Photo Gallery (images by Aileen Nasypany)
Mountain View, CA -- The Bay Area was recently granted a respite from the April showers, and with the bright sun shining down on April 6th, the Urban Knights women's soccer team traveled to Mariana Castro Elementary School in Mountain View and partnered up with the Bay Area Women's Sports Initiative (BAWSI) for a day of building up the next generation of female athletes in the Bay Area.
BAWSI runs an eight-week program in local elementary schools to work with females in Grades 2-5, and for the third straight year, ART U women's soccer was there to help. BAWSI is a public benefit, nonprofit corporation with a mission to create programs and partnerships through which women athletes bring health, hope and wholeness to the community. Founded in 2005 by Olympic and World Cup soccer stars Brandi Chastain and Julie Foudy and Marlene Bjornsrud, former general manager of the San Jose CyberRays women's professional soccer team, BAWSI provides a meaningful path for women athletes to become a more visible and valued part of the Bay Area sports culture.
"BAWSI girls have grown in such positive ways as an organization over the past three years that we have been volunteering with them," said head coach Aileen Nasypany. "It is not only rewarding to see the amazing impact they are having on the female youth in our own backyard but to watch my student-athletes grow as role models and leaders during their experience with them. I look forward to many more memorable years of partnership with BAWSI!"
The Knights helped lead a variety of team-building exercises and also partook in fun activities and fitness education. BAWSI stresses the simple message of fitness awareness, something that the Urban Knights are very keen on in their practices and workouts, and eager to share with the young girls in their community.
"This is my first time helping out with BAWSI," said sophomore forward
Rebecca Mandell. "Watching the way the girls faces lit up with excitement and joy to be participating and interacting with role models made this experience truly rewarding. I'm so thankful to be a part of such inspiring organization and look forward to helping out again."
