Here’s something about me: I’m a girl. My somewhat ambiguous name has been known to cause confusion when unaccompanied by my headshot, but rest assured — I am most definitely a woman.
Here’s something else about me: I love sports. That much is probably obvious, but know I’ve been playing and watching sports for years. I’m not sure what I would do if I weren’t spending so much time obsessing about them — probably a lot more studying. Still, where books have come second, it’s clear I owe a lot to the other similarly-centered women I’ve met throughout the years. As a girl navigating the world of sports, it’s these women who have been invaluable to both my athletic achievement and personal development.
First, there was my horseback riding coach, a no-nonsense British woman named Pat Betts. Mrs. Betts was one of the most intelligent women I’ve ever met, and undoubtedly the most intimidating. When you’re 11 years old and struggling through a no-stirrups lesson, the very last thing you want to hear cutting through the air is Mrs. Betts’ signature, “Sweetie, come on!” Of course, there was a reason that so many kids took her lessons — the tough approach worked. Mrs. Betts turned countless horse-crazed girls into champion riders and — more importantly — competent adults.
A week into my first year at U.Va., I introduced myself to the next group of female athletes who would play a large role in my life: the Women’s Club Ultimate Frisbee team. I couldn’t throw to save my life, I wasn’t especially fast and God knows I’ll never be able to jump, but my new teammates and captains taught me the game — along with every lesson about teamwork horseback riding, as a solo sport, hadn’t.
The girls in the University’s Ultimate community are a unique bunch. They came from all kinds of personal and athletic backgrounds only to choose one of the most random, confusing sports available, and they all immediately drank the proverbial Kool-Aid. Playing with them for four years has been inspiring, to say the least.
Finally, I can’t go without mentioning the other Mitchell women. Four daughters and zero sons meant my dad was going to teach us baseball whether we liked it or not, but me and my three sisters adopted the sports mentality wholeheartedly. We’ve played every sport under the sun with varying degrees of success (see: our futile attempts at basketball) and we’ve been known to argue about who had the toughest practice or the best bruise (for the record, it was always me). Presiding over all of us is my mom, who played point guard at Southern Methodist University. Though she did not pass on her hoops talent, she supported years and years of sporting endeavors alongside my dad.
I’m not the first girl to engage in the wonderful world of athletics, and I certainly won’t be the last. Still, every one of us owes a great debt to the decades of women before us. The efforts of athletes, coaches, teammates, activists and policymakers alike have created immense possibilities for girls in sports.
To recognize such contributions, the Women’s Sports Foundation sponsors National Girls and Women in Sports Day to celebrate female athletes and their supporters of the past, present and future. The University women’s basketball team will celebrate the day Sunday, with a pregame festival that honors Virginia standouts and athletics supporters. This year’s honoree is former volleyball captain Amy Griffin, who earned two MVP awards and has continued to support the program beyond her 1998 graduation.
Griffin’s involvement in University athletics embodies the chosen theme for this year’s national event: “Passing the Torch, Blazing the Trail.” Though she has left the program, her contributions allow present and future athletes to make marks of their own.
Female sports heroes don’t necessarily need great achievements or celebrity status. Girls in sports encounter heroes every day in our coaches, teammates and families. Their presence will inevitably impact us not only by allowing us to reach championship goals, but also by turning us into strong adults — adults who can then pass the torch to the next generation of female athletes.
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