Where: Miller Community Center, 330 19th Ave. E., Seattle
When: Saturday, October 24, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Cost: Free for girls ages 9 to 13. Pre-registration is recommended, but not required.
Workshops: This year's workshops include:
• Boxing with Cappy's Boxing Gym • Skateboarding with Skate Like a Girl • Fencing with Salle Auriol Seattle • Songwriting with Angela Carey • Equipment donated by Experience Music Project • Film production with Reel Grrls • Double Dutch with Northwest Double Dutch • Belly dancing with Mirabai Dance • Girls in Science with archaeologist Larkin Hood.
Chicks Play Hard: A Self-Confidence Boost for Pre-Teen Girls
By Taryn Zier
Some start out shy and reserved; others rowdy and confident. All have insecurities. Yet by the end of the day, each young girl is delighted with something they've achieved, whether it be making a new friend, feeling inspired by the talents of other girls and women, or discovering some hidden ability within.
The annual Chicks Play Hard event is all about empowering pre-teen girls to try new activities and feel good about themselves. Volunteer-led workshops on a variety of topics are the mainstay of the event, where girls learn from women in the community who love what they do. The energy is infectious, which is why I've volunteered in a number of capacities over the last seven years.
With skateboarding, fencing, science, songwriting and more, Chicks Play Hard 2009 promises to be another supercharged day of exploration for girls ages 9 to 13. The event is free and will take place from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 24 at Miller Community Center in Seattle's Capitol Hill neighborhood.
The women leading the sessions are no strangers to motivating young girls. Instructors from Skate Like a Girl and Reel Grrls are joined by experts in activities such as belly dancing and Double Dutch to help create a nurturing environment for girls to express themselves and try something new. It is particularly inspiring to see women in traditionally male-dominated activities, such as boxing or science, imparting their knowledge.
Ten-year-old Tula Pitcher, who attended Chicks Play Hard for the first time last year, enjoyed her creative writing and yoga sessions, but said that skateboarding was definitely tops for her. She believes the experience helps girls feel strong and understand that they can do things as well as boys, even if boys are usually the ones "showing off."
As a volunteer, I've enjoyed teaching soccer sessions, witnessing the transformation of some girls from being indifferent to running full speed ahead and laughing at their newly-acquired grass stains. My most rewarding experience, however, was as a "lead chick," escorting a group of girls to their workshops. In our sessions, I encouraged their creative ideas, physical efforts and budding friendships.
"With this event I want to encourage girls to be risk-takers; to view themselves as multi-talented in all of their gifts," said Microsoft executive Anna Collins, who created Chicks Play Hard in 2002. "I want to give them an opportunity to be creative, strong, daring and adventurous. I want these girls to learn and be confident to try new things, especially while they are at this critical age."
Collins, an athlete and musician in her own right, was inspired by her experiences teaching basketball and volleyball to young girls while studying at Harvard. Chicks Play Hard draws over 50 – sometimes over 100 ¬– Seattle-area girls each year. Collins would like to see her idea take off in other cities someday.
There are many who make Chicks Play Hard a positive and remarkable event. The day kicks off with a motivational speaker, one of my favorite parts of the day. Over the years, the audience has been graced by such phenomenal women as University of Washington women's basketball coach Tia Jackson; world jump roping champion Rene Bibaud; and Ramona Pierson, who rebounded from severe injuries after being hit by a drunken driver to become a champion cycler.
Chicks Play Hard is run solely by volunteers, a group passionate about the cause. There are a number of high school-aged girls – peer mentors – who help with the sessions too, part of Collins' original design for the event. Seattle Parks and Recreation donates space each year and local shops and grocery stores donate giveaways and snacks. (Girls will blissfully snack on treats from Molly Moon's Ice Cream and Cupcake Royale this year).
Having younger kids myself, I haven't been through the pre-teen years as a mom, but I certainly remember the challenges of those years for me. The more support we can give to girls at this self-conscious time, the better.
Taryn Zier is a Lake Forest Park freelance writer and mother of two.
