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.