WHEREAS, Participation in athletics is one of the most effective
ways for girls and women in the United States to develop leadership
skills, discipline, initiative, and self-confidence; and
WHEREAS, Sport and fitness activities contribute to girls' and
women's psychological and physical well-being; and
WHEREAS, Early motor skills training and enjoyable experiences of
physical activity strongly encourage enduring habits of physical
fitness; and
WHEREAS, Girls and women who participate in sports tend to have
higher levels of self-esteem, lower levels of depression, and a reduced
risk for heart disease, breast cancer, and other illnesses; and
WHEREAS, High school girls who play sports have better grades and
are more likely to graduate from high school; and
WHEREAS, 82% of executive businesswomen participated in organized
sports; and
WHEREAS, University athletic departments offer valuable
scholarships that help women pursue higher education, the UW awards a
total of 130 athletic scholarships to female student-athletes, which is
the maximum allowed by the NCAA; and
WHEREAS, The bonds built among girls and women through athletics
help to break down the social barriers of prejudice and discrimination;
and
WHEREAS, Tuesday March 8, 2011, was the 100th annual international
women's day; and
WHEREAS, The National Girls and Women in Sports Coalition declared
February 2, 2011, to be the 25th annual National Girls and Women in
Sports Day; and
WHEREAS, When Title IX was enacted in 1972, 1 in 27 girls in high
school participated in athletics and women participated in only 13 of
the 24 events of the 1984 Olympic Games; and
WHEREAS, Today 1 in 3 girls participate in athletics in high school
and female athletes competed in 28 of the 32 Olympic events in 2008;
and
WHEREAS, Today nearly half of the student athletes in Washington
state are girls; and
WHEREAS, High school girls' athletic teams in the state of
Washington have achieved many accomplishments that, for young women,
serve as an inspiration to promote the values of teamwork and
cooperation; and
WHEREAS, Washington high schools foster outstanding achievements in
girls' and women's sports, such as volleyball, soccer, tennis,
softball, basketball, and wrestling. These include state volleyball
champions: Mead, Bishop Blanchet, Pullman, King's, Colfax, St.
John/Endicott; and state soccer champions: Skyline, Columbia River,
Archbishop Murphy, Seattle Academy, Orcas Island; state tennis
champions: Newport, Mercer Island, Clarkston, Overlake; and state
softball champions: Kelso, Sedro-Woolley, Woodlands, Castle Rock, Pe
Ell, Colton; and state basketball champions: Auburn Riverside,
Cleveland, River Ridge, Freeman, Colfax, Colton; and state wrestling
champions: Sedro-Woolley.
WHEREAS, The Seattle City Council has declared April 5th as
Cleveland High School Day in honor of the team winning the Class 3A
state girls basketball title in 2010; and
WHEREAS, Rockford Washington's Freeman High School girls basketball
team won its second straight state championship; and
WHEREAS, Lakeside High School's lacrosse team won their fifth
straight state Division I title in 2010; and
WHEREAS, Katrynia Todd became Auburn High School's first female
wrestling champion in February; and
WHEREAS, Sedro-Woolley High School's Alysia Pohren claimed her
third state wrestling championship title; and
WHEREAS, Northwest School's Maddie Meyers, a sophomore and Class 1A
state champ in cross country, set two state records last march: The
indoor mile and the 2,000-meter steeplechase; and
WHEREAS, Institutions of higher education continue to produce elite
athletes competing with pride, commitment, and passion; and
WHEREAS, In 1972 girls and women made up less than fifteen percent
of college athletes but today make up over 40 percent of college
athletes; and
WHEREAS, The participation of Washington female collegiate athletes
is among the highest in the country at 48 percent of total athletes.
Currently, there are 169 female athletes at Whitworth College, 413
female athletes at the University of Washington, 280 female athletes at
Washington State University, 55 female athletes at The Evergreen State
College, 127 female athletes at Seattle University, 147 female athletes
at Eastern Washington University, 160 female athletes at Western
Washington University, 120 female athletes at Whitman College, and 225
female athletes at Pacific Lutheran University; and
WHEREAS, Washington colleges and universities have fostered
outstanding achievements by women in sports; and
WHEREAS, The University of Puget Sound's women's soccer team won
its ninth straight Northwest Conference title, finishing the season
undefeated; and
WHEREAS, The University of Washington's women's rowing team won its
fourth consecutive Windermere Cup, and they won by a landslide; and
WHEREAS, The University of Washington's Softball team made its 10th
Women's College World Series appearance and pitcher Danielle Lawrie was
named the National Player of the Year for the second straight season;
and
WHEREAS, The University of Washington's Ashlee Wall Eskelsen, from
Walla Walla, was named to the women's Pac-10 All-Academic Cross Country
first team for a third consecutive year with a 3.98 GPA; and
WHEREAS, Whitworth College women's swimming won its 3rd Northwest
Conference Championship of the past 4 years, in February 2011; and the
volleyball team won the Northwest conference; and the cross country
team lead the country in team GPA for all of the over 420 NCAA division
3 schools, with an average GPA of 3.76; and
WHEREAS, Western Washington University's rowing team won its sixth
straight NCAA Division II national title last spring; and
WHEREAS, Whitman College's swimmer Katie Chapman, of Redmond, won
all of her individual matches at the Northwest Conference Championship
last February; and
WHEREAS, Whitman College swim coach Jenn Blomme was named coach of
the year by the Northwest Conference for her third year; and
WHEREAS, The Pacific Lutheran University's ultimate frisbee team is
the Division III National Champion; and
WHEREAS, Washington is honored to host the WNBA 2004 and 2010
national champions, the Seattle Storm, the only women's professional
basketball team in the Northwest and the only major professional sports
team in Washington to bring home a national championship in more than
25 years; and
WHEREAS, Washington has many Roller Derby teams and Olympia's Oly
Rollers are ranked first in the region and second in the nation;
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, That the Washington State Senate
honor Washington girls and women in sports on March 16, 2011, and
encourage support for our state's female athletes and athletic
programs; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That copies of this resolution be
immediately transmitted by the Secretary of the Senate to the
Washington State Senate and all of the aforementioned athletes and
their respective institutions.