Quabbin Regional High School Capstone

Problem Solving Cont.

Creativity

For the injury disclaimer, we managed to get the clinic moved to the high school, and also made sure that both the athletic trainer, strength and conditioning coach, and our supervisor was available in case there were any issues.

For the limited amount of girls we ended with, we were still able to adjust the different activities planned so that they were suitable for the numbers we ended with.

We had to figure out what activities we were going to do throughout the clinic that would be suitable for each sport played in high school.

We had to adjust our forms that we created a couple of times until they were approved and the best possible for the interest of the young girls.

Quabbin Regional High School Capstone

Problem Solving

Some issues we ran into:

• The concerns of injury
• The amount of interest

1.There was a concern about our disclaimer that we felt was necessary about the injuries. We wanted to make it clear that due to the physical activities the girls would be partaking in, there could be a risk of injury. However, there was a concern that the parents would not sign their child up because of this risk.

2. We did not have many girls sign up, we ended up with a total of four girls signing up and two girls actually showing up for the clinic

Effective Use of Technology

We used technology excessively throughout our project. Technology was one of the main ways we were able to get in contact with each elementary school principal. We sent out emails pitching our ideas about the mini clinic and also sent our informational poster stating what we were planning to do and our goals, and the sign up forms for the young girls to fill out and pass in.

Spring 2015 - Female Empowerment through Physical Activity

Responsible Citizenship

Written/ Non Written?

Responsible citizenship was a very important and key part of our capstone. We wanted to encourage the participation in sports and also the importance of leadership. We wanted to express that joining a team will increase the skill of leadership which will also help the young girls in the future.

Collaboration

Not only did we collaborate together as partners, figuring out what was best for a clinic and how to make it run smoothly, but we also collaborated a lot with the elementary school principals. They helped us make it possible to hand out the forms we created for the girls to sign up by letting us email them to the school and then handing them out to the girls in the 5th and 6th grade. They also collected the sign up sheets, allowing us to go to each elementary school and pick them up. We also collaborated a lot with our adviser, Ms. Pivonka. She helped us lay out our plans of what we wanted to achieve and our goals, and helped us make it happen. She helped us schedule the gym for our event, pick the date, and many other things that helped us a lot in the end.

Summary

We contacted all the principals of the elementary school and sent them a form explaining our mission and goal and the sign up sheets for the young girls to return. We had our clinic on Monday, May 11th from 3:30 to 5:00. We managed to introduce them to the strength and conditioning coach, who also led the girls through a warm up, in order to create interest and express the importance of strengthening and preparing for your sports season to help prevent injury and become a better athlete. We then put them through multiple activities that simulated the different sports that are available for middle and high school students. Lastly, we took the girls out to the varsity softball game to spark an interest and show how exciting it can be to be a part of the team.

Looking Back and Looking Forward

Plans for the program and changes for the future

Despite having a small turnout at our actual clinic, the process to get there of what worked and what did not will only help it in the future. We now know the process of getting in contact with principals, sending out informational flyers, researching, and planning an event. Looking forward, we have had interest from multiple juniors to take over this program next year. With the knowledge we gained from this year, we will be able to educate them in the process of planning/setting the event date while explaining our goals and expectations of the program. With using what we learned this year, we expect the turnout to be bigger next year as there will not be as many problems. Despite leaving Quabbin, we still plan to make this program run and grow over the coming years as we find it to be of importance.

Capstone Implementation

Mini-Clinic Development

Capstone Catalyst - Overview

Despite the passing of various amendments to support females in their participation in sports, there has been a decline in the female participation within our community. Not only does the participation in sports aid in raising the confidence and overall well-being in many, but participation also helps females learn vital life-lessons such as leadership, goal-setting, along with the ability to consistently be on the pursuit of self betterment.

After research into the statistical data of female participation in sports and how to provide a fun and inspiring introduction to sports, we came up with the idea of the 'mini-clinic'. The idea was inspired by the National Girls and Women in Sports Day where many local colleges put on a similar clinic to introduce girls to various sports. In order to provide the girls in our community the same opportunities, we found it imperative to hold a clinic at Quabbin. The process first began with the research as mentioned above. We were able to read and listen to various lectures about girls in sports which aided in our development of our program. Beginning in February, we reached out to each principal representing the Quabbin elementary schools explaining our program. The program was well received by the principals, and we were able to set dates in which we would hold the program at the school. As the dates for the programs approached it was decided that it would work out better to set one date in May, for the girls to attend. With this being said, we sent out a form for parents to read which explained our program and its positive intentions.

Capstone Catalyst - Figures

Benefits of Participation

• Female high school athletes are 41% more likely to graduate from college within six years compared to female high school students who did not participate in sports. (Youth and Society Journal as cited in “Study Cites Athletics’ Academic Impact.” The NCAA News, January 28, 2008.)

• A study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention discovered that girls who received the highest levels of physical education, or 70 to 300 minutes a week, scored consistently higher on the tests than those who spent less than 35 minutes a week. The findings come at a time where only 12.6% of students meet the Healthy People 2010 objective of daily participation in phys-ed and receive physical education only one or two times a week. (Carlson, Susan. (2008). “Physical Education and Academic Achievement in Elementary School: Data From the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study.” American Journal of Public Health as cited in USA Today, March, 2008.)

• Girls who participate in athletics report being more content with their lives than girls who do not participate in athletics. Much of the social, educational, and health benefits of sports participation become visible in elementary school years for girls and boys. (Sabo, D. & Veliz, P., (2008.) Go Out and Play: Youth Sports in America. Women’s Sports Foundation.)

*Figures taken from the Women's Sports Foundations, WOMEN’S SPORTS & FITNESS FACTS & STATISTICS

Capstone Development

Objectives

• Empower girls through physical activity and sports

• Increase the female participation in sports at the high school level; specifically at Quabbin

Capstone Catalyst - Figures

Pre-Adolescent Participation

• Increased physical activity results in increased self-esteem for pre-adolescents (Melpomene Journal, Autumn 1992, Vol.11, No. 2).

• If a girl does not participate in sports by the time she is 10, there is only a 10 percent chance she will participate when she is 25 (Linda Bunker, University of Virginia, 1989).

• Children, especially females,who receive positive reinforcement for sport participation are more likely to become involved in sports than those who receive neutral or negative messages (Greendorfer, 1987, Psychology of Women Quarterly, 11, 327-340).

Capstone Development

Fostering Participation

• Girls drop out of sport at a rate six times higher than boys (Robinson, T.T. and Carron, A.V. 1982, Journal of Sport Psychology, 4, 4, 364-378).

• There needs to be opportunity. In order to do this it is vital to create various points of entry for the girls to participate in sports. This will allow them to find exactly what they want to participate in.

• Girls need to be shown positive female athletes. It is important to show them that there are successful female athletes. This allows the girls to look to these female athletes as role models and inspiration.

• It is important to listen to the kids being worked with. When working a camp one should listen to them, see what they want/ are interested in, and adjust the game to them to help increase physical activity while having fun.

*Figures taken from the Women's Sports Foundations, WOMEN’S SPORTS & FITNESS FACTS & STATISTICS

• It is important to retain those whom do show up by providing a positive program. Positive strengths are fostered through positive experiences. If the girls have a good initial experience, they are more likely to come back because of the level of confidence it gave them during that time.

Capstone Catalyst

Causes for Lack of Participation

• Bad early experiences: When first being exposed to various sports and activities whether in gym class, during recess or during participation in informal sports, a negative experience can drive girls away from future participation. Having an early and positive experience is vital in gaining participation.

Capstone Development

Plan of Action

In order to increase female participation in sports, interest has to be sparked at the elementary levels. Plans to achieve this include:

• Adult-driven: In certain cases, adults put an unneeded pressure onto young athletes; often deciding if they did a good or bad job.When introducing sports at a young age they need to be "kid-centric".

Mini Clinic: With the help of other female athletes within the high school, a camp will be held for the girls attending the elementary schools within our community. This camp will provide various stations teaching basketball, softball, soccer, and field hockey. By providing a different sport per station, the girls are given different points of entry enabling them to find an activity that sparks their interest. This camp provides a fun and and safe exposure to sports for the girls - if their first try at an activity is positive, there is a greater chance that they will participate later.

• Culture: How we view women in society, and what young girls are constantly being exposed to and seeing on TV, in advertisements, and on social media play a role in the type of person a girl aspires to be. When watching TV girls often see shows depicting erratic behavior rather than athletes. Due to this, girls are often exposed to negative stereotypes, which provide a false idea of how to gain money, power, and importance. Increased visibility of women sports are important to provide girls positive role models and inspire them to participate in sports.

"TradITion" t-shirts for the youth basketball programs. As a way to establish culture and unity within the girls basketball program, t-shirts were sold to the younger travel teams. These shirts allowed the girls to gain entry to the varsity basketball games for free.

Does not always have to be a formal sport, getting girls to start participating in physical activities can be just as important. Girls need to have options and opportunities to play and gain confidence while becoming comfortable with themselves.

Capstone Catalyst

Participation within the Quabbin Community

As aforementioned, the female participation in school based sports and physical activity has been on a steady decline. Each year, the numbers of female participants on many of the high school level teams have been extremely low; lower than they have been in years. In order to increase the female participation within our community, interest has to be sparked at the middle and elementary school levels. By providing a positive and fun introduction to sports for the girls in our community, we can provide them the tools necessary to lead a happy and healthy lifestyle.

Capstone Implementation

T-Shirts

In order to create a sense of unity and culture within the basketball community, we sold t-shirts with the following logo:

During the winter season, we went to each girls travel league team and explained to them the importance of maintaining a level of unity and culture within a program. With the purchase of one of these shirts, the girls were able to get into the varsity basketball games for free when wearing the shirt. By doing this, the girls were able to feel included in the varsity program. Not only this, but it allowed for the girls to see something to aspire to when in high school. The money raised when selling these shirts went directly back to the basketball program.