[Congressional Record Volume 158, Number 16 (Wednesday, February 1, 2012)]
[Senate]
[Pages S257-S258]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




           RECOGNIZING NATIONAL GIRLS AND WOMEN IN SPORTS DAY

 Mr. BENNETT. Mr. President, today, February 1, I wish to 
celebrate the 26th annual National Girls and Women in Sports Day, on 
which we praise the importance of sports participation and athletics in 
the lives of girls and women everywhere. This year's celebration has 
special meaning as it falls on the eve of the 40th anniversary of the 
passage of title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972. For over 40 
years, this historic law has furthered gender equality in sports 
participation in schools so that young women, including my three 
daughters, Caroline, Halina and Anne who all play soccer, may enjoy the 
benefits that come along with sports participation.
  Studies show that participation in sports has a positive influence on 
the intellectual, physical and psychological health of young girls. 
According to the National Federation of State High School Associations, 
by a 3-1 ratio, female athletes do better in school, do not drop out, 
and have a better chance to get through college. Additionally, a study 
from the Women's Sports Foundation showed that high school athletes are 
less likely to smoke cigarettes or use drugs than their non-athlete 
peers. Sports participation is also linked to lower rates of pregnancy 
in adolescent female athletes. With these statistics in mind, it is not 
surprising that a study from the Oppenheimer/MassMutual Financial Group 
shows that of 401 executive business women surveyed, 82 percent 
reported playing organized sports while growing up, including school 
teams, intramurals, and recreational leagues.
  In my home State of Colorado, we are ahead of the curve with regard 
to the participation of girls and women in sports. The U.S. Olympic 
Training Center, located in Colorado Springs, was created by an act of 
Congress in 1978, just a few years after title IX was passed. It is 
encouraging to know that women like Gold Medal Winner Lindsey Vonn, now 
make up nearly half of all U.S. Olympians competing at the games, 
representing more than 48 percent of the 2008 team. Colorado also 
supports the success of Paralympians such as Sarah Will, who after a 
skiing accident that left her paralyzed from the waist down, went on to 
help found the Vail Monoski Camp and won 12 gold Paralympic medals from 
1992 to 2002.
  Colorado is also a vanguard in providing early education and sports 
opportunities for women. The flagship all girls school, GALS, Girls 
Athletic Leadership Schools, has opened its first public charter school 
in Denver, CO. The school practices active learning that engages 
students in health and wellness activities in the belief that these are 
key contributing factors in optimizing academic achievement and self-
development. There are also groups such as the Colorado Women's Sports 
Fund Association that work towards increasing the number of girls and 
women who participate in athletics and reducing and eliminating 
barriers that prevent participation.
  Despite the vast improvements with regard to sports participation for 
girls and women, inequalities and disparities still remain. According 
to the National Federation of State High School Associations, schools 
are still providing 1.3 million fewer chances for girls to play sports 
in high school than boys. These numbers have an even greater impact on 
Latinas and African-American young women. The Women's Sports Foundation 
shows that less than two-thirds of these girls play sports while more 
than three-quarters of Caucasian girls do. And three-quarters of boys 
from immigrant families are involved in athletics, while less than half 
of girls from immigrant families are.
  Mr. President, we have work to do. Part of our job is to promote the 
importance of this national effort to grow the rates of female 
athletes. Please

[[Page S258]]

join me in celebrating National Girls and Women in Sports Day by 
supporting efforts to expand equality in sports participation and 
education for women and girls around the country.

                          ____________________