We sat down with some of our impressive women camp directors to learn how they're helping keep girls in the game. Read their stories below.

Barb Lazarus and Sara Hokin Rubin co-own and operate Game On! Sports 4 Girls, a multi-sport year-round program founded in 2007 that empowers girls grades Pre K - 8th to build confidence, stay active, and develop core life skills. Their mission is deeply personal, inspired by their own life-changing experiences with sports.

Barb recalls a pivotal moment in her youth, "I was in the 2nd grade when I moved to a new town. A group of high school boys would play baseball in the street and I'd watch them every day. One day, they called me over, put a baseball hat on my head, and offered to teach me how to pitch. Learning how to throw a ball changed my life forever."

Sara's journey also speaks volumes. "An athletic director once told me that I wasn’t good enough to play softball at a collegiate level," Sara shared. "I went on to earn a college scholarship playing Division II softball."

When asked how we can increase girls' participation in sports, Barb answered confidently, "We must create an environment for girls to thrive in sports. To do that, we need to expose girls to female role models and create more developmental and recreational sport opportunities for girls, like multisport camps, clinics and classes. At Game On!, we bring in Olympians, WNBA players, and successful women in sports-related industries, like sports medicine and nutrition, to show girls that they can dream big AND find their passion in sports-related careers. It's all about educating families, changing attitudes and creating a culture both on the Game On! fields and off."

Learn more about Barb and Sara and check out their Nike Girls Multisport Camps today!

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Beth Allen has earned an accomplished 17-year professional golf career on the LPGA and Ladies European Tour. She was ranked the number-one golfer in Europe in 2016 and was recognized as the first American to be named the winner of the Ladies European Tour, Order of Merit. Beth is now the coach of the Academy of Art University women’s team and coaches Nike Golf Camps in Alameda, CA.

I asked Beth what advice she would give girls who want to play golf at a professional level, like she has. She said, “It’s a job, but it’s also a game. Golf is supposed to be fun. It’s not the end of the world if you miss a putt. Though that’s a simple thought, it’s not easy to remember in the heat of the moment. I hate seeing young women being hard on themselves. I try and remember what it’s like to feel that way. I don’t want anyone to have bad self-worth because of a frustrating sport.”

Part of Nike’s initiative is to help train more women to become coaches. When we asked Beth about the value of having more women coaches in golf, she said, “It can be a lot easier for young women to trust another female coach, especially when golfers are alone with their coach. I travel a lot with my college golf players and if they didn’t trust me, I couldn’t imagine how stressful that might be for them."

In the Bay Area? Learn more about Beth and check out her Nike Golf Camp offerings today!

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Sara Slattery, an accomplished distance runner and co-author of "How She Did It: Stories, Advice, and Secrets to Success from Fifty Legendary Distance Runners," holds an impressive athletic record, including multiple NCAA championship wins at the University of Colorado Boulder and claiming victory in the 10,000 meters at the 2007 Pan American Games.

Passionate about guiding aspiring track and field athletes, Sara emphasizes the critical need for more women coaches in the sport, noting that only 18% hold head women’s cross country and track coaching positions across NCAA divisions—a figure that has increased by a mere 0.4% in the past decade.

Sara expressed how many girls drop out of sports due to how puberty initially impacts their performance. However, Sara assured that these changes are only temporary. "Girls need a mentor to let them know that this dip in performance is only temporary and important for their overall growth and development. After puberty, you’ll see real improvement.” She also points to periods as biomarkers for a woman's health, stating, “We're lucky to have a period as a biomarker – if you miss your period, it could be indicative of health issues or a potential stress fracture down the line.”

For aspiring female athletes and coaches, Sara recommends this: “Don’t get discouraged with the little failures along the way. They shape who you are. If you learn from them, you can come out even stronger. There is no straight line of trajectory in terms of success.”

Learn more about Sara and check out her Nike Cross Country Camp!

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Since 1996, Coach Debbie Nelson has been shaping the future of young athletes as a Camp Director of Nike Softball Camps and as the owner of All American Sports Academy in Tracy, CA. With a commendable 10 years of collegiate coaching experience at Sacramento and San Jose State, Debbie has a reputation for developing top-tier teams and guiding players to achieve All Conference, All State, and NCAA All American honors.

Her dedication to the sport and her athletes is evident as she explains the importance of female role models in sports, "It gives girls hope to achieve the same someday." She often tells her campers about Bubba Nickles, a former camper of hers who went on to win a silver medal in the 2020 Summer Olympics.

Nelson's coaching philosophy is deeply personal and rooted in real-world experiences that highlight the transformative power of sports. Reflecting on a memorable moment from a camp in Santa Barbara, she recalls the story of a 14-year-old girl who her team nominated as Camp MVP. She later found out that this girl had been living in a car with her family for four months and their community had raised money to send her to camp.

“I’ll never forget the love and passion this young lady had to be at camp," Nelson recounts, emphasizing the impact camp can have on kids.

She shares this fundamental principle to aspiring young athletes: "Embrace failure and fail fabulously. Don’t be afraid to fail. As soon as you stop being afraid to fail, you’ll start to succeed."

Learn more about Debbie and check out her Nike Softball Camps in Northern California!

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With over 25 years of experience in the world of lacrosse, Courtney Reidarson is an esteemed figure in the sport. She has been inducted into the San Diego Lacrosse Hall of Fame and was deemed an All American — a high honor given to the best amateur athlete in their sport — while playing lacrosse at UC Davis.

Courtney believes that creating more recreational opportunities for girls to participate in sports will help keep girls in the game, stating, “Coaches need to recognize there’s a place for everyone. Don’t just take the top 18. We need to provide space for the girls who aren’t at the top.”

Courtney did just that by coaching an 8th grade recreational lacrosse team that focused less on a win/loss streak and more on team building, having fun, and mentoring younger lacrosse players.

As a young lacrosse player, Courtney dedicated herself to learning how to play lacrosse using her non-dominant hand to guide the stick. She encourages lacrosse players to do the same and get out of their comfort zone. “I know it’s hard in the beginning. Your ceiling will only be so high until you can be more comfortable using your left hand when playing lacrosse. Put in the time and trust yourself that you’re meant to be there.”

Learn more about Courtney and check out her Nike Girls Lacrosse Camps in San Diego!

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