Her daughter plays tennis and runs track at
East Peoria High School but Williams said she
intends to stay involved
in boosters activities even
after her daughter is out
of high school.
“
I got involved before
she even got to high
school because I thought
it was important that I
help where I could and to
try and make a difference.
That won’t change after
she graduates,” Williams
said.
Booster club and paren-
tal participation is getting
stronger for girls sports at
Peoria Richwoods High
School, but there is still a
need for more, said Ching Zedric, head volley-
ball coach for the Knights. “The booster support
is getting much stronger and the parents of our
players are really stepping up. We would like to
see more fans at our games
and we try to do a differ-
ent theme for every home
game to bring in more
people. It’s a process,” said
Zedric, who is in her third
season at Richwoods.
She is pleased to note
participation in the sport
also is growing and that
she is seeing younger
players become interested.
“
Volleyball takes a lot of
skill so the younger they
start the better they will
get and the more they will
enjoy,” she said.
Zedric is a native of
China and she said it
is difficult to compare
school sports there with
those in the United States.
“
It is totally different. In
the United States almost
every kid is involved in at least one sports and
many are in more than one. In China it is more
of a luxury to be able to
participate because of
the equipment needs and
such. But it is getting bet-
ter,” she said.
Expenses are still a
concern in this country
and the dedication from
parents and booster club
volunteers is possibly
more essential for girls’
sports because they don’t
have the same kind of
revenues from ticket
sales, said Beth Sauser,
assistant executive direc-
tor of the Illinois High
School Association. Her
responsibilities at the IHSA center on sports-
manship, but she also oversees girls basketball
and girls and boys soccer programs in the state.
CONTINUED ON PAGE 24
PHOTO BY HR IMAGING
EAST PEORIA HIGH SCHOOL GIRLS ATHLETICS, INCLUDING ITS TRACK TEAM SHOWN HERE HOSTING A MEET AGAINST DUNLAP HIGH SCHOOL LAST
YEAR, AND ITS SOFTBALL PROGRAM PICTURED BELOW, ENJOY STRONG SUPPORT FROM THE EAST PEORIA ATHLETICS BOOSTER CLUB.
23
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