Boston College Athletics
U.S. Women's National Training Team Autograph Signing
February 12, 2007 | Volleyball
Feb. 12, 2007
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (Feb. 10, 2007) - Allison Anderson (Moraga, Calif.), Courtney Thompson (Kent, Wash.), and Kristen Fenton (Marysville, Mich.) represented the U.S. Women's Volleyball National Training Team during an autograph signing session Feb. 10 at Colorado College as part of National Girls and Women in Sports Day festivities.
NGWSD began in 1987 as a day to remember U.S. Olympic volleyball player Flo Hyman for her athletic achievements and her work to assure equality for women's sports. Hyman died of Marfan's Syndrome in 1986 while competing in a volleyball tournament in Japan. She had just been substituted out of a match when she had succumbed to the undiagnosed illness. Marfan Syndrome affects more than 1 in 10,000 people.
Since Hyman's passing, NGWSD has evolved into a day to acknowledge the past and recognize current sports achievements, the positive influence of sports participation, and the continuing struggle for equality and access for women in sports.
Hyman's achievements were numerous. She helped the U.S. Olympic Team to a silver medal at the 1984 Olympic Games in Los Angeles, four years after her and her teammates did not have the opportunity to compete in the U.S.-boycotted 1980 Olympic Games. Among her achievements was being selected Best Hitter at the 1981 World Cup.
