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, Female athletes now compete in twenty-eight of the thirty-two total events held during the Winter and Summer Olympic Games; and
     WHEREAS, One in three girls participates in high school sports; and
     WHEREAS, Girls and women who participate in sports are shown to improve cardiovascular fitness, muscle strength, fatigue, anxiety, self-esteem, depression, happiness, and several components of quality of life; and
     WHEREAS, Adolescent and teen female athletes are more likely to have positive body images and sport participation can be used as a therapeutic and preventative intervention for enhancing physical and mental health; and
     WHEREAS, Participation in sports produces a positive self-concept, educational aspirations, better school attendance, higher math and science enrollment, more time spent on homework, and more enrollment in honors courses; and
     WHEREAS, Eighty-two percent of executive businesswomen participated in organized sports during secondary school; and
     WHEREAS, The bonds formed among girls and women through sports help to break down the social barriers of prejudice and discrimination; and
     WHEREAS, High schools and universities across Washington State continue to produce and support elite athletes who are motivated and successful in their future endeavors; and
     WHEREAS, The National Girls and Women in Sports Coalition declared February 1, 2012, to be the 26th annual National Girls and Women in Sports day; and
     WHEREAS, High school girls' athletic teams in the state of Washington have achieved many triumphs and successes that provide an inspiration to promote the values of teamwork and cooperation; and
     WHEREAS, Washington's high schools and universities foster outstanding achievements in girls' and women's sports, such as volleyball, softball, basketball, soccer, tennis, lacrosse, crew, and wrestling. This includes accomplishments for Washington State teams such as Metro League Champions, WIAA tournament first team selections, State Academic Awards, State championships, Elite Eight NCAA tournaments winners, NCAA super regional teams, All-Big Sky conference honors, and All-American individual honors; and
     WHEREAS, Washington State's high school girls' teams have achieved many accomplishments that continue to provide a foundation for future generations of young athletes to commit to the ideas of leadership and teamwork; and
     WHEREAS, Skyline High School's girls' soccer team won the state championships; and
     WHEREAS, Holy Names Academy's track team were Metro League Champions, SeaKing District 2 Champions, and WIAA 3A State Champions; and
     WHEREAS, Holy Names Academy's Erika Johnson was Seattle Times' Washington State Player of the year 2011 for Basketball, and McDonald's All America High School Nominee; and
     WHEREAS, Auburn High School's Katrynia Todd won the State Championships in Girls' Wrestling; and
     WHEREAS, Forest Ridge School of the Sacred Heart's girls' soccer team won the State Academic award by having the highest GPA of 1A girls soccer teams in Washington State with a 3.78 average; and
     WHEREAS, Bainbridge High School's girls' swim and dive team placed second in the 3A state championships; and
     WHEREAS, Bainbridge High School's girls' lacrosse team won the state championships; and
     WHEREAS, Caitlin Chambers of Mercer Island High School was the diving champion for the 4A girls' swim league; and
     WHEREAS, Out of the 808 total athletes at the University of Washington, 413 are female; at Gonzaga University 204 out of 394 are female; and 198 out of 378 athletes at Seattle University are female; and
     WHEREAS, Northwest University's women's soccer team had six all-conference female players named players of the year and were finalists in the conference championship; and
     WHEREAS, Central Washington University's women's softball team won first place in the Great Northwest Athletic conference for the second year in a row; and
     WHEREAS, Kelsey Haupert of Central Washington University led the nation in home runs for Division 2; and
     WHEREAS, Stacey Hagensen of Pacific Lutheran University was named Northwest Conference Pitcher of the Year for Softball; and
     WHEREAS, Gonzaga University's Janelle Bekkering represented Canada at the 2010 "Federation Internationale de Basketball Amateur" (FIBA) World Championships for women's basketball; and
     WHEREAS, Western Washington's women's rowing squad won its seventh straight National Collegiate Athletic Association National Crown which is the longest winning streak by any school in any division; and
     WHEREAS, Western Washington's Sara Porter was named an All-American in women's cross country, indoor track and field, and outdoor track and field and was named Great Northwest Athletic Conference Woman Athlete of the Year; and
     WHEREAS, Eastern Washington University had fourteen student athletes from Washington State to earn All-Big Sky conference honors; and
     WHEREAS, Eastern Washington University's women's volleyball team tied for the best overall GPA of any squad, men or women's, in the Big Sky conference for the 2010-2011 academic year; and
     WHEREAS, Kyla Evans from Eastern Washington University was one of twenty-nine female student athletes among I, II, and III schools in the nation to receive a NCAA postgraduate grant to be used toward completion of an advanced degree; and
     WHEREAS, Washington State University had a total of six women from women's track and field, women's rowing, and women's volleyball named All-American athletes; and
     WHEREAS, Seattle Pacific University had four women's teams, soccer, volleyball, indoor track, and outdoor track, make it into the Great Northwest Athletic Conference Championship; and
     WHEREAS, Elle Kerfoot of Seattle University's women's basketball team was selected to represent Canada at the World University Games in China; and
     WHEREAS, University of Washington's women's volleyball and soccer teams were represented in Elite Eight NCAA Tournament; and
     WHEREAS, University of Washington's women's softball team was invited to NCAA super-regionals; and     
     WHEREAS, University of Puget Sound's women's soccer team were conference champions for the tenth year in a row, which is the longest active title streak in its women's soccer division; and
     WHEREAS, Walla Walla University's Emily Yip, Heather Mcfadden, Kara Moor, and Victoria Buell were selected onto the national All-Academic Team for Volleyball; and
     WHEREAS, The 2011 Lacrosse All-American team includes Jaclyn Biggers of Bainbridge, Katie Mincin of Issaquah, and Meaghan Hess of Snohomish; and
     WHEREAS, Auburn High School's Melanie Roach won a Bronze medal at the Pan Am Games for weight-lifting and participated in the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing where she set an American Record for lifting 193 kilos; and
     WHEREAS, Washington is honored to be the host of the Women's National Basketball Association 2010 champions, the Seattle Storm, the only women's professional basketball team in the Northwest and the first major professional sports team in Seattle to bring home two championship titles, one in 2004 and one in 2010; and
     WHEREAS, Washington has many Roller Derby teams including the Oly Rollers who went to Nationals for the second time this year and placed second in the country;
     NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, That the Washington State Senate honor National Girls and Women in Sports Day on February 1, 2012, and encourage support for our states' 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.