The rise of Caitlin Clark and women’s sports

DAVENPORT, Iowa (KWQC) - Iowa Hawkeye’s women’s basketball team advances to second round of NCAA tournament after defeating Holy Cross Saturday. And folks at Senior Star living facility in Davenport held a watch party to see the victory.

The excitement surrounding Clark and Iowa’s women’s team was evident at Senior Star, especially for Dr. Helen Smiley, a resident who actually helped create the school’s women’s athletic program over 50 years ago.

“This is just kind of like in a blast,” Smiley said. “My whole life has been fighting in the trenches for women’s rights, equitability and sport programs and getting those little girls the opportunities.”

The rise of Clark has helped send women’s basketball into the mainstream, but its been a long journey in women’s sports to get where it is today.

“All I can hope is that this brings more and more opportunities,” Smiley said. “For the young women that want to do it.”

One of senior star’s staff members Kylie Boles played basketball herself when she was in high school.

“I could not imagine what it was like growing up in that time,” Boles said. “Not having the same equal rights to sports, you know, nobody attending your games or anything like that.”

That has changed with the national attention on Clark’s success at the University of Iowa.

Boles recalls her memories as a basketball player, and the fact that she and her friends would mostly look up to the legends of the men’s side of the sport. Until now.

“Michael Jordan, Kobe, LeBron, Steph Curry, we have those men as our role models,” Boles said. “And it’s so exciting now for my daughter, I can say ‘you’re the next Caitlin Clark.’”

Boles credits Smiley for the current success in women’s sports.

“She paved the way for us,” Boles said. “For us women, in sports, and in general.”