GILROY - One of the most recognizable faces in women's sports spent her Friday afternoon in Gilroy last week, trying to get some of best female athletes in town to recognize what kind of difference they can make on the little girls who look up to them.

Sitting in the middle of the stage at Gilroy High's theater, Brandi Chastain, a member of the U.S. women's national soccer team from 1991 to 2004, spoke to just under 100 girls currently playing varsity sports at GHS. A co-founder of the Bay Area Women's Sports Initiative (BAWSI), Chastain explained how her three-year-old non-profit organization is designed to get young girls involved in sports or simple athletic activities at a young age to promote healthy living. BAWSI's main goals are to combat child obesity as well as bolster confidence in young girls, Chastain said.

"If you can encourage a little girl ... she can be great," Chastain said. "And you can be that reason why."

BAWSI will be running after-school programs this spring at four Gilroy elementary schools - El Roble, Eliot, Glen View and Rod Kelley - with high school athletes leading the activities.

"You are role models," Donna Knowlton, BAWSI Program Director, told the gathering. "You're setting goals for yourself and we want you to bring all of that to the next generation, to make a difference."

Chastain shared stories of her experiences with the kids involved in the program, noting one little girl in particular as a success story. Scared to make eye contact to begin the program, the girl quickly came out of her shell after Chastain performed a "celebration dance" to lighten the mood.

"And it wasn't like after scoring the goal," Chastain said to laughter, referencing the famous sportsbra-baring celebration she had after scoring the game-winning goal in the 1999 World Cup final.

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For more information on BAWSI and getting involved in the programs taking place in Gilroy, go to BAWSI.org.