U.VA. TO OBSERVE NATIONAL GIRLS AND WOMEN IN SPORTS DAY
	CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va., Jan. 27 -- A free public seminar to
encourage and recognize participation of girls and women in sports
will be held Thursday, February 2, from 7 to 8:30 p.m. at the
University of Virginia's Ruffner Hall Auditorium.
	During the event, part of the National Girls and Women in
Sports Day, four speakers will address the achievements of and
opportunities for females in sports.  Gloria B. Solomon, an
assistant professor of sport psychology at U.Va., will discuss how
sports contribute to the development of girls and women, and Claudio
Dodson, a program supervisor in the Virginia High School League,
will describe opportunities for girls to participate in
interscholastic sports.  
	In addition, Jeffra Gausepohl, a member of U.Va.'s varsity
basketball team, will talk about the life of an intercollegiate
athlete, and Ani Chroni, a world class skier from Greece and a U.Va.
graduate student, will describe careers for those who wish to
facilitate sports experiences for others during the seminar designed
primarily for parents and female students.
	The theme of the ninth annual day is "believe it, achieve
it," according to Linda Bunker, a noted sport psychologist and
associate dean for academic and student affairs in the Curry School
of Education, who is organizing the event.  "Believing in one's
ability and achieving success through practice is what sports is all
about.  The National Girls and Women in Sports Day celebrates female
athletes who have reached their goals through opportunities to
practice and chances to receive good instruction and competitive
experiences," she said.
	After the seminar, sponsored by the U.Va. athletics
department, the Curry School of Education, Downtown Athletics, the
Nutrition Clinic and the Virginia High School League,
representatives of local sports groups will be available to describe
programs and answer questions about opportunities for girls and
women to participate in sports.  A free resource guide describing
area programs will also be available.  
	Several door prizes to encourage girls' participation in
sports will be awarded, and refreshments will be served.  Parking
will be available across the street from Ruffner Hall in the new
parking garage.
	For more information on the seminar, call the Curry school
at (804) 924-0740.
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January 26, 1995