[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 13 (Wednesday, February 5, 1997)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E176]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




           IN HONOR OF NATIONAL GIRLS AND WOMEN IN SPORTS DAY

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. CHARLES F. BASS

                            of new hampshire

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, February 5, 1997

  Mr. BASS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to join my colleagues in 
commemorating February 6, 1997, as National Girls and Women in Sports 
Day.
  Mr. Speaker, who can forget the thrill of seeing the U.S. women's 
Olympic gymnastics team win the gold medal in Atlanta last year? There 
is also much enthusiasm about the establishment of not one but two 
women's professional basketball leagues. What ties together these 
accomplishments are how they inspire young women across America to 
become involved in sports activities, to get in the game.
  That's the motto behind the 1997 National Girls and Women in Sports 
Day. I'm proud to be an honorary cosponsor of this 11th annual event. A 
bipartisan group of Members of Congress and Senators support an early 
morning walk on the Washington Mall to highlight the achievements of 
women athletes and draw attention to the importance of sports and 
fitness activities for all girls and women.
  National Girls and Women in Sports Day [NGWSD] is celebrated in New 
Hampshire and all across the country during the first Thursday of every 
February. It is organized by Girl Scouts of the USA, Girls Inc., the 
National Association for Girls and Women in Sport, the Women's Sports 
Foundation, and the YWCA of the USA.
  The First NGWSD was organized to honor Flo Hyman, the Olympic 
volleyball champion who brought women's volleyball in the United States 
to the forefront in 1984. That's when she helped lead the American team 
to a silver medal at the Los Angeles Olympics. Flo Hyman died suddenly 
while playing volleyball in Japan in 1986. She was found to have had 
Marfan syndrome, a connective tissue disorder that led to a faulty 
aorta. Annually, the Women's Sports Foundation's Flo Hyman Award is 
presented to a female athlete who exemplifies dignity, spirit, and 
commitment to excellence in women's athletics.
  Indeed, women's athletics are one of the most effective avenues 
available for women of the United States to develop self-discipline, 
initiative, confidence, and leadership skills. While in the past there 
has been little national recognition of the significance of women's 
athletic achievements, we are starting to see the opposite occur. 
Routinely, you will find larger crowds as women's college basketball 
games and the new women's professional basketball games will be carried 
on nationwide television. These occurrences can only serve to encourage 
young girls to become involved in sports at early age. This type of 
involvement in athletics, however, has less to do with recognition than 
with promoting lifelong habits of physical fitness.
  I am very proud of the many fine women athletes at our schools in New 
Hampshire. We all read about their accomplishments in the newspapers 
every week. National Girls and Women in Sports Day serves to remind us 
that we should encourage athletic participation and competition for 
women of all ages, especially in the formative years. It is my hope 
that we see more girls and young women get in the game this year. After 
all, our children, girls and boys, need strong bodies as well as strong 
minds.
  Mr. Speaker, I ask all of my colleagues to join me in supporting the 
11th annual National Girls and Women in Sports Day.

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