Creating Opportunities for Women and Girls at Colgate Women's Games
The 47th Colgate Women’s Games—the largest amateur track and field series in the U.S. open to all young women from elementary school through college and beyond—is taking place this month in NYC.
What makes Colgate Women’s Games special?
Since 1974, Colgate Women’s Games has provided young female athletes with opportunities to compete for educational grants-in-aid. Thousands of girls participate each year, and finalists compete for trophies and receive educational grants.
These things make Colgate Women’s Games about more than track and field—the event is also about inspiring athletes to develop a strong sense of personal achievement and self-esteem. By inspiring athletes and their coaches, the Games creates pathways for young women to pursue their educational goals and achieve their potential.
What’s the history of Colgate Women’s Games?
Coach Fred Thompson founded Brooklyn’s Atoms Track Club in the 1960s as a positive outlet for kids, and focused on coaching girls after realizing they had fewer athletic opportunities. Thompson, who died in 2019, was involved in the Colgate Women’s Games from the earliest days and served as its longtime meet director. The growth of the Games paralleled the passage of Title IX in 1972 and its implementation as a way to level the playing field for girls and women in sports. Learn more about Colgate Women’s Games' history and impact.
When and where can I watch Colgate Women's Games?
Preliminaries took place April 3 and April 10, and qualifiers move on to the semi-finals on April 16 and the finals on April 24, taking place at Icahn Stadium on Randall’s Island and marking the first time Colgate Women’s Games finals have taken place outdoors. You can get tickets through Eventbrite.
What are some inspiring stories?
As part of NYRR's celebration of Women's History Month in March, our staff hosted a panel of Colgate Women’s Games leaders including meet director Cheryl Toussaint, who grew up in Bedford-Stuyvesant and participated in the Games for years. The panel featured a screening of the award-winning documentary Sisters on Track, a coming-of-age story that highlights three track star sisters (one of them pictured above, in a still from the film) who face obstacles in life and competition at Colgate Women’s Games and other events. The film's impact producer, local runner and Black Roses NYC member Erica Stanley-Dottin, also joined the panel.