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Courting a Sporting Chance at College
Women's basketball may not yet be the great American sport, but
it is fast becoming the path that many young women travel toward
college. The Beltway Lady Cougars, an all female high-school team
coached by Karen Woodard, English '90, harbors both sporting
and intellectual talent.An attorney for the United States Department of Justice, Woodard is a former member of the UMBC women's basketball team. Her 13-member all-star team of 15-year-olds were handpicked from throughout Prince George's County. Their challenge: to prepare for the Amateur Athletics Union National Championship Basketball Tournament held in Louisiana this past July. The AAU's competition introduces many young players to scholarship possibilities. "Basketball can be a viable bridge to acquire money for college," says Woodard. Her girls are predicted to follow in the footsteps of previous Beltway Lady Cougars players, most of whom have gone on to attend four-year colleges and universities. Of the 1998 graduating seniors in the program, 85 percent received full athletic scholarships. Although this was her first time coaching a team for the championships, Woodard makes time to coach players throughout the year. Working on civil rights and discrimination cases, Woodard has found a job that serves the community well and provides her with a schedule reliable enough to devote time to her players. The team's only female coach, Woodard is able to offer the young women advice that the other coaches can't, on everything from college applications to relationships. "I saw this as a way of imparting information to the girls and an opportunity to be a big sister," she says. At 15 years old, Woodard had already decided on breeding her passion for the game in college where she never relinquished her dedication to it. A member of the UMBC team for all four years, she was captain her senior year. "Basketball helped me with my self-esteem, motivation, self discipline and team work. I developed friendships on the team that have lasted," she says. Woodard predicts that the financing of future AAU Championships for women from Prince George's County will grow and offer greater opportunities for college-bound women. This year, her team financed nearly the entire trip themselves through candy sales and raffles. They came in second. With additional sponsorship, perhaps next year they'll win first place. Joanna Raczynska works with the production company VG Media/EPI Communications.
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