DENVER – The Colorado High School Activities Association (CHSAA) participated in the first-ever “Girls in the Game” event hosted by CBS Colorado and the University of Denver Athletics at DU’s Hamilton Gym Saturday morning.

CHSAA Vice President Bethany Brookens was a member of the Leadership in Sports panel moderated by former CHSAA President Rhonda Blanford-Green, where she spoke about the importance of mentors and specifically finding female mentors. She mentioned that her mother was one of her first mentors and recognized that the opportunities women have today did not exist for her mother when she was growing up.

“My very first mentor was my mom,” Brookens said. “She wrote me a letter — I still remember it — and left it on my bed after I graduated. She just said, ‘Thank you for playing sports in high school. I never had that opportunity and you allowed me to share that experience with you.’ That was so meaningful to me. She wanted to play football, she’s the Powderpuff Queen, she says… she would have played every single sport, but she never got to do it.”

In addition to Brookens, CHSAA Vice President Jenn Roberts-Uhlig, Finance Director Sarah Vernon-Brunner, Communications Director Amanda McClure, Athletic Coordinator Colette Stone and Sports Management Intern Brakelle Westphal also attended the day. They spoke to attendees about what CHSAA is, the sports they play and answered questions about how CHSAA staff got involved in sports.

The event was free and the first of its kind here in Denver. It featured women working in sports journalism, sports marketing, coaching, strength training, operations, sports medicine and more. Organizations such as CASA FC Albion SC, Children’s Hospital, Colorado Avalanche, Colorado Golf Association, Colorado Rapids, Colorado Rockies, Colorado Soccer Foundation, Denver Bandits, Denver Nuggets, Denver Women’s Sports Collective, Girl Scouts of Colorado, Gold Crown Foundation, PRCA Pro Rodeo, Special Olympics, Sportswomen of Colorado and the YMCA of Metro Denver participated, as well as a number of Colorado universities: Air Force, CU Boulder, University of Denver, MSU Denver, Regis University and Western Colorado University.