On February 9, 2025, Way To Play hosted a Girls’ clinic in honor of National Girls and Women in Sports Day. The clinic was successful, as the athletes were divided into separate groups based on their respective sports. There were four sports offered on Sunday: tennis, soccer, and basketball. The athletes participating in the basketball clinic were coached under Jude Shoemaker 27′, Marguerite Laub 27′ and Aidan Lee 26′. The basketball players had lots of fun as they ran many kinds of shooting and passing drills, which led to a scrimmage at the end. Aidan Lee, one of our board members, commented, “This was probably the most exciting basketball clinic I’ve coached so far. The competition was good to see.”

Coach Aiden Lee grabbing rebounds for the shooting drill.

Down on Thacher’s upper field, the soccer clinic was hosted by Mia Gaona 27′ and Catherine Feira 25′. Mia and Catherine have had a strong impact on Thacher’s Girls’ Varsity Soccer team.

In addition, the coaches Avery Barrell 27′, Austin Du 26′, and Linn Wallmark 25′, all described the tennis clinic as a huge success. Linn worked on the athletes’ swing form, while Avery mainly focused on improving the ball accuracy of each hit.

Coach Linn working with student JamieMcCracken on her swing.

Overall, the Girls’ Clinic was a great way to celebrate National Girls and Women in Sports Day while giving younger athletes the chance to learn, compete, and build confidence in their respective sports. The energy from both the participants and coaches made the event a memorable one, and Way To Play looks forward to hosting more clinics that continue to empower and inspire the next generation of athletes.