Women’s Basketball Volunteers at WNY Girls in Sports

Team participated in event to promote girls in sports at Ralph Wilson Stadium

ORCHARD PARK, NY – The University at Buffalo women’s basketball team took part in the Western New York Girls in Sports Clinic last Saturday at the Buffalo Bills Field House at Ralph Wilson Stadium in Orchard Park.

Approximately 200 girls, ages 9-12, came out to the event, which was founded five years ago by Mary Wilson, wife of Buffalo Bills owner Ralph Wilson. In partnership with the Buffalo Bills, United Way and Buffalo Public Schools the girls were given the opportunity to participate in different sports-themed stations such as golf, tennis, lacrosse, basketball, volleyball, soccer, softball, nutrition and even the rules of Title IX, that requires gender equity in public schools for girls and boys.

UB Women's Basketball

The UB women’s basketball team was one of many teams from local colleges who volunteered to show the girls drills, skills of the game, and tips for staying physically active, as well as the opportunities for girls in sports at all ages.

“It was refreshing to see the girls so excited to be there,” said UB freshman guard, Abby Dowd (Tipp City, OH/Tippecanoe). “Sports are a great way to empower young girls and I think women’s sports sometimes get overlooked, so it was a really rewarding event.”

The team split into three groups- defense, shooting and dribbling-and worked with girls for about ten minutes at a time. “It’s really nice to give back. These girls look to us as role models and we really want to inspire them to get involved in sports,” said Dowd.

The goal of the WNY Girls in Sports program is to empower, educate and motivate young girls through sports participation, learning life skills and awareness of Title IX and its history