MCLA Assistant Athletics Director Dot Houston holds one of the certificates presented to her by interim President Cynthia Brown for her efforts on national girls sports day.
NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — Usually the chanting from the stands is for the team or a popular player.
On Saturday afternoon in the Amsler Campus Center, it was for the woman who's spent 25 years encouraging kids to "play like a girl."
"Dot Houston, Dot Houston," sang out more than a dozen young girls who'd spent the morning at Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts' National Girls and Women in Sports Day celebration. The adults and students around them soon chimed in.
Assistant Athletic Director Dorothy "Dot" Houston was escorted to the court during halftime at the women's basketball game against Fitchburg for a surprise presentation recognizing her efforts over the years in organizing the annual sports day.
"I just started it as just a little clinic hoping that the kids would come back to a basketball game and then it just flourished and all the other coaches and the student-athletes stepped up," she said. "Now we have six clinics in the morning and they still come to the basketball game because we always center it around the basketball game."
The clinic Houston started when she arrived as the women's basketball coach 25 years ago has expanded beyond basketball to include tennis, volleyball, Zumba and lacrosse this year. Some 50 girls and a dozen women participated in this year's events with the national theme of "Game On." The law firm of Donovon & O'Connor provided luncheon for the participants.
National Girls and Women in Sports Day was established in 1987 in honor of Olympic volleyball player Flo Hyman, who died of Marfan's syndrome while competing in a tournament a year earlier. The day is used to encourage sports participation and acknowledge the accomplishments of female athletes, as well as the continued efforts for equality and access.
Interim college President Cynthia Brown presented a plaque of appreciation to Houston, along with other gifts.
"We really appreciate all the time and work you put into this," she said. "It brings a lot of happiness and a lot of enthusiasm."
Ten of the participating young girls did a 25-pass salute to note the anniversary; the girls also signed a large yellow banner thanking the college and Houston for the 25 years of celebrating the day.
Unfortunately, the 'Blazers couldn't overcome the Fitchburg Falcons at the culminating event, falling 65-46 in spirited play. (See game pictures here.)
Houston was pleased with the day's turnout.
"It was really awesome and we had about 60 volunteers between the coaches and the student-athletes and students who just wanted to help," Houston said. "It's been really terrific. If we can have one kid maybe pick up a sport and like and enjoy it, or even inspire to do well academically ... some of them have never come to a college before. Maybe this will inspire some of them to come to college.
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MCLA Assistant Athletics Director Dot Houston holds one of the certificates presented to her by interim President Cynthia Brown for her efforts on national girls sports day.
