Building a stronger future for female high school athletes in Utah

Andee Bouwhuis teamed up with a group of athletic directors from across Utah more than a year ago to bridge a gap they saw for high school female athletes in the state and are continuing strong in the efforts.

On Feb. 19, Bouwhuis and her team, in collaboration with the Utah Interscholastic Athletic Administrators Association, hosted the second annual Women’s Day in Sports at the Jordan School District building. The event attracted nearly 200 high school female athletes participating in a variety of sports and their coaches from St. George to Logan.

Team members from across the state contributed to the success of the event, including athletic directors and assistant athletic directors from Cedar Valley, Hunter, Manti, Summit, and Timpview high schools. Additionally, Utah High School Activities Association assistant directors Jan Whittaker and Missy Mackay-White were involved in the organization.

The goal was to create a “half-day program to give our female athletes exposure to speakers who would empower them to become better leaders on and off the field.”

Keynote speaker Amy Donaldson kicked off the start of Women’s in Sports Day by speaking to a room of nearly 200 women and girls at the Jordan School District offices. (Rebecca Olds/City Journals)

Notable speakers at the event included Amy Donaldson, a Utah high school sports journalist who has worked for 20 years to fill this gap and remains passionate about the cause. 

She encouraged athletes not to settle for less but to utilize small consistent efforts to become what they want to become.

“If you don't see yourself as worthy of attention and time and love and compassion, then nobody else is going to either,” Donaldson said.

There were four other speakers during three breakout sessions, covering various topics such as health and nutrition, mental health, leadership and strength and conditioning.

“We wanted to be able to address concerns that the girls, as well as female athletic directors and coaches, had and work together to grow female athletics in the state of Utah,” Bouwhuis said.

Female high school athletes have pressures just like any athlete: balancing school, sports, family and maybe a job, with added worries and concerns as female athletes that changemakers like Bouwhuis are working to help them navigate.

Bryan Veazie, Jordan School District’s director of athletics and activities, said while athletics play an important role in school and community culture, it’s been historically less of a priority to have females participate in them.

“I think historically there was a higher level of priority given to boys and men in athletics and with the implementation of Title IX, I think there have been a lot of important efforts and significant movements to provide equitable opportunities to girls in sports,” he said. “I think our commitment at the Jordan School District is to find ways to ensure we are providing the highest level of equity and ample opportunities for boys and girls to participate in athletics.”

Hosting the Women’s in Sports Day was another step in the district’s efforts, he said.

“We admire and respect the ladies in athletics, out at the schools and at the Utah High School Activities Association as well as the Utah Interscholastic Athletic Administrative Association for their passion and their commitment and their vision to put this together and to provide these opportunities for our girls in sports and we're excited to continue to be a part of it moving forward,” Veazie said.

The district has played a role the past two years of the event, the first Women’s Day in Sports event was organized in 2024 and hosted at Bingham High School.

While Bouwhuis said attendance had to be restricted this year to five from each school she and her team hope that changes next year so even more women and girls in the state can participate.

West Jordan basketball player, runner and sophomore Faytme Reese Myles said the event showed her the statewide “big community” she and her teammates are a part of.

“When I ended up going to state, there weren't many girls, it was really a male-dominated sport,” she said. “So just coming here and seeing all the different athletes and what they do really shows we have a big community.”