Cherokee Schools Celebrate National Women in Sports Day

More than 500 female athletes from Cherokee County’s high schools participated in the 10th Annual National Women in Sports Day Celebration held last week at Cherokee High School.

Coordinated by a committee of coaches from all six high schools and emceed by Cherokee High School coach Elizabeth Spell, the program recognized the impact of Title IX, the federal law calling for gender equity in athletics in schools and celebrated the successes of the various girls’ sports teams at all of the county high schools this year.

An honored female athlete alumna from each high school shared her thoughts on what role being an athlete had played in her life, and student representatives shared highlights and scholarships won at each respective high school.

Tonya Sebring, athletic director at Woodstock High School, was recognized as Cherokee County’s National Women in Sports Day Coach of Honor. Sebring coached 16 seasons of softball in the school district and amassed 300 wins, with four regional championships and one state championship. She was named the Georgia Coach of the Year in 2006. Sebring started the National Girls and Women in Sports program for the Cherokee County School District 10 years ago.

Keynote speaker Rushia Brown shared what she gained from being an athlete. She is a graduate of Furman University and played 17 seasons of professional basketball, including 10 years of international play in Spain, France, Italy, Greece and Korea. Brown founded a nonprofit organization, OverTime Youth Foundation, which empowers young girls through sports, education, spirituality and self-awareness and went on to earn an Executive MBA at George Washington University.

“Anything you do ‘like a girl,’ you do to the best of your ability, like a champion,” Brown told the students in attendance. “You ladies are coming behind a group of women who have made a path for you. What can sports do for you?”

This year’s high school honorees were Jamie Moody of Cherokee; Hillary Turner of Creekview; Emily Spira of Etowah; Caroline Manus of River Ridge; Danielle Chimenti of Sequoyah; and Sarah Skogen of Woodstock.

Photo 1: School honorees (front row, from left), Sarah Skogen, Emily Spira, Danielle Chimenti, Caroline Manus and Hillary Turner listen to the keynote speaker, along with hundreds of female athletes, during the program.

Photo 2: Emily Spira, a graduate of Etowah who played on the EHS State Championship basketball team in 2005, today teaches at Woodstock ES after playing basketball at Mercer University.

Photo 3: Hillary Turner, a graduate of Creekview, shares her experience as a student athlete. She played basketball and volleyball at North Georgia College.

Photo 4: Keynote speaker Rushia Brown urges the women to stay involved in sports throughout their lives and use their skills to move “from the classroom to the boardroom.”

Photo 5: Tonya Sebring, Athletic Director at Woodstock, was named the Coach of Honor for this year’s program. She was presented the award by Etowah Principal Keith Ball.

Credits: Cherokee County School District