NCGS & The Game Face Project 

An Array of Life Lessons Begins with a Simple Question:

What Does a Female Athlete Look Like?

NCGS is proud to have been part of the Game Face Project since its very beginning. We first met Jane Gottesman, the project's creator, in 1998, when she asked to attend our Annual Conference, held that year in California. She had an idea, she explained, for a book of photographs that would document girls' and women's achievements in sports in the era of Title IX. Since then, that straightforwrd idea has blossomed into a multi-part project featuring:

The Book

This is where Jane's vision first took shape. Game Face: What Does a Female Athlete Look Like? features 224 pages packed with stunning color and black-and-white photographs, inspiring quotes and insightful commentary. We see girls and women of every age and ability excelling in sports, freed from traditional feminine constraints, using their bodies in joyful and empowering ways.

In the foreword to the book, Penny Marshall --  actor and director of A League of Their Own -- tells of her own lifelong passion for sports, and all the valuable lessons she's carried away from the playing field. A must for school library collections, and a great gift for girls and young women tapping into their talents and drive. Contact us to order the NCGS 10th Anniversary Limited Edition, or find in stores and online, including Amazon.com.

The Traveling Exhibit

Game Face Goes to School is an extraordinary collection of pictures and rich personal stories that documents the tremendous impact of sports on the daily lives of millions of girls and women. The collection is based on the exhibit that premiered at the Smithsonian Institution's Arts and Industries Building in Washington, D.C. in 2001.

Now the National Coalition of Girls' Schools, in partnership with the Game Face curators, is pleased to offer our members exclusive use of the School Exhibit. Used in conjunction with the Classroom Teaching Kit (see below), the Exhibit is a wonderful way to start a conversation with girls at your school and throughout your community, about health, self-image and accomplishment on and off the playing field.

Learn More and Reserve the Exhibit for Your School »

Classroom Teaching Kit:

With the Coalition serving as educational consultant, Game Face has been transformed into an easy-to-use classroom instructional packet, available free to all NCGS member schools by MassMutual/Oppenheimer Funds. Using a compelling collection of documentary and artistic photographs, teachers can pose a series of "think about" questions that hit home for both girls and the boys in their lives on what it means to be an athlete.

The Game Face materials are a springboard for lessons on tolerance, body image, diversity and teamwork. They spark discussions on character and social issues, generate ideas for writing projects, and motivate kids to consider their own assumptions about gender roles, self-esteem and more.

Learn More and Request a Classroom Kit »

 

As Jane and project co-director Geoffrey Biddle say, "Game Face's Mission is big: to convey that athletics is a catalyst for girls' and women's self-creation, self-knowledge, and self-expression."

Visit Game Face online at: www.gamefaceonline.org