fun is Brown's preference these days. With regards to playing, 'I learned not to be ashamed of yourself,' said Brown.

Seventeen-year-old high school senior, Brandee Oliver played basketball and tennis also for fun. The day's program was fun and interesting for her. She said running up and down the basketball court could get her tired if she does not pace herself. Oliver said she just sits down when she gets too tired.

Five-year-old Jasmine Bell, one of the youngest participants at the event, said she tried to learn to dribble the basketball, as the ball bounces over her head every time. But she said basketball is fun and she will keep playing for fun.

For 29 year old Charla McPhee, Girl Scout leader with Bethel Apostolic Temple, service unit 41, she gained a bit of knowledge from leading some of the younger girls who attend her church on this field trip.

'I learned more about nutrition values, about food and hidden facts about sugars and fats in various foods we eat that we don't even know we're eating,' said McPhee. She also got a chance to practice some basketball and tennis, and was working on a few 'outside shots' before she spoke to the West side Gazette.

Vernessa Thompson of the GoGirlGo tried to drive the point home about the need to build girls self-esteem. She tried to emphasize the point that peer pressure is real, and she tried to give the girls ways to deal with it.

'We discussed what you see on television may or may not have any bearing on how you look. I told them that the majority of the time the girls they see on television are not girls that they would encounter each and every day of their lives,' said Thompson.

Thompson tried to stress to them the fact that many of them are still growing and developing.

'The ears and nose grow bigger, but that's a part of development. The braces are there for a reason. One of the girls in the class had braces on her teeth and instead of looking at it as something negative, I encouraged them to take it as a positive, because once those braces come off, there will be beautiful teeth there,' said Thompson.

Article copyright BI-ADs, Inc.