GREENSBORO, N.C. — Hundreds of public school students gathered Thursday to watch the Women’s ACC Tournament at the Greensboro Coliseum.
What You Need To Know
- Women’s sports popularity has grown in recent years
- Hundreds of students attended the ACC tournament Wednesday
- It was the first time for some students to see a sporting event
- The tournament runs through March 10
The tournament is underway, and fans from across the state and the country are piling in to watch their favorite teams play.
Sara Walker, a P.E. teacher at Clayton Elementary in Guilford County, says a field trip to watch a game is a big opportunity and new experience for many students.
“Now they are given that opportunity to see and enrich their lives and see these girls who have put so much time and effort in and are now able to do something like this," Walker said. "So it's a really cool experience for them."
"And even just the aspect of coming to the coliseum and seeing all the big things, the mascots and all those kinds of things, just the looks on their faces are really incredible,” she said.
Walker has been teaching physical education for 18 years, and she goes over basketball skills and rules before the field trip, so each student knows what's going on during the games.
“This is a great opportunity for them to see how hard these ladies of work," Walker said. "We've done basketball lessons and things like that and talked about things you should look out for, and remember how hard it was for you to dribble or pass the ball."
"Now we're here and they are seeing these women accomplish those things that they're still struggling with," she said. "And so it gives them that opportunity to say know, you know what, this could be me.”
She says attending the games brings the sport to life for students.
“For me personally, I think that my job is not just in the classroom. It is the whole child. And so for me to have that opportunity and for the coliseum and the ACC to give us this opportunity to be able to bring these kids in really is just special to me,” said Walker.
In the past few years, women's sports have grown in popularity, gaining a large fan base and inspiring a new generation of athletes.
“I appreciate the fact that these are girls who are willing to step up and take that position and be such strong role models for our kids, especially our girls,” Walker said.
Student athletes such as Wake Forest guard Elise Williams told Spectrum News 1 sports reporter Eddie Hughes that she knows others look up to her.
“I like to stay humble, there are a lot of people, a lot of fans who are watching, so I definitely see myself as a role model for younger kids,” Williams said.