The basketball court echoes as the women call to one another to pass, shoot and push it. Commanding attention from the sideline is coach Semeka Randall.
She's the epitome of women's basketball
starting off with grade school ... college overseas WNBA
there's pretty much no other place she could have played
said player Tenishia Benson. She teaches you to be a woman first and a woman player second.
Ohio University Intercollegiate Athletics, the Women's Center and the Women's and Gender Studies Program collaborated for the second annual Celebrating Women: Leaders On and Off the Court event at tomorrow's women's basketball game against Northern Illinois.
The 2 p.m. game will celebrate more than 30 female student leaders - from scholars to activists to club leaders to athletes - during halftime, said organizer Kim Little, an assistant professor of women's and gender studies.
It's important to let people know that we have women who are working on behalf of women and the community
who are doing great work and may not be front-and-center
she said.
The event will feature an introductory statement from Executive Vice President and Provost Pam Benoit, and then each woman will be brought down to the court and recognized, she said.
Combining with Intercollegiate Athletics highlights the importance of female leadership across campus, especially within women's basketball, said Susanne Dietzel, director of the Women's Center.
Basketball teaches you to be strong
powerful
courageous and tough
and none of those mean you have to be masculine
said Randall. It's about being comfortable in your own skin as you're going out into the world.
Randall has served as a role model for the women's team, whose members aim to promote the importance of female athletes, Benson said.
(In women's basketball)
