With December’s holidays and sales days also come the Colgate Women’s Games, the nation’s largest amateur track series open to all girls and women.
The Colgate Women’s Games, which began last weekend at Pratt Institute Athletic Recreation Center in Brooklyn, is still accepting registrants, and will continue during the first three preliminary meets of each division.
There are a variety of divisions available for participants, from Colgate’s elementary school divisions through college and above. Thee College/Open Division is open to female college students and non-students under 30. The 30’s Plus Division is open to women 30 years of age and over.
All meets are scheduled for Friday’s, Saturday’s and Sunday’s. Participation is free for each athlete. There are no entry fees of any kind. Applications can be downloaded, but they must be completed in person.
Meets will continue at Pratt until the semi-finals scheduled for Saturday, Jan. 18. The finals are scheduled for Feb. 1 at the Armory, the New Balance Track and Field Center in upper Manhattan.
The Colgate Woman’s Games features some of the nation’s most heavily recruited student athletes. It provides a major platform for these participants to be recognized and recruited by interested colleges and universities for available scholarships.
Colgate Women’s Games’ finalists also compete for trophies and educational grants-in-aid from the Colgate-Palmolive Company, the sponsor of this event.
“Our goal is to provide an athletic competition that helps the young girls and women participating develop a strong sense of personal achievement and self-esteem,” noted meet director Cheryl Toussaint, proud of the countless student athletes whose lives have been changed or just enhanced by their “experience of participation.” It’s Colgate’s message.
It’s also their intention to instill the importance of education by providing a training ground for those who might not otherwise participate in an organized sport.