National Girls and Women in Sports Day

On Feb. 8, Spartans celebrated National Girls and Women in Sports Day with Chapel recognition and a women’s health expo on The Hill. Spearheaded by Assistant Athletic Director Chelsea Richards, Sports Medicine Director Kathy Rainey and Sports Information Director Juliann Johnson, this year’s event focused on athlete mental health and well-being. 

“In light of the 50th anniversary of Title IX legislation and the fact that we’re climbing out of a global pandemic that has changed how we experience sports at nearly every level, we thought focusing on mental healthcare of athletes would be relatable for many of our students,” remarked Richards. 

“Athletics at St. Stephen’s looks different than it did two years ago, so sharing our own experiences and modeling open dialogue about how to establish mental health routines and identify resources or seek out support was at the forefront of our planning this year,” she added.

Elise Keoghan, a local counselor who specializes in athlete care, presented at both Middle School and Upper School Chapel services. Keoghan has experience working with elite college, professional and Olympic athletes, in addition to serving pre-teen and teen clients. She discussed with students when and how to create a self-care plan. 

“Elise was an incredible speaker and brought lots of insight to our students regarding mental health,” shared Johnson. “She presented lots of tools for dealing with pressure and gave our students tangible takeaways that I think really resonated with our community.”

During Upper School lunch periods, all students who identified as female enjoyed a women’s health expo on campus. Ninth, 10th, 11th and 12th graders browsed booths with experts in gynecology, dermatology, nutrition, breast health, menstrual products, flexibility and restoration, and collegiate athletics. 

“Young women crave the opportunity to ask questions and learn about services and products related to their changing bodies in a safe, fun and comfortable environment,” said Rainey.  “Choosing to adopt a behavior — whether that be fueling your body for the amount of training done, switching to a menstrual cup to reduce plastic waste and increase comfort, visiting a gynecologist before engaging in sexual activity, or wearing a better fitting sport bra for enhanced support — will more likely occur with access to professionals in these fields.”

Special thanks to the following sports and health care professionals and coaches who volunteered at this year’s expo:
  • Shannon Abikhaled, M.D., OBGYN with Westlake Gynecology, discussed the stages of womanhood from preteen to age 18, answered questions from students, shared what to expect when going to the gynecologist for the first time, and reviewed STI prevention and birth control options.
  • Teresa Miller, registered dietician, and Sean Crudo, Sage Dining food services director, highlighted the Performance Spotlight Program offered by Sage in our dining hall to increase awareness that nutrition can help athletic performance. They answered students’ specific nutritional questions and provided healthy snacks and drinks for our students to sample.  
  • Alexis Jacobs and Bree Michele, of StretchLab Westlake, offered one-on-one assisted stretching programs geared toward increasing flexibility, mobility, range of motion and relaxation. 
  • Chelsea Richards, assistant athletic director, and Emily Walling, girls’ lacrosse program head, offered explanations and demonstrations of common feminine products, including tampons, period panties, menstrual cups and discs, and feminine wipes.
  • Sallie Bentley, Quinn Carrozza and Louise McNutt Brazitis ‘07 provided an “Ask a Former College Athlete” booth. Bentley played field hockey and ran track at Washington and Lee, Carrozza swam at The University of Texas, and Brazitis played field hockey at the University of North Carolina. They fielded questions from students about what it’s like to be a collegiate student-athlete. From recruiting to training to competing, our coaches also shared their experiences as NCAA Div III and Div I competitors. 
  • Sam Night, field hockey and strength training coach, provided demos of healthy snacks and meals for active people. 
  • Kirsten Kupra, store manager at Athleta, and Kathy Rainey, sports medicine director, covered breast health and appropriate sports bra fit and maintenance.
  • Jonathan Bielfield, M.D., with Westlake Dermatology and IMPACT Melanoma, answered questions about skin care, sunscreens and acne with the goal of encouraging students to adopt skin protection routines.
  • Students Kristin Svahn and Chloe Bernadette, Next Gen Club members,  engaged with peers through trivia and topical conversations and invited their peers to attend upcoming club meetings.
Non-binary programming was provided in a separate, private space for students by librarian Sam Davis and Grayson Hunt, director of equity outreach and resources in the Office of the Executive Vice President and Provost at The University of Texas at Austin. 

 
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Address: 6500 St. Stephen's Dr., Austin, TX 78746
Phone: (512) 327-1213