Welcome to the Ivy League's 2003 National Girls and Women in Sports Day online celebration! This year we are paying homage to our past and present female athletes whose accomplishments on the field of play and in their everyday lives exemplify this year's national theme, "Succeed in sports, Lead in Life." These women truly know what it means to succeed and lead.

With alumnae and current athletes speaking in their own words, these women talk about their humble beginnings in sport as well as the impact of Title IX on their lives. In addition, Amanda Walton of Yale, who was awarded the NCAA Inspiration Award for the grace and dignity she displayed after a near-fatal car accident ended her promising athletic career in 2000, delivered a poignant speech at the NCAA Convention in January.

National Girls and Women in Sports Day was conceived originally as a way to remember Olympic volleyball great Flo Hyman. The first "National Girls & Women in Sports Day" (NGWSD) was proclaimed by the United States Congress for February 4, 1987.

Hyman, who was captain of the 1984 U.S. Olympic Volleyball Team, led her team to a silver medal and brought women's volleyball in the United States from virtual obscurity to worldwide recognition and respect. Well known in the halls of Congress, Hyman was dedicated to the fight for equal athletic opportunities for women. She died suddenly from Marfan Syndrome, a connective tissue disorder, while playing in Japan in 1986.

Since 1987, NGWSD has evolved into a celebration of past accomplishments, recognition of current achievements, acknowledgment of the positive influence of sports participation, and a symbol for the continuing struggle for equality and opportunity for women in sports. Winners of the prestigious Flo Hyman Award since 1987 include: Jackie Joyner-Kersee, Evelyn Ashford, Chris Evert, Diana Golden, Nancy Lopez, Lynette Woodard, Patty Sheehan, Mary Lou Retton, Donna deVarona, Billie Jean King, and Nadia Comaneci.

NGWSD is organized jointly by Girl Scouts of the USA, Girls Incorporated, The National Association for Girls and Women in Sport, Women's Sports Foundation, and YWCA of the USA.