DeMya Talks Girls & Women In Sports Day
National Girls and Women In Sports Day began in 1987 as a day to remember Olympic volleyball player Flo Hyman for her athletic achievements and her work to assure equality for women's sports. It has evolved into a day that acknowledges the past while recognizing current sports achievements, the positive infulence of sports participation and the continuing struggle for equality and access for women in sports. In advance of the 25th annual celebration on Feb. 2nd, Sun forward DeMya Walker discusses the role that sports has played in her life as well as its role in how she is raising her daughter.
Hey Sun fans!
With Girls & Women in Sports Day a couple days away, I was thinking about how sports have played such a pivotal role not just in providing me with a career but in molding who I am as a person, a friend, a daughter, a sister, a colleague and a mother. I have done something athletic since I was seven years old running track! I remember I played soccer, softball, ran track and was a cheerleader from fifth through eighth grade. I ran track and played basketball from ninth through 12th grade and was All-State in both sports. That being said, what is it about sports and its importance in my life that have made me who I am today?
As a young girl, I was taller than everyone, awkward, very skinny, and quite the pushover. Sports gave me an outlet and a way to stay out of trouble. They gave me a sense of accomplishment. I was confident in myself when I was competing. I was sure that no one was better than me and I was the “Me” I wished I could be off the playing field. As I went through high school, that confidence spilled into my everyday life. I was proud to be on student council, in advanced placement classes, and to be tall. I was confident in my look and you couldn’t tell me I wasn’t so fly! Being an athlete set me apart from everyone else. It taught me about setting goals for myself and how to work through my problems intelligently. Of course, basketball has given me a college education from the prestigious and beautiful University of Virginia and allowed me to be a part of something bigger than myself as a member of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc. I have flown all over the world, been influenced by many different cultures, and groomed by coaches and veteran players I would never have had the pleasure to meet had it not been for my beloved sport!
As a friend, daughter and sister, I am the only professional athlete in my immediate circle. I think my friends have adjusted to my competitive nature, and I apply it in the advice I give them for their everyday lives. Sports isn’t just for athletes, it’s for everyone. It helps put a smile on your face after a bad day. It gives you something to take your aggression out on when you’re having a day that makes you feel like you need to just scream. It keeps you in shape and feeling good about yourself and your life. It breeds an edge to your mentality that keeps you from quitting and pushes you to go the extra mile! Girls and women are emotional beings. Let’s face it…WE ARE! Sports apply to the girliest of girls as well as the tomboys. It unites us in a way that makes us happy to be individuals but proud to be part of a team. That’s why sports are so important to ALL girls and women.
Sports have helped me with time management, problem solving, health and beauty! As a single mom of a beautiful four year old little girl, sports have helped me teach her confidence. She is a cheerleader and a swimmer, tried soccer but didn’t like it (despite liking how she looked in the uniform, lol) and is just beginning basketball. In five weeks of swim class, she has advanced five levels. The girls and boys who started in level one with her just made it to level two. I am so proud of her! She is a natural competitor and sports for her have helped her to not be so shy. She doesn’t make friends with kids her age very easily because she is very slow to warm. Being a cheerleader and part of a team opened her up and really helped her blossom into being comfortable in crowds. Being a swimmer helped her build her individual competitive spirit.
Sports have connected us as mother and daughter on another level. She looks to me for approval when she does well and uplifting when it wasn’t so good. She cheers me on in my games and is just as sad as I am if we don’t win. She is learning the value of hard work, the value of money, the value of teamwork, the value of honor and discipline, the value of being a leader and knowing how to follow, the value of trust, and the value of loving what you do! I have been able to teach my daughter these things because of the lessons I have learned by participating in sports. I hope one day to see her in the WNBA (wearing number 22 of course), on the US Olympic Swim Team and the USA Basketball Team…that would be a first!!!
I am forever in debt to sports and the blessing they have been in my life. So on Girls and Women In Sports Day, I want all of you to go for a walk, a jog, a run, a swim, or pick up a ball and play. Just enjoy the great feeling! For those of you in the northeast, pick an indoor sport!!!!
Talk to ya soon…DeMya
Hey Sun fans!
With Girls & Women in Sports Day a couple days away, I was thinking about how sports have played such a pivotal role not just in providing me with a career but in molding who I am as a person, a friend, a daughter, a sister, a colleague and a mother. I have done something athletic since I was seven years old running track! I remember I played soccer, softball, ran track and was a cheerleader from fifth through eighth grade. I ran track and played basketball from ninth through 12th grade and was All-State in both sports. That being said, what is it about sports and its importance in my life that have made me who I am today?
As a young girl, I was taller than everyone, awkward, very skinny, and quite the pushover. Sports gave me an outlet and a way to stay out of trouble. They gave me a sense of accomplishment. I was confident in myself when I was competing. I was sure that no one was better than me and I was the “Me” I wished I could be off the playing field. As I went through high school, that confidence spilled into my everyday life. I was proud to be on student council, in advanced placement classes, and to be tall. I was confident in my look and you couldn’t tell me I wasn’t so fly! Being an athlete set me apart from everyone else. It taught me about setting goals for myself and how to work through my problems intelligently. Of course, basketball has given me a college education from the prestigious and beautiful University of Virginia and allowed me to be a part of something bigger than myself as a member of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc. I have flown all over the world, been influenced by many different cultures, and groomed by coaches and veteran players I would never have had the pleasure to meet had it not been for my beloved sport!
As a friend, daughter and sister, I am the only professional athlete in my immediate circle. I think my friends have adjusted to my competitive nature, and I apply it in the advice I give them for their everyday lives. Sports isn’t just for athletes, it’s for everyone. It helps put a smile on your face after a bad day. It gives you something to take your aggression out on when you’re having a day that makes you feel like you need to just scream. It keeps you in shape and feeling good about yourself and your life. It breeds an edge to your mentality that keeps you from quitting and pushes you to go the extra mile! Girls and women are emotional beings. Let’s face it…WE ARE! Sports apply to the girliest of girls as well as the tomboys. It unites us in a way that makes us happy to be individuals but proud to be part of a team. That’s why sports are so important to ALL girls and women.
Sports have helped me with time management, problem solving, health and beauty! As a single mom of a beautiful four year old little girl, sports have helped me teach her confidence. She is a cheerleader and a swimmer, tried soccer but didn’t like it (despite liking how she looked in the uniform, lol) and is just beginning basketball. In five weeks of swim class, she has advanced five levels. The girls and boys who started in level one with her just made it to level two. I am so proud of her! She is a natural competitor and sports for her have helped her to not be so shy. She doesn’t make friends with kids her age very easily because she is very slow to warm. Being a cheerleader and part of a team opened her up and really helped her blossom into being comfortable in crowds. Being a swimmer helped her build her individual competitive spirit.
Sports have connected us as mother and daughter on another level. She looks to me for approval when she does well and uplifting when it wasn’t so good. She cheers me on in my games and is just as sad as I am if we don’t win. She is learning the value of hard work, the value of money, the value of teamwork, the value of honor and discipline, the value of being a leader and knowing how to follow, the value of trust, and the value of loving what you do! I have been able to teach my daughter these things because of the lessons I have learned by participating in sports. I hope one day to see her in the WNBA (wearing number 22 of course), on the US Olympic Swim Team and the USA Basketball Team…that would be a first!!!
I am forever in debt to sports and the blessing they have been in my life. So on Girls and Women In Sports Day, I want all of you to go for a walk, a jog, a run, a swim, or pick up a ball and play. Just enjoy the great feeling! For those of you in the northeast, pick an indoor sport!!!!
Talk to ya soon…DeMya
