By Madeline Pulliam and Hannah Simon, Co-Staff Development Directors
Kathrine Switzer was the first woman to run a marathon in 1967. She was met with adversity from the start to the finish line as people questioned whether a running race was a place for a woman. Women were told athletic events, including marathons, were too “long and grueling” to physically endure. In 2016, 45.91% of Boston Marathon participants were women according to RunRepeat. Was it too grueling for them?
Clearly not. Women have been breaking barriers in sports for years. From starting the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League during World War II to the Women’s National Basketball Association in 1996, women have been breaking through the glass ceiling to make it over the sidelines and onto the field.
February is an especially important month for these female athletes. In 1987, former President Ronald Reagan signed Proclamation 5606 to declare Feb. 4 as National Women in Sports Day. The goal of this proclamation was to recognize how women have impacted and added to American sports, as well as push for even more growth in female athletics. For example, in the present, Comcast is working to bring a WNBA team to Philadelphia.
Just this year, the Conestoga girls’ lacrosse and field hockey teams won state championships. Girls ice hockey and rugby continue to represent at the club level. The crew team sent athletes to nationals. Members of the girls’ basketball team are breaking records, and the girls’ golf team is reaching new heights. Alumni are dominating the NCAA. 2023 graduate and University of Virginia women’s lacrosse player Kate Galica is ACC Freshman of the Year, and 2021 graduate and Boston College women’s lacrosse player Rachel Clark is an NCAA champion. Beyond sports, they are trailblazers. 2008 alumna Megan Deakins Roche played field hockey and raced on the cross-country and track teams before graduating with a degree in neuroscience from Duke University. She then received her medical degree from Stanford University in 2018. 2008 alumna and University of Virginia women’s basketball standout Chelsea Shine Wilson now works in basketball broadcasting, and 2018 alumna Kiley Allen recently became the assistant for Harvard field hockey, her alma mater. These women have taken their love for their sports and turned it into careers.
Conestoga’s girls’ athletic teams are producing athletes that are ambitious to win on the field but also excel in life. Walking through the halls, their accomplishments are proudly displayed, an indication of the school’s commitment to developing and supporting their students’ right to participate in sports then, now and in the future.
Madeline Pulliam can be reached at [email protected].
Hannah Simon can be reached at [email protected].
