BYFIELD, MA – Laughter, high fives, and cheers rang from the Pescosolido Fieldhouse on Saturday morning, as over 70 local girls in grades one through six came to The Governor’s Academy’s campus to participate in the first Girls in Sports Day at Govs.
“My alma mater (Bowdoin College) held this event every year,” said Associate Director of Admission Cayla Liptak. “My college teammates and I looked forward to sharing our appreciation for athletics and all the opportunities you gain by being a part of a team. It was such a memorable experience that I wanted to bring it to Govs.”
In honor of National Girls and Women in Sports Day, which is celebrating its 38th anniversary on February 7, elementary school-aged girls from local towns including Ipswich, Lawrence, Newburyport, Salisbury, and Newbury were invited to join Governor’s student-athletes. They participated in a station-style sports extravaganza focused on inspiring the next generation of female athletes to build new skills, develop confidence, and, most importantly, have fun.
Featured sports included basketball, cross country, field hockey, ice hockey, lacrosse, soccer, softball, track, volleyball, and wrestling.
Maggie O’Gannon ’24 said, “I loved being able to share my passion for athletics with local girls and show them that it’s possible to balance it all.”
Over 40 Governor’s girls varsity athletes volunteered at the two-hour event, leading drills, coaching small-sided games, and providing positivity and high energy. After rotating through eight stations, all of the girls gathered for remarks from Governor’s Athletic Director Claudia Asano Barcomb.
Barcomb shared, “When I was your age, my mom registered me under my brother’s name for boys’ teams because there weren’t opportunities for girls. Today there are opportunities for girls to play nearly every sport. I hope that you learned something new today.”
The event ended with a team huddle where all of the girls cheered, “Go Govs! Go Girls!”