Body Electric and Helping Girls Enjoy Sports
Liz Werhane

When I was really young, being a girl in sports meant I'd be on the sidelines at my brother's soccer games, hoping the "team mom" had brought enough Twinkies for me to eat one with the players at halftime.

There's a photo of me, chubby-cheeked with my hair in pigtails, walking along the AYSO field with a doll dangling by one arm from my hand. To me, it represents my early participation, or lack thereof, in sports.

My parents humored my interests - a year of gymnastics and survey classes of ballet, tap and baton twirling, to name a few. I liked pretending I was an Olympic diver in our backyard pool. I choreographed synchronized swimming routines that weren't actually synchronized with anyone else. I learned what it was like to lose - every time - playing softball, soccer and basketball in the front yard with my brother. I had roller skates and jump ropes, and I can still hula hoop with the best.

But it was all just play, not sport, for me. My brother was an athlete. He had soccer games and basketball games. He had uniforms. He had teams. He had coaches. He had trophies. He had my dad yelling at referees.

I, on the other hand, lined up my stuffed animals as an audience in my room and performed dance and tumbling routines to Madonna and Whitney Houston songs.

When I was about 8, I was told: "You're too tall to be a gymnast and too short to be a ballerina." The harsh voice of reason was likely right, but it was a young age to have all my leotard-clad dreams thrown out the window.

I'm so grateful someone encouraged me to run. Thanks to genetics and years of accidental practice (which likely began with chasing boys around the playground in 2nd grade), I was kind of good at it. So in junior high, I had a uniform; I had a team; I had a coach; I had my dad taking photos and cheering at meets; I had a sport.

I tried basketball in junior high, too, but no one needs to relive that debacle.

It's quite possible I would have missed out on the pleasure and pain of competition if someone hadn't taken an extra couple of minutes to tell me that I could be successful if I gave it a try and that I would have fun in the trying itself.

Running in junior high evolved into 4 years each of varsity cross country and track; a snazzy letterman's jacket; ribbons, medals and plaques; great friends; countless community 5Ks and 10Ks; and a few bizarre urges, like training with Rusty Snow for a half marathon and running Tough Enough with a goat tattooed on my arm.

I'm grateful that P.E. teachers and coaches said "try this." I'm grateful that my parents supported me. They bought running shoes, cheered at races and had bags of frozen peas ready to ice my injuries. I am a female athlete because of it.

All girls should have the opportunity to be in the game and not on the sidelines. And a local nonprofit group is working to ensure that.

Body Electric's mission is "to promote participation, recognition and celebration of local women and girls in sports and physical activity."

Here's what Body Electric does: They have an annual $1,000 athletic scholarship for a female high school athlete. They donate books and magazines about women in sports to local schools. They host an annual FitFest, providing information about sports, fitness and health. They teach the community about Title IX.

They also offer the Adventure Club for women to try out activities such as hiking, volleyball, canoeing and surfing together. It encompasses the spirit of "try this" that got me started in sports. If the girls like it, they may find a community league to join or they may try the sport again with a little more confidence when someone invites them to participate.

Here's what you can do: Cheer for girls in sports. Pick your favorite sport and attend a girls' game at a local school. Then congratulate the players when the game is over. Take kids to women's sports to show them female role models in sports. Bring a girl with you on one of your workouts. Explain your sport and what you like about it, and help build her confidence in her ability to do it. When buying birthday or holiday gifts for a young girl, consider purchasing sports equipment, athletic shoes or clothes, or a book about an inspiring woman in sports. Also consider buying equipment to donate to young girls whose families may not be able to afford gear.

Body Electric is doing great work. As runners, we know there are so many benefits of an active lifestyle and of competition that extend even beyond health. But there are still many girls and women who haven't had the opportunity or the encouragement to learn how healthy and how fun athletics can be. It's pretty easy to do, so let's do it. If nothing else, extend an extra "good job" to young girls you see at your next race.

To learn more about Body Electric, visit www.bodyelectric-sb.org or call (805) 569-7144.