Kiyomi Knox, Monica McElwain and Jordan Johnson appreciate the many benefits and positive energy playing sports has brought to their lives.
They and others want to share that and prompt similar experiences for Pittsburgh-area girls and women at the National Girls and Women in Sports Day event Wednesday at the Homewood-Brushton YMCA.
A second plus for the event: It brings women’s sports teams, organizations and advocates together to build upon the community already established — and growing — here.
The Women in Sports Foundation started offering the celebratory event years ago, explaining on its website that the 39th “event inspires girls and women to play and be active, to realize their full power.” It had been held in Pittsburgh in 2019 and 2020 but had lapsed after the pandemic.
McElwain, who competes on a Steel City Roller Derby team, reached out to Knox and Johnson last year to bring it back. This year’s event features 19 teams, organizations and businesses as part of its meet and greet, which starts at 6:30 p.m. In fact, so many registered to be part of it that the event is at capacity. Several others had to be turned away until next year, Knox said.
The goal for this first section is for attendees to meet local women’s sports teams and learn how to become a fan or an athlete. Booths will feature local organizations and opportunities to support under-represented genders, including women and girls, cis and trans, and nonbinary individuals in sports.
A panel discussion of local athletes and sports advocates discussing the impact of sports on their lives will follow, according to a news release about the event, which will end at 8:30 p.m. They will focus on something important to organizers: It’s never too early or too late to find your sport.
Knox, who found rugby in college after trying softball and tennis somewhat unsuccessfully in high school, is with the Pittsburgh Forge Women’s Rugby team. “Every now and then I put my boots on and run around,” she said.
McElwain, known as Frida Killah on her team, started competing in 2013, although a third child made the Shaler Area Burchfield Primary art teacher take a break for a while.
Soccer filled Johnson’s life for years, and following multiple hip surgeries, she now passes on her passion for the beautiful game and fitness through her On the Ball Training PGH business. She works with young female players one-on-one or in small groups, also offering high school, middle school and travel soccer team training, mini camps and clinics.
McElwain’s roller derby team had been part of the previous Pittsburgh events. She said her teammates recalled the camaraderie of getting together and making connections that they brought. She enlisted Knox and Johnson to start planning for this year’s edition last August. They met with interested organizations in mid-December and forged ahead.
“We all have such a passion for doing this,” McElwain said. “We want to be seen for how hard everyone works, bringing all the positive energy together. [And we] get to know each other a little bit better.”
None of the teams, businesses or organizations paid a fee to participate; they were just asked to contribute to a basket raffle. Two Frays Brewery is the event sponsor, and Eat’n Park and La Gourmandine have donated refreshments. Admission is free.
In addition to Steel City Roller Derby, Pittsburgh Forge Women’s Rugby and On the Ball Training PGH, the other participants in the meet and greet are Pittsburgh Riveters Soccer Club, Pittsburgh Passion Football, Pittsburgh Puffins Hockey, Pittsburgh Derby Brats, Pittsburgh Ultimate Frisbee, Pittsburgh Banshees Gaelic Football, Dynamoms Football Club, Na Laochra Camogie, Pittsburgh Babes on Bikes, HER Elite Flag Football, PGH SK8, Pout Fitness, Gold Medal Boxing Club, BikePGH, Rosie’s Sports Bar and Beyond Training.
The organizers set a number of goals for the event in addition to offering women of any age, size or fitness a community and opportunity to learn and engage in a new sport and bringing Pittsburgh’s competitive women’s sports teams together to network and advocate for each other. They want young girls to find positive female role models, offer women educational resources on sports, and provide a platform for local businesses and organizations to promote health and fitness opportunities for girls and women.
The three event leaders said they have learned a great deal during the planning. “What a great time we have already had building community between teams,” Knox said. And learning about each other, too. “I mean, we said, ‘What is Gaelic football? What is camogie?’ We’ve been so excited to learn about each other, and throughout the process, some of us went to each other’s games.”
Johnson said during last month’s meeting the three kept texting each other, “This is really cool and so exciting.” She wants people who come Wednesday to leave with the same feeling.
“I want people to say, ‘We can be part of this, join this.’ I want everybody to find something there that gets them really excited and get involved,” she said.
That, Johnson continued, can only contribute to their overall goals “and continue to make things better for women’s sports in this city.”
Knox, a social worker, said most women who play and participate in sports have been fortunate. “I think most of us we wouldn’t be who we are without these sports in our lives,” she said. “They’ve shaped where we are as adults and will be 10 years from now. [They’re] not just good for our physical health but mental health, too.”
McElwain said she sometimes shows her students video of her tournaments while they work on their art, and some have come to watch her compete. “It’s fun for them to see my other side,” she said.
All three of her children participate in their own sports, too, and “They love supporting me as well.” She coaches the derby’s developmental team and believes that she still has a few years left to compete.
McElwain added that she “would have loved derby as a teenager,” echoing Knox’s comments about the health benefits. “It is really great to have that space just for me. And the friends and community that I have. You get that exercise out and let go with what else is happening in your life. Just tune in and focus on your sport. I love it.”
The skills that sports teach, Johnson believes, cultivates more female leaders. “You really do learn those skills through sports. Kids who don’t fit in in other ways in school can find their groove in sports,” she said.
Plus sports can be such an escape, something she saw when she was a full-time youth soccer coach. “You know there are kids getting bullied in school or dealing with not the best things at home,” Johnson explained. “It’s so cool. You let this all slip away for a bit.
“It’s good to do things where you feel strong and confident and seen by your peers. To carry that into your adulthood, that community that helped you, it is really important. I think it is something for a lot of people to experience.”
They all hope this event continues for years to come so more girls and young women have that opportunity, too.
For more information about the event or sponsorship opportunities, contact pghgwsd@gmail.com or send a direct message on Instagram @pghgwsd.
Registration is available online at https://tinyurl.com/ngwsd2025. The Homewood-Brushton YMCA is located at 7140 Bennett St., Pittsburgh, PA 15208.
Helen is a copy editor at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, but she's currently on strike. Contact her at hfallon@unionprogress.com.