San Diego Siege Celebrate National Girls and Women in Sports Day
Published on February 7, 2006 under National Women's Basketball League (NWBL)
San Diego Siege News Release
Thirty years ago, US Congress validated the importance of women's sports with Title IX, and on February 3rd the National Women's Basketball League's San Diego Siege passed that message along to 300 Girl Scouts and their families.
Point guard Loree Moore and shooting guard/forward Tynesha Lewis shared personal stories before the crowd to show the importance of sports in the lives of girls and young women. "I was thrilled to have pro-basketball players honor us with their presence," said Alison Terry, who ran the event. "Both of them exceeded our expectations."
Moore shared her most painful basketball experience, tearing her ACL her junior year in college. "Rehab was tough, I grew depressed," Moore said. "It got to the point where I didn't know if I wanted to play basketball anymore...You never want to just stop, at any point in your life, you are going to get through it."
Moore did stick with basketball, and after a full and successful rehab was drafted 10th overall by the WNBA's New York Liberty in 2005. "Never let anyone tell you that you can't get through. Always stay positive and always have a big heart."
Lewis, a Girl Scout herself as a youth, has been giving public speeches since she was 14. She told the story of her amazing come-from-behind victory against the University of North Carolina while playing for North Carolina State. After being down by 17 points and starting the game off 0-6 from the field, Lewis ended up hitting the game winning three-point-shot as time expired. Her lesson summed up the meaning of the day.
"I missed just as many (shots) as I made," Lewis said. "But I took a chance." Chances are exactly what Terry hopes girls will start to take. "We are hoping they will try different sports, find one they like, and love it for a lifetime," Terry said. "We want to start them young, but we also want the older girls to understand what they can achieve."
Lewis started the girls off with a little warm up at 8 am before they dispersed to their different clinics. The event lasted until 12:30. All three hundred girl scouts were able to learn how to play a wide range of sports from field hockey to karate, as well as attend the "Sports Café," which is where Moore and Lewis spoke.
April Holmes, the world's fastest amputee, also spoke at the "Sports Café". Holmes lost her left leg in a train accident but set world records in the Paralympics. Courtney Stanley, an instructor for Surf Diva, was a fitting speaker for the San Diego audience. Five-foot-two-inch Akiba McKinney, an Olympic silver-medalist long jumper, and Melanie Benn, a two-time Paralympic silver-medalist swimmer who had parts of both her arms and legs amputated, both gave words of hope and inspiration.
"It was great to be around these athletes," Moore said. "It has been very motivating; it shows that anything can happen."
Moore and Lewis both believe athletics have benefited their lives greatly, on and off the court, and hope to help bring that joy to a new generation of women. "The benefits are immeasurable," Lewis said. "It helps initiate confidence, it's an everyday event."
The San Diego Siege play their Inaugural Game Saturday, February 18th at 7 pm at San Diego City College's Harry West Arena. Girl Scout members receive free tickets to the game and should email Siege GM David McElwee at davidmcelwee@nwbl.com for more details.
For more information regarding the Girl Scouts of San Diego, please visit www.girscoutssdi.org. For information regarding the NWBL and San Diego Siege visit www.nwbl.com.
National Women's Basketball League Stories from February 7, 2006
- San Diego Siege Celebrate National Girls and Women in Sports Day - San Diego Siege
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