
WILLIAMSBURG — Lydia Scrofani was a year-round athlete throughout her youth, playing soccer, basketball, and softball, and always outside.
When it came time for high school, her focus became soccer. She then headed off to the University of South Carolina, where she played Division I soccer for four years.
Still in love with the game, Scrofani coached multiple teams and even had a stint in the semi-pros. She was exposed to all types of coaches, from “rough around the edges” to “kind and compassionate.” They taught her many things, but some left a not-so-positive mark.
“There are so many girls who need to realize that you can be a beast, but you can still be beautiful, you can still be kind. It’s the ability to compartmentalize and be a respectful person, but once you cross that white line, it’s game time,” Scrofani said.
Wanting to make a change in the way sports were taught to young girls, Scrofani founded Girls Sports Academy (GSA) to introduce girls to all different types of sports and how they can be a conduit to life.
“I feel that I was the type of player that I was because I was exposed to so many different sports. So many college coaches encourage parents to keep their kids in multiple sports but there is no platform out there to expose kids to different sports while keeping up with that one sport that they really enjoy,” Scrofani said.
Scrofani encourages her GSA students to explore the different sports options that she teaches during clinics. While a student may be a one-sport athlete, if injuries happen or that particular sport isn’t where she excels, Scrofani wants her girls to have options.
She also uses sports as a way to encourage that being different is okay.
“With the pressure of social media and wanting too badly to fit in, I really try to encourage them to stand out with their gifts and what makes them who they are. I want them to understand that there is more value in being unique than fitting in,” Scorfani said.
GSA also aims to build girls between the second and sixth grades through confidence, knowledge, a growth mindset, work ethic, risk-taking, resiliency, competition, and being a good friend.
“I look at my program as not short-term coaching for success but as long-term development of girls. We do multiple sports, but a lot of our focus is on building the girl. I’m just using sports as the tool to build the girl. To build the girl and why we have sports involved is to create risk takers, we want to encourage these girls to put themselves out there and try new things,” Scrofani says.
The girls in the program also have discussions on what it means to be an athlete, what it means to be a competitor, proper nutrition, how to take care of injuries, and more. Recently, the team also spent some bonding time together to take in the NCAA Women’s Final Four National Championship game.
“It’s really important for these girls to see the next level of sport. I compare it to taking a test and how you have to study to be confident going into it. Why wouldn’t you want to study your sport to be the best athlete you can be,” Scrofani said.
Scrofani plans to grow the program by offering the Build the Girl retreat this summer. The overnight camp experience will take place July 12-14 at Jamestown 4H. Campers will be exposed to multiple sports, discuss nutrition and mental well-being, and bonding over the commonality of supporting others on their developmental journey.
Other plans to expand include a Junior GSA, aimed at girls in kindergarten to second grade, to introduce sports, healthy competition, and proper running mechanics for long-term success. The Junior GSA program will launch in the fall of 2024.
Registration for fall GSA programs will begin in early June.
For more information on GSA or to sign up for the academy, visit girlssportsacademy.org.