The Piedmont Recreation Department hosted its annual Play Like a Girl+ event at Witter Field on Sunday, hosting more than 1,000 participants who had the opportunity to try out a range of sports activities, from soccer and basketball to skateboarding and mountain biking.
Now in its fourth year, Play Like a Girl+ Piedmont is a free event for girls from 2-18 throughout the Bay Area to try their hand at sports at 29 interactive stations.
Event sponsor Dress Best for Less (DBFL) handed out free shirts and sporting goods 
Two PHS volunteers hand out Play Like a Girl shirts to participants 
Running a course set up by East Bay Flag Football 
Girls try long jump and other track events with the help of high school track members 
A soft landing after testing out high jump 
A young girl gives the rowing machine a try 
The barbells are no problem for this little one 
Skateboarding on the Wildwood blacktop 
A Cal Field Hockey player gives instruction to a 3 year old
“Play Like a Girl+ gives girls+ the opportunity to try out a new sport, make mistakes, and learn something new in a super supportive environment,” said PRD Recreation Supervisor (and event organizer) Eva Phalen. “Teaching these girls+ that we see them, helps them identify as an athlete and teaches them that they can do anything. One of my favorite moments of the day was of this little girl (~3-4 years old) learning the proper lifting technique at the powerlifting station. While the weights were huge in size, they didn’t actually weigh much but think about what that did for her self-esteem! There were so many examples like that throughout the day.”
“The Piedmont Recreation Department is passionate about being a part of this movement that we are in where female athletes are becoming household names and people are watching women sports,” she said. “Teaching girls+ at a young age how it feels to succeed, how to push yourself and to get back up again if your fail are lifelong lessons they can take with them throughout adolescence and beyond.”
In addition to getting guidance from high school and college athletes, this year’s participants also had a chance to meet WBNA player Layshia Clarendon and 5-time Olympic swimming gold medalist Dana Vollmer-Grant, who has been a supporter of the program from its start in 2022. The Golden State Valkyries Community Team was also in attendance, Phalen said, hosting a photo booth and a fun interactive trivia game where athletes could win Valkyries swag.
Layshia Clarendon 
Dana Vollmer Grant poses with fans 
The Golden State Valkyries Community Team hosted a photo booth