On the first Thursday in February St. Stephen’s kicked off its annual celebration of National Girls and Women in Sports Day. For the third consecutive year, Head Athletic Trainer Kathy Rainey and Assistant Athletic Director Chelsea Richards led a Chapel presentation to bring attention to gender inequities in athletics and offered a lunchtime expo the following day for female athletes.
During their Chapel talk on Feb. 6, Rainey and Richards highlighted a number of positive gains for women in sports from the past year and brought attention to continued battles for equity that female athletes and teams face.
“A lot has changed since I first started working as an athletic trainer more than 25 years ago,” noted Rainey. “My hope is that students will see how far we have come, but also how much further we need to go.”
On Friday, Feb. 7, Rainey and Richards hosted an expo in the Middle School Gym that brought a number of health and activity experts to The Hill for interactive learning opportunities during school lunch periods. The topics addressed were varied and included functional movement assessments, skin cancer screenings, sports bra fit discussions, menstrual product Q&As, ACL injury prevention, orthotic insert consultations and conversations about common misconceptions about women’s health care. Students expressed appreciation for the candid conversations and innovative product demonstrations offered at each booth.
“This is one of my favorite days of the year,” Richards said. “It’s important that we talk about and model active lifestyles for our students. There is no greater gift than feeling confident, capable and, ultimately, proud to be in our own bodies.”
Special thanks go to the following sports and health care professionals, who participated in this year’s National Girls and Women in Sports expo:
Central Texas Pediatric Orthopedics Physical Therapists — Provided ACL injury risk assessments; research shows that females ages 12 to 18 are at higher risk for knee ACL tears
Austin Sports Medicine Physical Therapists — Reviewed common athletic orthopedic injuries and discussed prevention and treatment
Go with the Flow — Showcased innovative menstrual products for women with active lifestyles
Chelsea Richards, St. Stephen’s assistant athletic director and sports information director — Explained and demonstrated an array of feminine products, including tampons, period panties, menstrual cups and discs, feminine wipes, deodorants, and bikini trimmers
Title Nine: Athletic Wear and Clothes for Active Women — Offered sports bra fittings and explained how to choose the right type for different impact levels and why wearing the correct type and size is important for maintaining breast ligament health
Bill Stone, pedorthist with Foundations Footwear — Offered gait analyses and options for custom orthotic insoles; reviewed the latest female-oriented running and exercise gear provided by The Loop Running Supply Co. of Austin
Beverly Hamilton, Ph.D., from IMPACT Melanoma — Explained different types of skin cancer and the importance of wearing sunscreen and protective clothing; provided skin cancer screenings and information on sun-damage prevention
Shannon Abikhaled, M.D., Westlake Gynecology — Discussed the stages of womanhood from preteen to age 18, as well as what to expect during a gynecologist appointment and why
Holly Lorka, R.N., The Hospital at Westlake — Provided gender-expansive health and wellness information for trans and non-binary student-athletes