In recent years, more students at LFHS have spoken out about their belief that women’s sports do not receive the recognition they deserve. In response to this feedback, the school has collectively worked together to change that conversation.
After the success of the 1st National Girls and Women in Sports Day last Spring, it was decided that this would become an annual tradition at LFHS to commemorate the achievements of female athletes.
Scout Nation Sponsor Mrs. Julie Crouch explained how one of the essential purposes of this celebration was to increase the attendance at girls’ sports games, showing them the same level of support as the student body places on the boys’ games. She later described how the event came to life at LFHS.
“This unique day originated from a conversation with members of the SALT (Student Athlete Leadership Team) and ScoutNation about how to drum up more attendance as well as support of female athletic events. Since it is a National Day across the country, LFHS decided to get on board to celebrate our female athletes,” Mrs. Crouch said.
Last year, a committee of female athletes, coaches of female athletes, clubs, non-profit organization Service and Learning Together (SaLT), and Scout Nation was formed to bring attention to the day and highlight the female athletes at LFHS. Since then, this committee has grown exponentially. It now includes a mixture of adults from the Lake Forest community, like LFHS Alumni, Booster parents, teachers, and support staff all coming together to join the effort.
Varsity Girls’ Soccer Captain Maddy Cummins has been on the team since her freshman year, and she believes that the narrative at LFHS about girls’ sports has shifted as a result of LFHS prioritizing its events.
“It means so much to us when our friends and family show up to our soccer games because it creates such an energetic environment for our team. With people cheering us on at games, it makes us all work ten times harder,” Cummins said. “I definitely think attendance has increased with the encouragement of the staff and student body. When we have support, it translates to not only the score of the game but also to the effort everyone puts in.”
This year, LFHS will host the 2nd Annual National Girls and Women in Sports Day next Thursday, February 5th, which is the national day of celebration.
The day will begin with Class of 2009 alum NGWSD Keynote Speaker Ashley Dell. She is set to enter her fourth season as the head coach of the University of Illinois Men’s and Women’s Swimming and Diving Team, entering the 2025-26 academic year.
In the RMA, she will talk to students and staff members who are available to attend from 12:40-1:40 p.m. during the 5th period block. Her discussion will focus on redefining success and speaking to the individuality required to find one’s confidence.
Following this, there will be an all-female athlete clap out at 1:50 p.m., starting at the senior star and finishing at the competition gym. All the captains of each team will gather their teammates to walk alongside each other, holding their team’s flag. The staff and the boys in the school will line the halls to cheer them on.
The celebration will extend into after-school hours as the Girls Varsity Basketball Team faces off against Libertyville at 7 p.m. at LFHS. The committee came up with different ideas about how to best incentivize the student body and staff to come to the game.
The festivities of the night will begin at 6 p.m. One of the most exciting aspects of the game is that the Girls Feeder Program will be in attendance. The youth will have the unique opportunity to meet the older varsity players and be introduced to the audience. At half-time, there will be a shooting contest for prizes for the girls in the program. Additionally, the Girls JV Dance Team and the Pep-Band will perform.
There will also be a fundraiser for “Fill the Stands” by selling t-shirts: one color for the female athletes and another color for those who support female athletes. Fill The Stands is on a mission to create a world where girls’ sporting events are “can’t-miss occasions” by kickstarting a network of passionate local volunteers in communities across the country.
Overall, the idea behind this special day of commemoration is to create a culture shift to where the student body and staff will work to support all athletic teams equally. Today, at LFHS, both staff and students have made a bigger effort to show up for girls’ sports teams.
