February is filled with many holidays like Black History Month and Valentines Day. But there is a holiday that we need to recognize more and it is National Girls and Women in Sports Day. It's a little funny because it's a day just in the first week of of February. It isn't an exact date but the holiday is still important anyway. It was created to acknowledge accomplishments of athletes, recognize the influence of sports participation in women and honor the progress of women athletes. In 1987, this holiday was declared. 

( Flo Hyman)

In its first iteration of the holiday, it was created to honor Flo Hyman. Flo Hyman is a American athlete who played volleyball. She was the second of eight kidsShe was self conscious about her height when she was a kid. She towered over her peers. Her parents instilled confidence in her throughout and told her to use her height to her advantage. She started to play volleyball with her sister and the rest was history.  She played professionally starting when she was 16. 

She attended college at the University of Houston. She was named as the collegiate All American three years running. She was the first winner of the Broderick Award. She was even the most valuable player in 1977. In 1985, she was named the All Time Great Volleyball players. She prematurely died in 1986 at the age of 31. In the following year, National Girls and Women made National Girls and Womens Day due to Flo Hyman. Her quest for equality and excellent sportsmanship was a great reason to create this holiday.