It may have been an off day for most, but the Burbank Parks and Recreation Department hit a home run Sunday by helping sponsor a program that brought some of the top female athletes in the world into the community.
Her Story, a nonprofit organization that focuses on the mental health of young girls in sports and the effects of social media, held its “Girls in Motion” summit Sunday at Muir Middle School.
Some elite level athletes were on hand to offer guidance to girls in the age range of 10 to 14.
World Cup Soccer champions Abby Wambach and Julie Foudy even hosted an episode of their podcast “Welcome to the Party,” which is focused on sharing stories with the women’s sports community.
They were joined by Olympic volleyball player Jordan Thompson, volleyball player Molly McCade, Paralympian Scout Bassett and softball players Natasha Watley, Ciara Briggs and Jadelyn Allchin.
“Our new campaign is protect her peace and we want to instill in these girls protecting each other as a team,” said Jamie Bullock, the program director of Her Story.
Mayor Tamala Takahashi was on hand to offer words of encouragement for the participants.
“Today’s event brings together athletes, families, coaches.. with oe shared purpose, to support, inspire and invest in you, the next generation of female athletes,” Takahashi told the group.
Bill Brady, the CEO and co-founder Troomi, one of the primary sponsors of the event, talked about how his company is hoping to help youth and parents in the grand scheme of things.
“We want to be the phone that keeps kids off phones. I know that sounds funny to say, but we want to be the phone that is used as a tool instead of becoming a lifestyle,” Brady said. “So yes, we protect kids from adult content and bullies and predators, but we also keep them out of challenges associated with social media.”
Thompson told the group on the podcast of how she handled her mental health.
“I’ve had a great last couple of years, but it has been so up and down. It is cool to see the highlight reels, what’s on social media and the medals. It has been a journey and that has what has kept me grounded. I have had so many amazing people in my life that have held me in those moments where I’m like maybe I don’t have the confidence or maybe I’m dealing with an injury or maybe my mental health is a little rocky. My support system has been huge. I’m really fortunate and blessed with the people in my life.”
Some of the topics discussed included focusing on sleep and turning off cell phones an hour before bed. Another one was to stay off social media before practices and no usage at all of social media on game days.
