UB's 12th Annual National Girls and Women in Sports Day Celebration Kicks Off Today

Mariah Burton Nelson Is Featured Speaker on Wednesday, February 13

BUFFALO, NY - The University at Buffalo is set to begin celebrating its 12th annual National Girls and Women in Sports Day, with festivities scheduled from Friday, February 8 through Wednesday, February 13 when keynote speaker Mariah Burton Nelson, author, athlete and professional speaker, will speak at Slee Hall on UB's North Campus prior to the UB women's basketball game against Marshall. Group tickets to the presentation in Slee Hall and to the women's basketball game are still available for $2.00 apiece by calling the UB Ticket Office at 645-6666. The presentation begins at 4:30 pm with a reception to follow in Alumni Arena before tipoff of the women's basketball game at 7 pm on Wednesday, February 13.

Burton Nelson is a pioneer in the field of writing about women's sports, which she began to do in 1980 and has since published five books and written articles for The New York Times, The Washington Post, Newsweek, Newsday, Working Woman, Ms., Glamour, Cosmopolitan, Redbook, Shape, Self, USA Today, and hundreds of other publications. She is the founder of the Frances Willard Society, an online community of over 130 writers who write about women's sports, and of a consulting business called Speaking Success for Athletes. She has also appeared on "Good Morning America," "The Today Show," "Larry King Live," "Dateline" and "PrimeTime Live," and she is the president of the Washington, DC chapter of the National Speakers Association. Burton Nelson uses "lessons from the playing fields" to show people how to lead and succeed with confidence, commitment, compassion and courage. Still an athlete, she was the leading scorer for the Stanford women's basketball team for four years and played professionally in Europe and in the Women's Basketball League (WBL), the first women's pro league in the United States.

National Girls and Women in Sports Day festivities at UB will kick off with a rally in the Student Union on Friday, February 8, followed by an obstacle course and reception for the Girl Scouts and a UB women's swimming and diving meet against Cornell at Alumni Arena Natatorium at 6 pm. On Saturday, February 9, the UB women's club ice hockey team will host the University of Rochester at 5 pm at the Pepsi Center. Also included as part of the community outreach program is a "Shadow Day" on Monday, February 11 when high school students will be invited to shadow UB student-athletes throughout the day.

National Girls and Women in Sports Day is a national event that celebrates and honors women's participation in and contributions to sports around the country and around the world. More information about UB's National Girls and Women in Sports Day can be found by logging on to UB's athletics website at www.buffalobulls.com.

02/08/2002