Growing the game

I’ve always had a soft spot for women’s athletics. I’m a sports fan, after all.
Part of that comes from the success I’ve seen from women’s teams. When I was in school at Wayne State College, its women’s basketball team was a staple on campus, competing for conference titles and even made a few runs in the Div. II national tournament, something I was lucky enough to witness first-hand.
The WSC volleyball team goes in that same breath and I’m happy the rest of the state will get to see that in August when the Wildcats play UNK inside Memorial Stadium.
All that being said, what Iowa’s Caitlin Clark has done for women’s basketball this year, especially in March, is nothing short of incredible.
It was all more than just a basketball tournament. Clark broke scoring records and viewership numbers.
She had casual fans and surely basketball fans who had never watched a women’s game tune in.
The way she played the game was jaw-dropping. No-look passes, NBA range threes, driving past anyone and everyone.
And, dare I say, made the women’s tournament more enjoyable than the men’s? I watched more of the women’s final four and national championship games than I did for the men’s.
But, it’s the impact on the game and women’s sports in general I hope sticks.
“I want my legacy to be on young kids and the people of the state of Iowa. I hope this team brought them a lot of joy,” a tearful Clark said after the national championship loss to LSU Sunday.
I enjoy women’s sports and want to see them flourish. I don’t want to see it struggling, but the high school girls participation numbers, at least in basketball, have been down.
Why? There are a number of reasons.
I hope Clark can spark a re-ignition of passion in the girls game. We’ve had plenty of local heroes, too.
Remember Adyson Narber? She was an absolute sharpshooter, floor general and defender.
How about Cassidy Knust? She was the 2020-21 ANR female athlete of the year, one of the best pressure players I’ve ever seen and someone who made her teammates better.
Don’t forget HPC’s recent run through volleyball and basketball with almost uncompetable rosters. Any less on the team and they wouldn’t have enough. Yet, they won -- a lot.
That’s the issue. While Hailey Lindburg and her friends were great, we can surely get more participation, right?
Who could forget Giltner’s all-time run of girls state track championships? What a list of names there.
Reagan Janzen, Jordan Hansen, Alexa Preissler, Hannah Preissler, Brooke Wilson, Cortney Hoelck, I could go on forever. And let’s not forget the Hornets’ future hall of famer, Nancy Lockmon, leading the way.
Hampton’s 2016 state championship volleyball team is still one of the best collections of talent I’ve seen since starting here. Undefeated for a reason.
Madision VanHousen, Tayler Klassen, Tristin Mason, Jaime Troester, Kiersten Dose, Jacey Klassen and another one of the all-time great coaches, Diane Torson.
I hope everyone watched what Clark accomplished this March. Let’s spark a boom in women’s athletics.
RICHARD RHODEN can be reached at sports@hamilton.net.