The Children's Aid Society

Fitness, Fiction and Fun!

Reading meets basketball at Frederick Douglass Center.

Despite the early hour on a rainy Saturday morning, the gym at The Children's Aid Society's Frederick Douglass Center in Harlem was full of life on February 4th. Younger children, both boys and girls, watched eagerly as the young women of the Douglass Panthers Basketball team ran up and down the court, charging hard to the basket.

Adding to the festive atmosphere, WCBS-Channel 2 was on hand to interview Coach Stevens in conjunction with National Girls and Women in Sports Day. Sportscaster Tina Cervasio broadcast the sports report for the early morning news show live from "Fred Doug," showcasing the athletic prowess - and the emphasis on academics - of The Children's Aid Society's female student athletes.

The event also featured a visit by former basketball player and young adult author Maureen Holohan. Holohan had come to Children's Aid to conduct a basketball clinic and sign and distribute books from her series of young adult novels. The high-powered athletics on display made clear that this was no ordinary book signing; it was an opportunity for Holohan to reach out to the next generation of female student-athletes with her message of empowerment through athletics and academics.

Maureen Holohan was a three-time All-Big Ten player at Northwestern University and competed in the 1993 NCAA Women's Tournament, in addition to excelling academically. She was born in 1972, the year that Title IX was passed, and attributes her athletic opportunities to that landmark legislation. Title IX banned sex discrimination in schools in both academics and athletics and paved the way for generations of female athletes.

After college she played basketball professionally in Israel and hoped to play professionally in the United States but found her career cut short by injury. With her athletic aspirations derailed, Maureen's thoughts turned to writing. She realized that there were few books focused on girls in athletics. This spurred her to begin writing a series of young adult novels called the Broadway Ballplayers, focusing on a group of pre-teen girls, their involvement in sports and experiences growing up.

Maureen Holohan shares a philosophy with Children's Aid's sports programs, one that stresses empowerment for girls through sports and academics. The girls' basketball program at Fred Doug, led by Coach Marvin "Hammer" Stevens, is recognized citywide as a true presence in girls' basketball. A strong academic emphasis is included in the basketball program's activities — getting into college is as big a goal as winning games. Basketball is seen as a tool to communicate a message of empowerment, academic achievement and self-esteem in order to expand girls' horizons.