Three years ago, Jasmine Cartwright had never played rugby. Her first exposure to the sport came when a high school friend invited her to watch a game during her senior year.
That same friend encouraged Cartwright to attend a practice, believing her wrestling background made her a perfect fit for rugby. Cartwright agreed, showing up without cleats or equipment — only to find the field covered in snow.
“And we were running around in the snow, and I was like, ‘Yeah, I think this is it,’” said Cartwright. Just one practice set her on a path she couldn’t have predicted just days earlier.
Recognizing women athletes like Cartwright has impacted sports history with the celebration of National Girls and Women in Sports Day (NGWSD) since 1987. This celebration works to bring “national attention to the promise of girls and women in sports,” according to the Women’s Sports Foundation.
Students here at Guilford College are quick to celebrate the meaning of NGWSD. Bailey Prewitt is a freshman at Guilford College who plays on the women’s volleyball team. She grew up with a firsthand account on why NGWSD is important to celebrate by everyone.
“I had two brothers that also played sports,” Prewitt said, “and there was definitely a bigger emphasis and a bigger excitement around men’s sports compared to the sports I played.” This distinction can still be seen in sports played today with separate women and men’s leagues.
Prewitt goes on to add that NGWSD has a big emphasis on younger girls who are insecure about the sport they play.
“I feel like a lot of girls are discouraged from playing sports, either within themselves or from other people,” said Prewitt, “so I think it’s encouraging for especially younger girls looking up to these older athletes to do what they love.”
NGWSD brings awareness to gender inequality in sports—an issue still evident today. Progress has been made with the introduction of women’s leagues in sports historically dominated by men, such as rugby. Guilford College announced the addition of women’s rugby to its athletic program in 2019, according to DJCoil Rugby.
This allows athletes like Jasmine Cartwright to reach goals she hadn’t even thought plausible a couple years ago. Cartwright expressed that going professional was a jump from where she is currently in her career, but that if the opportunity arose, she would take it.
And it’s not just current students at Guilford College who are celebrating NGWSD.
Kiersten Walker graduated from Guilford College in 2024. She played softball and swam for Guilford College. Walker sees many benefits in celebrating NGWSD today even if she doesn’t plan to continue her sports career in a professional setting.
“National Women’s Sports Day feels like a great opportunity to reflect on the history of sports and how we got to where we are,” said Walker. She especially loved the History of Sport class at Guilford College because it broadened her horizons on women who pushed for sports equality.
During World War II, women played baseball in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League while men were off fighting in the war. “They inspire me to not back down when things are hard and new,” said Walker. She has carried this mindset into both her sports career and her personal life.
NGWSD has done a lot of good so far, but hopefully in the future it will be celebrated more widely and out in the open. It is still a relatively small observance, but already it has gone a long way in recognizing the accomplishments and achievements of women athletes.
