Page 18 - AT

A18 SPORTS
Thursday 29 augusT 2019
Continued from Previous Page League as North America's
The tour's first stop will be only pro women's league. It
in Toronto from Sept. 20- is privately backed and has
22, followed by an event endured financial struggles
in Hudson, New Hamp- since being established in
shire, on Oct. 4-6 and Chi- 2015.
cago on Oct. 18-20. The The tour is considered the
union also announced its union's coming-out party,
members will play exhibi- and feature players wear-
tion games against Boston ing jerseys with PWHPA lo-
College on Sept. 21 and gos.
against the Sharks alumni in "We're not talking about
San Jose on Sept. 22. millions of dollars here. We
Additional tour stops are just want to be able live
being considered but not and train full time, and see
yet finalized, including how far we can take this
Southern California and game," said defenseman
Buffalo, New York. Among Alyssa Gagliardi, who has
the sponsors already on played in both the CWHL
board are Adidas, and the and NWHL. "For so long, it's
players are also backed by only been limited to the
Billie Jean King Enterprises. girls on the national team
The stops will feature about that can truly do that full In this Feb. 22, 2018, file photo, United States’ Kendall Coyne Schofield, left, and Hilary Knight cel-
80 players split into four time, so this is kind of broad- ebrate after winning the women’s gold medal hockey game against Canada at the 2018 Winter
teams playing a three- ening that." Olympics in Gangneung, South Korea.
game round-robin tour- Growing up in Raleigh, Associated Press
nament followed by a North Carolina, Gagliardi
championship game, and had no role models to look posed for a picture posted not changed. Everyone when I saw it. She built this
include youth clinics. up to except for tuning in on King's Twitter account should be able to have the and we're literally living in
It's essentially a barn-storm- to the Winter Games ev- hinting at the Dream Gap dream and the opportunity it. And you know what, we
ing tour made up of PWH- ery four years. She's looking Tour announcement. to earn a living playing the have the opportunity to do
PA members seeking to forward to making a posi- Having blazed a trail in sport they love." that."
bring the sports' stakehold- tive impression on young starting women's profes- Coyne Schofield was so ex- She said it's long past time
ers — including the NHL, female hockey players dur- sional tennis in 1970, King cited to meet King that she the best female players
USA Hockey and Hockey ing the tour. sees an overlap in other took in her exhibit at Arthur from around the world
Canada — to the table to "This is what we're fighting sports. Ashe Stadium and even have the opportunity to
establish a single league for," Gagliardi said. "I think "We envisioned a world bought a King doll at the showcase their talents in
with a sustainable eco- we want to really make where any girl, if she is gift shop. one league.
nomic model, featuring the sure this stays with them for good enough would have King's message, however, is "We can't just keep ac-
world's top talent, and pay the rest of their lives, and by a place to compete, what resonated most. cepting the fact that we're
a livable wage and include the time they're graduating would be appreciated for "She always says, 'If you see grateful for an opportunity
health care. college there's a place for her skills and accomplish- it, you can be it,'" Coyne (of playing professional-
The boycott and the union them to play." ments, and could make a Schofield said, reflecting on ly)," Coyne Schofield said.
were born out of the demise Billie Jean King entered the living playing professional watching Serena Williams "We're done being grate-
of the Canadian Women's picture to provide guid- tennis," King said. "Today, compete and seeing the ful, and we need to stand
Hockey League, which ance. On Monday, she almost 50 years later, the picture of the original nine up for what we know is
folded due to financial was joined by five female women of professional professional tennis players right. Because if we don't
reasons last spring. That left hockey Olympians, includ- hockey, soccer and other including King who formed stand up today and fight
the U.S.-based, five-team ing Coyne Schofield, at sports are facing the same the first women's tour. "For for what's right, we're set-
National Women's Hockey the U.S. Open, where they situation, and our vision has me, that was the moment ting up the future to fail."q
Prep sports participation drops, led by decline in football

30 years, according to an consecutive year of declin- of participants in boys'
annual survey conducted ing football participation. 11-player football dropped,
by the National Federation "We know from recent sur- the number of schools of-
of State High School Asso- veys that the number of fering the sport remained
ciations. kids involved in youth sports steady. The survey indicat-
The 2018-19 total of has been declining, and a ed that 14,247 schools offer
7,937,491 participants was decline in the number of 11-player football, an in-
a decline of 43,395 from public school students has crease of 168 from last year.
the 2017-18 school year, been predicted for a num- A comparison of the figures
when the number of partic- ber of years, so we knew from the past two years in-
ipants in high school sports our 'streak' might end some- dicates the average num-
reached a record high of day," said Karissa Niehoff, ber of boys involved in
7,980,886. NFHS executive director. 11-player football on a per-
The last decline in sports "The data from this year's school basis dropped from
participation numbers oc- survey serves as a reminder 73 to 70, which includes
Paradise High School running back Lukas Hartley runs down field
during the first half of their game against Williams High School in curred during the 1988-89 that we have to work even freshman, junior varsity and
Paradise, Calif., Friday, Aug. 23, 2019. school year. harder in the coming years varsity teams.
Associated Press The group said 11-man to involve more students in "The survey certainly con-
football dropped by 30,829 these vital programs — not firms that schools are not
By The Associated Press participation in U.S. high to 1,006,013, the lowest only athletics but perform- dropping the sport of foot-
Led by a decline in football school sports dropped in mark since the 1999-2000 ing arts programs as well." ball, which is great news,"
for the fifth straight year, 2018-19 for the first time in school year. It was the fifth Although the number Niehoff said.q