Riley Simmons has a favorite saying: “Strong is beautiful.”
As the Memphis Tigers hammer thrower stood alongside the 200 third- through sixth-grade girls at the Laurie-Walton Family Basketball Center, that was the message she wanted to share with all of them.
“Having muscle and doing cool things is just so beautiful to me,” Simmons said April 18 at the Power of Girls in Sports clinic. “And I think we’re finally living in a world that believes that, too. But I just love to tell young girls, ‘Go do it! Go race the boys on the playground! Go beat them!’
“Strong is so beautiful, and I want young women to understand that and know that.”
In its second year, the event is a joint venture between the school and FedEx. Last year, the event drew 165 participants, according to Memphis executive associate athletic director for integrated communications, Terrence Lollie.
The girls were greeted by members of Memphis’ cheer squad upon arrival. A short time later, they split off into groups geared toward their preferred sport.
Cheerleaders assembled in the lobby to lead an instructional cheer session. Members of the volleyball team took up one half of the practice court to work with campers, while women’s basketball players occupied the other half and worked with girls on dribbling, shooting and conditioning.
New Tigers women’s basketball coach Hana Haden said it brought back memories of when she was an aspiring young point guard.
“I was the type of kid, I asked for camps for Christmas. I lived for camps,” Haden said, noting she tried to attend anything within a two-hour radius of her hometown of Springfield, Missouri.
“I looked up to those student-athletes that I got to interact with. They were role models to me. So, it’s really fulfilling to be part of it on this end.”
Part of that gratification for Haden comes in knowing how valuable participating in sports from a young age can be not only from an athletic aspect, but also from a personal development standpoint.
“There are a lot of statistics that show that collegiate athletes have an advantage in terms of their career, being in leadership positions. Particularly females,” she said. “Their collegiate experience helps so much with that. There are so many life skills that go into that. It’s important to have this exposure. So they can see what it takes to make it happen.”
“Today’s clinic is about supporting these girls,” said April Britt, director of global citizenship at FedEx. “Opening doors, teaching them about sports, letting them learn about new sports and healthy habits, learning about the importance of teamwork and to meet some really cool role models.
“Seeing all the young girls here, they’re so excited. There was a session when it started where they got to walk around and get to know each other and learn from each other. They’re building their community. Seeing their faces, seeing them smile, seeing them be part of today and be so energetic and working with the young athletes at the University of Memphis – that’s the real payoff.”
Reach sports writer Jason Munz at jason.munz@commercialappeal.com, follow him @munzly on X.
