DeMya Walker

In honor of National Girls and Women in Sports Day (NGWSD) Wednesday, Monarchs forward DeMya Walker, Head Coach Jenny Boucek, Assistant Coach Monique Ambers and Monarchs legend Ruthie Bolton hosted a basketball clinic at St. Francis High School.

"It�s just always fun for us to be able to get out in the community and interact, especially when there�s a theme like there was today about celebrating dreams and opportunities for young women," Boucek said, smiling as always.

Boucek led the more than one hour mini-Monarchs practice with drills the team uses during the season, including low-post moves, mid-range shooting and defensive technique.

Since Boucek's youth the opportunities for women in athletics have improved significantly due to Title IX. Because of that, February 7 (NGWSD) is a celebration of the advances made for women in sport and a day to encourage further development of women's athletics.

�There was no thought of professional women�s basketball," Boucek said of her youth. "I mean it seems like forever ago now. But I can�t imagine the power that there would�ve been if I did have female role models growing up because we just didn�t have it."

Title IX states that: "No person in the United States shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any education program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance." Before the law was in place, women born before June 23, 1972 didn�t have equal opportunity in sports at a high school, collegiate or professional level.

Assistant Coach Monique Ambers

�Now they�ve got tangible hope, dreams and opportunity right there in front of them, which they�re interacting with all day today," Boucek continued. "So I think that�s an awesome thing.�

After the practice finished the Monarchs took questions from the student-athletes and Walker spoke about the opportunities basketball creates not only on the court, but also in the classroom.

"The WNBA, first of all, is a very hard league to get into," Walker said. "We don�t have nearly as many teams as the NBA so we don�t have nearly as many players. And some girls don�t aspire to be a professional athlete, but they love the game of basketball and they love what it could bring. (Sometimes, however,) they don�t realize that it is a means to an end. It's a chance to go to (college) and do something else that you�ve always wanted to do for free.

�So it�s impor tant when you have opportunities like this to use your talents to go where you want to go. You�re in charge of your future too. Take heed and apply yourself.�

The day ended with a huddle and an exuberant group celebration. Wednesday's celebration wasn't a shout-out for TEAM or DEFENSE though, it was a tribute to the progress made by women before them and a display of excitement for future opportunities.