Sports

Pearl River Celebrates National Girls & Women In Sports Day

Wednesday is National Girls & Women In Sports Day. This year's theme is "Title IX at 40: In It For The Long Run."

Pearl River High School teacher Jo Mosella remembers having to buy her own uniforms to play sports at Yonkers High School, where she graduated in 1974.

"The boys got the uniforms and the buses," Mosella said. "I was told to buy a blue or orange t-shirt. It was very, very different. Kids don't realize it wasn't always equal money for boys and girls sports Girls sports in the early '70s were kinda dead."

That all started to change when President Richard Nixon signed Title IX into law in June 23, 1972, essentially forcing schools and other educational institutions that received federal money to provide equal opportunities for boys and girls.
That includes sports. Approximately 294,000 girls participated in high school athletics in 1971, before Title IX. That number reached 3.2 million in 2010, still behind the boys (4.5 million), but closing as time goes on.

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That is why the theme for the 26th Annual National Girls & Women in Sports Day, which is today, is "Title IX at 40: In It For The Long Run."

In addition to local events nationwide, a five-organization coalition will stage a celebration today in Washington D.C. That includes the National Association for Girls and Women in Sport, Girls Inc., Girl Scouts, the National Women's Law Center and the Women's Sports Foundation.

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"It's more of a celebration of how far girls sports have come since Title IX," said Pearl River girls basketball Head Coach Lorraine Moylan, who played her high school ball at Pearl River in the '70s. "They didn't have teams for high schools. It keeps growing each year. It is more and more popular. It is recognition of the changes and the history of the games and the players before them."

Pearl River has been celebrating National Girls & Women in Sports Day (NGWSD) since 1990. That is when the school started giving out what is now called the Lauren Buonocore National Girls & Women in Sports Day Award. Buonocore won the award in 1997 and it was renamed in her honor after she passed away from breast cancer.

Moylan was the first recipient in 1990 and Mosella won in 1998. See the end of this report for the full list of past winners. This year, Pearl River will honor modified volleyball coach Marie Walmsley. Mosella annually handles the speech, which includes information about the Buonocore winner and information about the day.

This year's Pearl River celebration will be held Thursday at halftime of the girls basketball team's home game against Spring Valley, which starts at 4 p.m.

"We've been lucky here," Moylan said. "Joe Mosella takes pride in announcing it."

Moylan talks with her players about the changes in women's sports, particularly basketball, since she was a student at Pearl River High School.

"I was in the middle of it," Moylan said. "I started playing my freshman year on.

"We have different discussions. They weren't around either when we had the changing of the 3-point line and the ball. It's a good discussion of what teams had to wear. How they got to and from games. The whole climate was different. They know some of it, but I'm not sure how much they remember."

She has also seen girls basketball change dramatically.

"The thing that is so different is the speed, the skill and the athleticism the girls have is definitely higher now," Moylan said. "They have the possibility to see somebody playing college ball, the possibility of playing professionally in Europe. Those are major, major changes over the years. "

The growth of the game is one reason Moylan always relishes opportunities for her team to play on the larger stage at the Westchester County Center.

"I think it's big," Moylan said. "I think it's important. It gives them a venue to showcase their talent. They have definitely risen to the occasion to do that. It gives people an opportunity to perform and to see some great stuff."

The growth in opportunities also shows with Pearl River offering 12 different varsity sports and cheerleading. At many high schools when Title IX first passed, girls had just basketball and cheerleading open to them.

"That’s it. They have choices," Moylan said. "They are able to fit into what they want to be and figure out, whatever sport it is, they are capable of doing it. Having choices and opportunities is great. It is a great opportunity for girls to be able to play and be part of a team. I think it helps them in everything, in all the facets of their lives."

Moylan cited a recent conversation with a former player who runs her company.

"She said all people she meets, she asks them if they have been on a sports team," Moylan said. "That’s a high criteria she has for hiring them. Being on a team, they know what it is to help and what to do to make a team successful. That opened my eyes in a different sense. These girls head into the business world and apply all that they have learned."

Pearl River's Previous Lauren Buonocore National Girls & Women in Sports Day Award Winners

Year Name 1990 Lorraine Moylan 1991 Kathy Scrima 1992 Della Haley 1993 Marilyn Falt 1994 Carmen Roberts 1995 Jean Cary 1996 Trudy Rogers 1997 Lauren Buonocore 1998 Josephine Mosella 1999 Mary Mulderig 2000 NONE 2001 Lisa Linehan 2002 Laurie Mayernik 2003 Noreen Apicella 2004 Arlene Kramer 2005 Jeanne Donnelly 2006 Lauren Daley Bell 2007 Julie Crowe 2008 Diana Gillule 2009 Joan Smith 2010 Patricia Flynn 2011 Marni Torgersen 2012 Marie Walmsley


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