WHEREAS, By an act of the United States Congress, February 4, 1987, was proclaimed as the first National Girls and Women in Sports Day in honor of Flo Hyman, a volleyball legend whose efforts to promote equality in sports were cut short by her untimely and tragic death; and

WHEREAS, Since that time, women have made considerable advances in professional, collegiate, club, intramural, masters, high school, junior high school, youth, and recreational sports; and

WHEREAS, Many female athletes have distinguished themselves as representatives of California and the nation in international competition and the Olympic games; and

WHEREAS, Participation in sports is acknowledged as a positive force in developing and promoting physical, mental, moral, social, and emotional well-being; and it is well established that participation in athletics builds self-esteem, communication skills, discipline, and perseverance, all qualities that make a positive and significant difference in quality of life and in level of accomplishment; and

WHEREAS, We need to encourage women of all ages to compete and contribute to sports at all levels of competition and recreation to help prepare the next generation of female athletes and sports leaders; and

WHEREAS, 1972 marked the passage of Title IX which prohibits sex discrimination in any education program or activity receiving federal financial assistance; and

WHEREAS, The year before Title IX was enacted, there were about 310,000 girls and women in the United States playing high school and college sports; today, there are more than 3,373,000; and

WHEREAS, The protections of Title IX continue to be important as it relates to athletics; and

WHEREAS, We should all recognize that barriers to participation and equality in sports still exist and there are various forms of implicit and explicit bias on school campuses resulting in poorly maintained equipment, unequal fields, and unfair game schedules; and

WHEREAS, The combined efforts of many organizations including the Women’s Sports Foundation, the California Association of Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance, and the California National Organization for Women, have served to bring needed information and important recognition of this day, as well as furthered the dreams and inspired today’s female athletes; now, therefore, be it