Alumni Arena was overflowing with balloons and hand-painted signs Wednesday in celebration of National Girls and Women in Sports Day.
Female athletes gathered in Alumni Arena to honor women's achievement in sports at the collegiate and national level.
"This is UB's 17th year holding the event," said Laura Barnum, a former UB volleyball player and head coordinator of the event. "This year we changed things up and worked with student athletes, and asked them to give input about how they would want the event to be held."
This athlete feedback is why UB celebrated in Alumni for the first time this year.
"All the athletes were in agreement that they wanted a less formal, more interactive ceremony, so we moved it into the Alumni," said Barnum.
Three guest speakers were videotaped in advance for the event, with the speeches playing nonstop throughout the day.
"By doing this, people in attendance can walk around and watch whatever they like and aren't stuck sitting in a chair for hours," Barnum said. "The taped videos truly gave the ceremony a more modern edge.
Margot Page, head coach of the Niagara University women's ice hockey team, made an appearance at the event. Page served as an assistant coach for the Canadian women's team that won a gold medal in the 2006 Winter Olympics.
During the event, Page gave autographs at a table decorated with Canadian Jerseys, hats, pucks and medals. Personal photographs Page took of her Olympic experience were also on display.
UB also recognized students and staff for outstanding service. Connie Holoman, assistant vice president for university relations, was chosen to receive the 2007 UB Recognition Award for her participation in student athletics.
She was presented with the award at halftime during the women's basketball game versus Ohio.
"In my high school, there were not any girls' sports teams," Holoman said. "I was always a very active person, so I was upset I wasn't ever given the opportunity to be on a team."
Holoman supports athletics at UB as a fan, spectator and staff mentor to student athletes.
"Student athletics, especially for girls, is a fantastic thing. I am just flabbergasted I was chosen," she said.
Senior tennis player Katrin Fischer was the recipient of the UB National Varsity Student Speaker. Fischer said that she grew up playing sports. However, it was uncommon for girls to play tennis in the community in which she grew up, so she was forced to practice with boys.
"When people think of sports they think of aggression, fighting and sweating. Yet these words do not come to mind when you are thinking about girls," Fischer said. "People tend to forget that women are athletes too, and deserve to be acknowledged."
The benefit of sports for women is not only physical, but mental as well. According to the Women's Sports Foundation, girls who play sports are less likely to become depressed and have higher self-images than girls who don't.
Women and Girls in Sports Day is important because it recognizes women's often underappreciated athletic accomplishments, according to Fischer.
"It is a time for women to be accepted as people and as athletes," she said.
Photo: Courtesy of Laron Fomby
