As part of the National Girls in Sports Day, Kaysville City Recreation teamed up with Davis High School Athletics on February 2 to host a free open house event. The vision was for the activity to encourage elementary and junior high age girls in the local community to come to the high school and meet high school girls and coaches taking part in sports and participate in multi-sports clinics.

It gave the community girls a chance to see what sports will be offered for them to take part in high school and beyond.

The event was also held to honor the 50th year of allowed participation in Title IX sports. Title IX gives women athletes the right to equal opportunity in sports in educational institutions that receive federal funds, from elementary schools to colleges and universities. There are three parts to Title IX as it applies to athletics programs: participation, scholarships, and benefits/treatment of athletes. Title IX is an important federal civil rights act that guarantees that our children are treated in a like manner with regard to all educational programs and activities, including sports.

City Recreation Coordinator Bryan White and Davis High Athletics Director Bo Roundy hosted the event. Roundy said in 1974, there were only six girls sports teams (7 including cheer), and those sports group opportunities have more than doubled today. White said “sports is a way of life for most boys and the same cannot be said for girls. Girl’s programs in our area have dropped in numbers and the hope is for the event to be an eye-opener for the community about the number of opportunities for girls to play and stay active in sports.”  He said the hope is to make this an annual celebration and expand to reach the needs of the girls in Kaysville. 

The Recreation Department hopes to then be able to show off the multitude of programs available through the department in an effort to get girls excited to play sports and stay active. A total of 13 local participating sports groups were invited and those attending included: Jump Rope, Track/Cross Country, Basketball, Gymnastics, Softball, Wrestling, Swimming, Soccer, Golf, Tennis, Lacrosse, and an even a National Fencing Group (that offered some fabulous rounds of jousting for the crowd). 

This first-time event was well attended by approximately 350 girls and/or family members. There were also door prizes, photo opportunities, and raffle drawings available to hand out to the girls from local partnerships such as the Utah Jazz and Dick’s Sporting Goods. This celebration supports the Kaysville community in continuing to supply programs for everyone, no matter their race, ethnicity, or gender. Visit www.kaysvillerec.com to see available programs and for signups.