By Cristabell Ramdial, ’13 

St. Bonaventure University will host the annual National Girls and Women in Sports Day Tuesday, April 17, to celebrate the participation of successful female athletes. 

St. Bonaventure’s women’s athletics teams will be working with their coaches to provide sport clinics and mentoring to dozens of area female high school athletes. Clinics for the day include softball, lacrosse, soccer, tennis, swimming exercises, rugby, cross-country, basketball and a fitness challenge. Students will have the opportunity to choose two of the clinics.

High schools scheduled to participate are Allegany-Limestone, Bath, Bradford, Bolivar-Richburg, Olean, Archbishop Walsh Academy, Hinsdale, Portville, Lutheran-Jamestown, Southwestern, Austin, Frewsburg and South Park.

“When these girls are able to meet off the court in a friendly environment, relationships are created, and that’s really the best part of the day,” said Dr. Paula Scraba, an associate professor in the Department of Physical Education at St. Bonaventure, who organizes the annual event.

This year’s keynote speaker is Andrea Montalbano, an author, coach, journalist, and a Harvard University Hall of Fame soccer athlete. Her visit is sponsored by the School of Journalism and Mass Communication and the Career and Professional Readiness Center. Kate Dillon Hogan, associate vice president of enrollment; Steve Watson, director of athletics; and Dr. Joe Zimmer, dean of the School of Education, are all scheduled to make welcome statements. 

This is a Visiting Scholars Committee-sponsored event, and is made possible with assistance from St. Bonaventure’s Athletics Department, Department of Military Science, Department of Physical Education, School of Education and Aramark Dining Services.

Dining arrangements for the event have been made possible with the collaboration of Aramark and St. Bonaventure students by allowing students to donate a meal to a visiting athlete.

“If it weren’t for the support and cooperation of all these departments, this day would not be possible,” said Scraba.

The National Girls and Women in Sports Coalition was started in 1987 in remembrance of Flo Hyman, an Olympic volleyball player who died 1986 while competing in a volleyball tournament in Japan. According to its website, the NGWSD aims to, “develop and deliver equitable and quality sport opportunities for all girls and women through relevant research, advocacy, leadership development, educational strategies, and programming in a manner that promotes social justice and change.” 
 

 
About the University: Inspired for more than 150 years by the Catholic Franciscan values of individual dignity, community inclusiveness, and service, St. Bonaventure University cultivates graduates who are confident and creative communicators, collaborative leaders and team members, and innovative problem solvers who are respectful of themselves, others, and the diverse world around them.