National Girls & Women in Sports Day: An inspiring day with SCORES

Written by Javier Ponce Elizondo
Communications Intern



On February 1, the weather was beautiful — a perfect on which to celebrate National Girls & Women in Sports Day. I was lucky enough to spend the majority of my day at two impactful events highlighting advancements in sports for girls and women. I was also surrounded by dozens of incredibly successful women in sports who served as inspiration for the DC SCORES kids at the events.

First I accompanied coworkers and members of the Women's Sports Foundation at the U.S. Capitol where we were joined by women from different institutions, organizations and schools. I didn’t know what to expect, but then suddenly the celebrities began to arrive, and the event quickly started with the introduction of each talented woman. I was quickly drawn to Phaidra Knight, a U.S. Women’s National Team rugby player who, on staged, couldn’t have looked more strong and sure of herself as she told the packed room about her story in sport. Just a day earlier, Phaidra had visited Barnard Elementary School and told the DC SCORES poet-athletes there what motivated her to be so successful in rugby. Now, many others were hearing it.

The other woman who caught my attention was Joanna Lohman of the Washington Spirit, a fantastic woman with incredible talent who also excels at telling her story in a way that those in the audience could relate to and feel motivated by. This was only our first event with Joanna of the day, as she’d head over to RFK Stadium with us later, too. Co-workers and I were lucky enough to get a photo with the soccer star before leaving the Capitol.

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In the afternoon, we took two groups of children from different schools to be part of a very important, smaller-scale event at RFK. D.C. United and DC SCORES Executive Director Bethany Rubin Henderson had assembled a star cast of women in sports for a special panel. The audience? The middle school girls of Truesdell Education Campus.

With Bethany as the moderator, the women — including Joanna, her coach Denise Reddy of the Spirit, Deborah Larkin of the Women’s Sports Foundation, Maureen Galkin of D.C. United, and Erin Hawksworth, an ABC-7 sports anchor — spoke for over an hour about their experiences in sport. They touched on everything from their roots in sports, to facing challenges and things such as discrimination on the playing field and in their jobs in sports, to what motivates them to succeed. They left the students with not only gift bags and selfies taken with the stars, but helpful advice for the middle schoolers as they continue playing sports.

“I realized I just had to work harder,” said Lohman of being one of the first three women to be cut from the U.S. National Team.

Lohman added: “You are your best self when you have that confidence and you believe in who you are.”

Said Larkin: “We’re in your corner and we want you to have every opportunity.”

Afterward, Truesdell’s poet-athletes felt empowered.

“I feel really inspired, it just like made me want to do what they want to do,” said Truesdell student Nicole G. “I’ve seen that they chase their dreams, and I’m inspired to chase my dreams.”

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En Español

Escrito por Javier Ponce Elizondo
Interno en Comunicaciones

Todo empezó el día primero de febrero, el clima era hermoso y el día pintaba ser emocionante y largo dentro y fuera de la oficina de DC SCORES, todos estaban emocionados y entusiasmados porque el día de hoy era el día nacional de las mujeres deportivas, así que a medio día asistimos a un evento en el capitolio en el cual en realidad se sentía la emoción de todas las mujeres que asistieron al evento al llegar mi equipo y yo nos atendieron de excelencia, nos ofrecieron de lunch unos exquisitos sandwiches y una pasta riquísima, después procedimos a tomar asiento, empezaron a llegar y llegar cada vez más mujeres de diferentes instituciones, organizaciones y escuelas.

De pronto comenzaron a llegar las celebridades y comenzaron a tomar asiento, y en menos de lo que se esperaba el evento comenzó, anunciando a cada una de las mujeres talentosas que estaban sentadas en el presidium, la maestra de ceremonias inicio diciendo su excelente trayectoria dando inicio al motivo del evento, de pronto comienza a llamar a cada una de las mujeres talentosas del presidium a decir su trayectoria y unas palabras al público, las que más llamaron la atención fueron dos mujeres deportistas muy talentosas una era Phaidra Knight una jugadora de Rugby, ella se veía asombrosa, fuerte y segura de sí misma, cuando comenzó a decir su trayectoria, supimos que era una mujer que había pasado por mucho y que su fuerza de voluntad la llevó a estar en donde está hoy en día, la otra mujer que me llamó mucha la atención fue la jugadora nacional de soccer Joanna Lohman una fantástica mujer con un talento increíble! Su confianza y su presentación describirían a una mujer posible de cualquier reto, comenzó a decir su trayectoria también y cada vez que hablaba a todos nos impresionaba, su palabras fueron motivadoras.

Fue un evento digno de su presentación, se concluyeron con algunas preguntas demasiadas importantes como en la cual participo mi compañera en DC SCORES Lindsay, con una pregunta de suma importancia.

El primer evento concluyó en celebrar este día tan importante para todas las mujeres deportistas, que han dado todo por el amor al deporte y han entrenado y trabajado duro para obtener todo lo que tienen pero no solamente eso sino para también impulsar a todas las mujeres a que sean más participativas en el tema deportivo y que sepan que existen grupos, organizaciones, movimientos que apoyan su causa y la importancia de tener mujeres en el deporte.

Pero el día aun no terminaba y quedaba mucho por hacer, así que llevamos a dos grupos de niñas de las diferentes escuelas, para que formaran parte de un evento de suma importancia, nada más y nada menos que en el estadio de DC United, el equipo de soccer de DC, en el cual nos acompañó por segunda vez la directora de la fundación de mujeres deportistas entre otras celebridades, en este segundo evento la situación era más personal con las niñas de Colegio Truesdell Education Campus así que les mencionare algunos de sus comentarios acerca de su experiencia en este evento tan motivacional.

“I feel really inspired, it just like made me want to do what they want to do,” said Truesdell student Nicole G. “I’ve seen that they chase their dreams, and I’m inspired to chase my dreams.”

Summer camp participants gain respect for women's professional soccer, learn from watching partners

When I hopped on the bus to join 22 DC SCORES summer camp participants for a trip to the Washington Spirit game, I wasn't sure what to expect.

Sure, kids usually enjoy field trips. Or at least the thought of them.

But this wasn't D.C. United. None of the youth from our Marie Reed and Bancroft soccer and arts camps had ever been to a women's professional game at the Maryland SoccerPlex. 

And what would the boys think about sitting down to watch a women's game? How would they compare it to their experiences in D.C. taking in United games or, even better, recently watching the Brazil and Spain men's nationals teams on TV?

Would their favorite part about the trip be the game or the funnel cake?

Those were my thoughts, my concerns, as we inched through D.C. traffic around 5:45pm Wednesday. Three hours later, the elementary and middle school students were having the times of their lives. Yes, there was funnel cake. But they were absorbing the game, too, and loving everything about it.

Standing by the railing above the field, I was surrounded by a horde of boys who all wanted to speak about what they were watching on the field below. Here's a sampling of what they said, transcribed right from my tape recorder:

"It's like special that we get to see girls instead of boys. And like we don't get to see them a lot."

"An opportunity for me to come here is that I've never come to a soccer game and it's awesome that I get to come where girls are playing, and it's just a great experience for me."

"I think it's awesome because we get to see girls play, and this is a big opportunity for DC SCORES and we do not want to mess it up."

"I think this is awesome because we get to see professional women playing, and it's like we don't see them a lot and we learn from them."

Before the game, all the players were foreign to the youth. But thanks to the Spirit, the kids got the opportunity to watch warmups on the field and then escort the Spirit's starters onto the field. The kids bubbled with anticipation as they waited for their "partners." And after their moment in the spotlight and they had returned to the stands, they serenaded the players with cheers.

"Go, Stephanie, you rock!!" one kid said about forward Stephanie Ochs. 

When goalkeeper Ashlyn Harris made a diving save of an early penalty kick, the group -- all standing along the railing -- let out a large, collective cheer. 

Another kid exclaimed, pointing toward Spirit star Ali Krieger, "Hey, you, you were my partner!"

The game was also a learning experience. As we sat watching warmups in the grass, Kyle, a rising sixth-grader who played three DC SCORES years at Marie Reed, pointed to the referees and asked me why they needed to do calisthenics like the players before the game. 

Later, during the first half, Justin asked me about the offside rule and how it applied in the women's game. A moment later, another student exclaimed of a close no-call, "That should have been offsides!"

Clearly, I realized, the youth have been learning a lot about all the soccer nuances during their daily soccer sessions at camp.

The biggest takeaway, though, was a simple one -- to be the best, you must use teamwork. After watching Chicago star Adriana Leon use a brilliant bicycle kick to set up a teammate for a goal, a few of the fellas around me answered the question, "What was the biggest thing you learned tonight?"

"The biggest thing is that they work as a team and that's something that we should all do and think about when we play soccer, and it's impressive how they can work together like that."

"The biggest thing I learned from watching this game is they they pass a lot and they can work together to make a goal. Not just one person thinks that they can do all the goals and be the best, but they work together."

Herb, a Bancroft camper, recognized that even though the Spirit lost, it was just a game.

"I think I learned today about they really tried their best today," he said. "But it doesn't matter about winning and losing. It just matters about having fun and just having a great summer."

While the Spirit failed to score a goal and dropped the game, none of the youth cared. But it wasn't because they weren't watching -- as good as the funnel cake tasted. More importantly, the youth realized that they were watching great talent on the field and learned to appreciate the players during the course of one game.

Women's sports are under-appreciated by many in society, but all it took was 90 minutes for 22 DC SCORES youth -- boys and girls -- to become big fans of the sport and learn their partners' names. 

"It was awesome" Justin said. Then he added about Chicago's Leon: "My girl scored!"

DC SCORES campers feel like pros during special G.O. Global event

"He's in college, he can't play!"

"He's in college, he can't play!!"

The line was repeated over and over again by DaMarcus Beasley, not a bad soccer player himself, as he watched a DC SCORES summer camp participant on the "Blue Team" dribble his way through traffic toward the goal.

While no youth at the Maryland SoccerPlex Saturday will likely replicate the impressive professional soccer career of Beasley -- who scored three goals Saturday in the first 5 minutes of a celebrity scrimmage -- plenty of youth talent had the former U.S. Men's National Team player and other current and past pros oohing and ahhing.

They had all been summoned to the Maryland SoccerPlex for the G.O. Global Kick-Off Fundraiser, a soccer event to support Oguchi Onyewu's new nonprofit organization that strives to "empower young people through the promotion of health, fitness, and wellness in their daily lives."

In line with the organization's mission, Onyewu invited 30 DC SCORES summer camp participants and 30 soccer players from MSI Soccer to take part in a day of learning from the pros and playing two scrimmages on the field of the National Women's Soccer League's Washington Spirit. 

The youth arrived at 11am, received T-shirts and socks, ate lunch, then got to meet the likes of Beasley, Tony Sanneh, Maurice Edu, Ali Krieger and Ashlyn Harris of the Spirit, and Graham Gano of the Carolina Panthers. 

The kids were broken into two teams -- red and blue -- coached by the big wigs. Sanneh, a former USMNT and L.A. Galaxy star, ran the red team, but quickly unloaded responsibility onto the shoulders of Emily C., who huddled the team around her and led a chant.

"Beat blue and Team Mo! Beat blue and Team Mo!" the kids yelled in unison, referring to Edu (aka "Mo) coaching the blue team.

By the time the teams headed outside, introductions had been made between the DC SCORES and MSI kids and everyone was excited to play together. It's amazing how soccer can be such a quick unifying force.

As soon as the kids hit the field, they were professionals for a day. Seriously. 

First, trainers from Explosive Sports led the red and blue teams through a series of stretches and drills to get warmed up that included high kicks, butt kicks, running backward, sprints, all the warm-ups of the pros. Then players were broken into rotating groups for drills that included: dribbling around cones, side-to-side shuffling, settling long balls, and, for the goalies, moving laterally to save shots. 

It was almost game time.

But not quite yet. The teams were ushered through the gate behind the field and asked to line up. Then, with Guy Lambert from WPGC-95.5 on the microphone, players were individually announced as they walked onto the field. Spectators who had gathered in the bleachers under the hot sun applauded. 

The kids beamed with pride, soaking in the spotlight.

Next, the players walked to midfield, where team pictures were taken by G.O. Global's professional photographer before everyone turned their heads toward the American flag and stood in one line for the national anthem. 

Finally, it was game time. Moments later, Beasley -- helping Sanneh coach the red team -- was complaining about the "college" players. After Jonathan scored a goal on a beautiful pass from his teammate, Lambert announced over the loudspeaker, "Red team goal scored by Jonathan!." 

Every goal was announced over the loudspeaker, and the scoreboard behind the north goal kept track of the score. It was clear that the campers' work at Kelly Miller summer camp the previous week was paying off, as they made sharp passes, controlled the ball well, and impressed the likes of Beasley, Sanneh and others.

It sure didn't seem like anyone had butterflies playing with new teammates and in front of hundreds of spectators. 

When the red team recovered from a 3-1 deficit to tie the game, captain Emily said, "Things just got real."

The first youth game ended in a 3-3 tie, with everyone tired from going all out under the bright sun. As the players rested and the second set of teams prepared for their  opportunity, they all got the chance to watch the celebrity game. 

There's no better way to learn from the pros than by watching them up-close, and that's what the youth did. Not only that, but five DC SCORES coaches helping with the event and program alum Rob played in the game.

While Rob didn't stop any of Beasley's laser shots, he'll never forget the experience of playing with national team players on a professional field. The celebrity game ended in a 5-5 tie, with the coaches holding their own alongside the likes of Beasley, Sanneh, Onyewu, Krieger, Harris, Stephanie Ochs, and Gano, who showed off his powerful NFL kicker's leg.

Then the second group of youth got their chance, engaging in the third competitive game of the day that ended in a tie, 3-3. While they played and after, the professionals signed autographs for kids' shoes, shirts, jerseys, you name it. This was accompanied by dozens of photos shoots for the youth with their idols. 

When the final horn sounded, everyone gathered again at midfield and received medals from Onyewu as a thank you for participating in the action-packed day. Chi Onyewu, Oguchi's sister and the Executive Director of G.O. Global, presented DC SCORES with a large plaque for taking part in the first-time event. 

As DC SCORES campers left the field, wearing their cool new soccer jerseys -- some in red, some in blue, all marked by sharpie signatures -- with new bags, water bottles, and other goodies, they thought about how special of a day it'd been.

From meeting the pros, to be treated like one, the G.O. Global Kick-Off Fundraiser was an event they won't forget anytime soon.

Captain Emily summed up the experience best, saying proudly, "I felt like a pro."