At 8 p.m. on Tuesdays during the school year in Ratner Athletic Center’s Berwanger conference room, the UChicago Women’s Athletic Association (WAA) gathers for its weekly meetings. The walls are lined with trophies and other accomplishments of UChicago athletic teams from decades past, but on these nights, the focus is on the female athletes together in this room, most of whom are students in the College.
Despite these varsity letterwinners’ busy schedules, filled with difficult practices and rigorous schoolwork, they meet on weeknights to discuss not only the wants and needs of the College’s athletic community, but also those of the South Side Special Olympians.
For 118 years, UChicago’s chapter of the WAA has been fostering camaraderie on and off the court among women student athletes. Since the organization’s founding in 1904–making it the oldest letterwinning female athletes’ association in the country–WAA has striven to promote equality through providing athletic opportunity for all.
Originally founded at UChicago to encourage women on campus to pursue intramural sports opportunities prior to the institution of Title IX, WAA now encourages intersport bonding between UChicago’s diverse array of female varsity athletes, most of whom are students in the College.
"Our community is made up of strong, passionate, and intelligent women who still find time to advocate and advance female leadership and involvement in UChicago and beyond," said Maggie McInerney, a rising second-year student on the women's volleyball team. "It's really special."
For some, the joy of athletics comes from simply getting the opportunity to play. That's why WAA has partnered with local Special Olympians since the 1990s, allowing members of the community the chance to follow their athletic dreams.
Connecting with Special Olympians over a shared love of sports, as Unified Partners of Special Olympics Chicago, the WAA helps students at Southside Occupational Academy, a public special needs transition center, obtain basic necessities for competition, including uniforms, equipment and fields of play.
“Being a part of the UChicago community has brought so many joys to my students at Southside Occupational Academy,” said Lindsay Raya, a special education teacher with the center. "Not only are my students able to have fun and engage in rec and leisure programs, but they are also able to gain a sense of friendship and learn valuable social skills from their peers. We truly love our collaboration with the UChicago students.”
WAA has also partnered with McKinley Vocational Services, which provides habilitation and vocational training services to adults with developmental disabilities.
“The smiles on the Special Olympians’ faces, along with their passion for their sports, are contagious," said Klaire Steffens, AB’22, the outgoing WAA president and a former player on UChicago’s women's basketball team.
WAA raises funds for the Special Olympians year-round, though the fundraising culminates with WAA’s biggest event of the year: Slam Dunk, in which businesses across Chicagoland – including professional sports teams – contribute prizes to a raffle, with winners announced at a UChicago varsity basketball game. Women athletes across all sports are each given a certain amount of raffle tickets to sell, and prizes are awarded to top contributors.
Members of WAA help with all aspects of Slam Dunk, including pre-game fundraising, event setup and fundraising during the game itself. McInerney said the event takes a lot of hard work, but with $6,000 raised this past year, t was worth every minute. Slam Dunk has raised over $65,000 for area charities over the last 30 years.
Slam Dunk is about more than money and prizes. At halftime of the basketball game, Special Olympians from across the city are invited to take to the court to applause from the crowd.
"It’s really cool to see how many people come out for Slam Dunk," said Emmeri Roberts, a rising second-year student on the volleyball team. "When you're planning an event, you're not necessarily interacting with a community, so it was really neat to see how many people actually came out to support us and the Special Olympians."
The relationship between WAA and the local Special Olympics chapter continues throughout the year, as sports teams host “inclusive practices." These are designated times when local Special Olympics teams are invited to participate alongside letter-winning athletes. These practices range from basketball to flag football, giving Special Olympians the chance to do what they love alongside the College’s accomplished female athletes.
“The inclusive practices are one of my favorite things about WAA," Steffens said. "It's such a fun, competitive environment. I am always so moved when I see the Special Olympic athletes in the stands during our basketball game and annual fundraiser."
“These practices are so beloved by the women in the WAA because it provides us with an opportunity to interact with the teams that we fundraise for, and it allows us to build relationships with them throughout the year,” added rising fourth-year student Grace Hynes, WAA’s Special Olympics chair.
This year, on top of their successful Slam Dunk fundraiser, WAA held a Field Day for Special Olympians, where all Special Olympic teams were invited to UChicago for a full day of sports and lunch.
Though originally founded to give women equal representation in collegiate sports, the College’s Women’s Athletic Association lives on as an organization that connects athletes from various teams and diverse communities.
"Women athletes have a voice here on campus," Roberts said. "We have a responsibility to use it, and hopefully in doing so we're leading by example."