Welcome to March, a time of year in the sports world brimming with what is most aptly described as Madness: a fanatical fusion of excitement, anticipation, and suspense, plus the ever-so-palpable promise of basketball history in the making. March Madness is to sports fans as Women’s History Month can be to all of us! This month, we recognize the courageous efforts of women who have blazed the trail for generations to come, while working to further their vision for a more just society. Mention of history may call to mind grayscale textbook images of heroes and heroines long-gone. At Up2Us Sports, however, we also champion modern changemakers - especially in the arena of youth sports - keeping the ball rolling towards the ultimate goal of gender-equity. Through systems like our She Changes the Game initiative, and with the support of forward-thinking companies like our sponsor, adidas, each of us can work to uplift young women and empower them to maximize their overwhelming potential.

My name is Onyeka Arah - “Coach O”, to my kids - and I am an AmeriCorps member with Up2Us Sports, currently serving at PeacePlayers Baltimore. Born and raised in Silver Spring, Maryland, I am the middle daughter of Nigerian immigrants. I can confidently say that my older sister, younger brother, and I would each cite our grandmother and our aunts (in addition to our mom) as major influences, and perhaps inspirations, growing up. I distinctly remember my family driving to D.C. to watch Crystal Langhorne’s Mystics, and going with my teammates to watch University of Maryland Women’s Basketball games. Suffice to say, I know the impact of women role-models; I had more than a few. Prior to coaching, I played competitive basketball from my formative years through high school. Although injury kept me from continuing my playing career, many of the lessons I learned on the court continue to serve me to this day.

Choosing meaningful connections as a metric, my first few months coaching have been immensely rewarding. I think back to high school - during which I played for and learned from an amazing woman coach - Rochelle Coleman. Others are not so fortunate. According to the Women’s Sports Foundation, many girls drop out of sports by age 14, exactly the age at which I met my first (and only) female coach. She Changes the Game aims to level the playing field for girls by increasing women’s opportunities to coach, and coach well. PeacePlayers Baltimore may be unique in that we have three female coaches on staff, and are led by a phenomenal woman and former professional athlete - our Director, Chinny Nwagbo. We are normalizing seeing women in youth sports coaching positions, even for boys. During a virtual panel held on National Girls and Women in Sports Day, a question was posed: is it better to have a woman role-model or a knowledgeable coach? At PeacePlayers, we continue to showcase that the two need not be mutually exclusive.

This year marks the 50th anniversary of Title IX; women have made undeniable progress since then. We have winning coaches like Dawn Staley getting paid their worth, the US Women’s National Soccer Team standing firm for parity, and our first female Vice President of the United States in Kamala Harris. Girls growing up now have no shortage of icons to look to for inspiration, but they would benefit from everyday heroes - trusted adults in their communities paving the way and providing an example for them. While extremely grateful for the one woman coach I did have, and for the awesome women I work with, I realize youth sports generally lack quality female coaches, which directly contributes to low female participation. It is through this lens that I consider my impact on the young girls and boys we serve.

A major principle of Sports-Based Youth Development coaching requires us to remain intentional about building up the qualities we want kids to take away from our program. Not every child wants to or will become the next Candace Parker or Kevin Durant. At PeacePlayers, we engage participants in an hour of leadership development, followed by an hour of basketball games and skill training. I have heard from my girls that our programming is “fun” and that they “love PeacePlayers” because we go beyond basketball. Even, and maybe especially, our younger girls - who are still building the strength to shoot the ball into the hoop - have a great time each session. By praising effort and celebrating success every step of the way, we encourage participants to come back each time and do their best.

As a youth development coach, I have the pleasure of not only teaching the sport I love, but transferring life-skills to each of my kids. Tayona, initially one of our quietest girls, has maintained the most consistent attendance of our West Baltimore kids. Gradually, she has come out of her shell, and we see her personality beginning to shine through. She volunteers to help, shares her thoughts, and answers questions during programming. I was so happy to see her and her sisters at our MLK-themed community event in East Baltimore. They came in and hugged the coaches, as usual, effectively reminding us why representation, relatability, and role-models matter.

The title of coach unlocks a world of power and responsibility unlike that of any other position of authority. A coach is revered as an expert in the skills they teach, and quickly becomes a trusted adult that a child may feel comfortable approaching with concerns. One of our Core Values at PeacePlayers is Seeing People as People, so I work hard to treat kids as people before players. Each practice, I strive to reinforce and earn the trust my kids have placed in me. That they feel safe enough to share with me when they feel sad or have not eaten, or have recently lost a loved one, or got in trouble for fighting in school, is a testament to the environment we foster and relationships we cultivate here at PeacePlayers Baltimore.

When kids feel welcome at programming, they invite their friends. We have recently seen our female engagement grow, simply because one child came, had a good time, and brought a friend the next time. One girl, Saya, who learned about our program through a friend, in turn invited another girl, Payton. They have both been with us regularly for the past few weeks now. We need more of this - visibility for girls and young women in sports goes a long way in keeping them engaged. Up2Us Sports and adidas have committed to changing the game by training and hiring more women coaches, as has PeacePlayers by continuing to exemplify our Core Values in all facets of this work.

This Women’s History Month, I measure my success as a coach in hugs, hi-fives, fist bumps, and genuine conversations with my girls. The only madness I need is the chorus of Hi-Coach-O’s that breaks out when I first see my kids each day, and the ridiculous jumping and yelling I do when one of my players does a great job!

Onyeka started her one-year service term as an Up2Us Sports coach in January 2022 at PeacePlayers Baltimore thanks to support from AmeriCorps.