Interest in women’s sports isn’t just growing, it’s becoming younger.
Case in point, all second graders — girls and boys — in Council Bluffs recently received a book about basketball superstar Caitlin Clark from Iowa.
In fact, some 50,000 second graders across the state received this book titled “Just Like Caitlin,” said Amy Gustafson, a second-grade teacher at Franklin Elementary School.
The book was written by Ally Obermeier, the daughter of Dickson Jensen, one of the coaches Clark had in her youth, Gustafson said. Dickson and Luann Jensen donated the books to the schools across the state.
“It was a generous gift,” she said.
Mark Schuldt, chief of elementary schools for the Council Bluffs Community School District, praised the donation.
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“It’s a high-quality book that will last a long time,” Schuldt said.
The second-grade students in Amy Gustafson class at Franklin Elementary School show off the books they received about Iowa basketball star Caitlin Clark.
At Gustafson’s school, 67 students received the book.
“They were excited about how many other kids around the state got the book,” she said.
Her students were not only interested in what the book discussed, but also the fact that Clark is from Iowa, just like them, Gustafson said.
“This connection of being like her (from Iowa) was exciting for them,” she said.
Some of the girls in her class were excited to learn there’s a women’s professional basketball league of which Clark belongs — the WNBA, Gustafson said. In fact, the girls wondered why there wasn’t an ‘M’ for men’s in front of “NBA,” she said.
At St. Albert Catholic School, all 51 students in the two second-grade classes, received a book, said Mackenzie Schnitker, preK-12 elementary librarian.
“For kids to have a book of their own is a good thing,” she said. “They were excited to see the book. Almost all of them knew who she was.”
Books were also delivered to the Lewis Central Community School District.
“They loved it,” said Cynthia Cox, second-grade teacher at Titan Hill Intermediate School. “We always try to promote literacy.”
About 225 copies of the book were distributed at Titan Hill, teacher Brandy Matney said. Her female students already were inspired to play sports.
“Watching them at recess, they are now playing basketball more and they are playing with the boys,” Matney said.
Zach Loll, head women’s basketball coach at Iowa Western Community College, believes the book donation could make a difference.
“I think that any time we can put a book in the hands of children it is positive,” Loll said. “I think the book is way to show young girls about the opportunities they have in sport.”
The success and national acclaim of Clark is helping to spark more participation for girls in a variety of sports, not just basketball, Loll said.
“You are seeing more young girls involved in volleyball, soccer, and softball,” he said. “I think it’s a shift in society seeing the value of women’s sports.”
Schuldt said: “In our physical education classes, the girls are every bit as active as the boys.”
Soccer, volleyball and basketball are the three sports popular with girls in the district, he said. The growth of women’s sports is a great thing for young girls, Loll said.
“More importantly, sport provides girls the opportunity to grow their confidence and develop leadership qualities that will be with them their entire life,” he said.
Indeed, the book stresses that there’s more to sports than just winning, Gustafson said.
“Throughout the book, they talked about never giving up when there’s a challenge. You need to be proud of the effort you put in,” she said. “Even if you put in a lot of effort and still lose, you should be proud of how you played.”
Students really enjoyed the book, according to quotes provided to The Nonpareil from the Council Bluffs Community School District.
“I wish the book was longer, but it was a good book,” said Kennedy Carter at Lewis and Clark Elementary School. I learned you do not always need to win. Your family is always there to watch you so you should love your family more than winning.”
Fellow classmate Avery Lulo said: “I like learning that Caitlin is good at a lot of stuff. She was a girl and still even better than boys at basketball. I learned to never give up.”
Vinnie Landon, another second-grader at Lewis and Clark, added: “I learned that losing is nothing to be mad at.”
Those lessons are exactly the point.
“It sends a great message” Schuldt said.
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