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| 1 | HOUSE RESOLUTION
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| 2 | WHEREAS, February 2, 2022 marks the 36th Annual National | ||||||
| 3 | Girls & Women in Sports Day (NGWSD), an annual day of | ||||||
| 4 | observance to acknowledge the accomplishments of female | ||||||
| 5 | athletes, to recognize the importance of participating in | ||||||
| 6 | sports for women and girls, and to honor the progress and | ||||||
| 7 | continuing struggle for equality of women in sports; and
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| 8 | WHEREAS, National Girls & Women in Sports Day began in | ||||||
| 9 | 1987; it united premiere organizations and elite women | ||||||
| 10 | athletes to bring national attention to the promise of girls | ||||||
| 11 | and women in sports; and
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| 12 | WHEREAS, National Girls & Women in Sports Day also | ||||||
| 13 | recognizes the progress made since the enactment of Title IX | ||||||
| 14 | 50 years ago; the passage of Title IX provided for the equal | ||||||
| 15 | participation of everyone in all programs and activities that | ||||||
| 16 | were federally funded; this meant all public schools would | ||||||
| 17 | ensure equitable sports opportunities to the students, | ||||||
| 18 | regardless of gender; and
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| 19 | WHEREAS, Illinois is home to two professional women's | ||||||
| 20 | sports teams, including the 2021 Women's National Basketball | ||||||
| 21 | Champions, the Chicago Sky; the team has achieved momentum | ||||||
| 22 | since its 2006 inaugural year and most recently has been much | ||||||
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| 1 | celebrated throughout Illinois for its amazing and inspiring | ||||||
| 2 | year and championship title; and
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| 3 | WHEREAS, Illinois is also home to the Chicago Red Stars, a | ||||||
| 4 | founding member of the former Women's Professional Soccer | ||||||
| 5 | which became one of the original eight teams to form the | ||||||
| 6 | National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) in 2013; the team made | ||||||
| 7 | the playoffs in six consecutive years from 2015 to 2020 and | ||||||
| 8 | clinched the team's first appearance in the NWSL Championship | ||||||
| 9 | in the 2019 season; they also appeared in the NWSL's Challenge | ||||||
| 10 | Cup Final in 2020; therefore, be it
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| 11 | RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE | ||||||
| 12 | HUNDRED SECOND GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that | ||||||
| 13 | we declare February of 2022 as "Girls & Women in Sports Month" | ||||||
| 14 | in the State of Illinois; and be it further
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| 15 | RESOLVED, That we support the goals and ideals exemplified | ||||||
| 16 | by professional women's sports teams, women's collegiate | ||||||
| 17 | sports organizations, and girls' high school and grade school | ||||||
| 18 | sports, understand the critical role that sports can have in | ||||||
| 19 | the growth and development of girls, and recognize the ability | ||||||
| 20 | of sports to teach the kind of collaborative teamwork that is | ||||||
| 21 | integral to academic and professional success; and be it | ||||||
| 22 | further
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| 1 | RESOLVED, That we strongly support the goals and ideals of | ||||||
| 2 | Title IX, celebrate Girls & Women in Sports, and encourage | ||||||
| 3 | other units of government to do the same in an effort to | ||||||
| 4 | educate the public as to the importance of women and girls | ||||||
| 5 | participating in athletics; and be it further
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| 6 | RESOLVED, That we recognize all women and girls who play | ||||||
| 7 | or have played sports at any level and applaud the example they | ||||||
| 8 | have set and continue to set for those coming after them.
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