Sportswomen of Colorado celebrates 50 years of championing female athletes

As CBS Colorado celebrates its Week of Women, we are proud to salute an organization celebrating its 50th Anniversary. Sportswomen of Colorado was first in the country to honor the achievements of female athletes on a statewide level.

Abby Waner Bartolotta has been associated with Sportswomen for more than 20 years. 

First recognized as a high school sophomore, she won Sportswoman of the Year her senior year in 2005.

Waner Bartolotta said, "At the time, I was just playing basketball. I had a great, great team, great teammates and coaches, my sister."

The award is bestowed to women who've demonstrated exceptional success, the likes of swimmer Amy Van Dyken and skier Mikaela Shifrin.

"To say the names Mikaela Schifrin and Abby Waner - those do not belong in the same sentence! That's something that Sportswomen of Colorado does. It brings together what feels like that just this enormity, this enormous list of athletes. And actually it says 'You're allowed to be a part of kind of a select group of female athletes in Colorado who have made a difference somewhere, somehow," said Waner Bartolotta. 

"We got started back in 1974 by some women that had an incredible vision to honor the best female athletes in the state of Colorado," said Executive Director of Sportswomen of Colorado Linda Lappe.

Through the years Sportswomen of Colorado developed relationships throughout the state to find women of all ages, and in all sports, who are giving it their all, and shining.

Our former prep sports reporter Marcia Neville has cheered them on for more than 30 years.

"Missy Franklin was our most promising athlete as a middle school student. And she has said, from being in that room, she kind of internalized that whole idea of giving back and to mentoring, being a role model for other women."

Waner Bartolotta went on to earn All-American success at Duke, winning three golds with USA Basketball and getting drafted by the WNBA.

She says the early recognition by Sportswomen was pivotal, "I know for a fact what it did for me was it allowed me to keep dreaming and keep making my goals bigger than what I thought they could be."

The Colorado Sports Hall of Fame is filled with Sportswomen of Colorado success stories.

And today, expanding beyond the awards program, the organization sends girls to sports camps and brings sports clinics to elementary schools.

"These young students not only get to experience sports but they get to see women as strong, confident, competitive, and even sweaty and that makes an impression," said Neville.

Fifty years in, Sportswomen of Colorado is still one of a kind.

Lappe added, "Creating that support and creating that camaraderie and creating that community that really brings people together and gives us a reason to celebrate and who doesn't want a reason to celebrate, right?"

More than five hundred people are expected for the 50th anniversary celebration of Sportswomen of Colorado.

The inspirational event is set for Sunday, March 17.

And, you're invited!

Learn more at https://sportswomenofcolorado.org/