*This is a sponsored post in partnership with Athleta Girl.

There is so much I have learned from my friendship with Harmony about the importance of youth sports, especially when it comes to girls. Did you know that girls are dropping out of sports at 1.5x the rate that boys do by age 14? By age 17, more than half of girls will quit playing sports altogether*. As a USA Basketball Licensed coach, Youth Basketball Board Member in her community, former athlete, and mother of two daughters, Harmony has made it her mission to help drive attention to this alarming number and help moms to encourage our girls to stay in the game. So, when Athleta came to me about working on a campaign with this exact mission I knew I had to share Harmony’s wisdom with all of you. So, I caught up with her to share her thoughts on Athleta and what she tells her daughters about staying in the game.

Dear Daughters This is Why You Should Stay in the Game

It’s hard to believe a whole month has gone by since the start of school.  Now that we are back in the swing of things I find myself having to juggle 4 kids and their activities.  I am also a High School basketball coach, so I am often picking up kids, dropping them off at their sports activities and then heading to practice.  It’s great to have clothes that work in different settings, it saves time and money.

On Mom- Salutation Stash Pocket Tights/ Run Free Half Zip/ Speedlight Tank | On Daughter- Athleta Girl Spliced Chit Chat Tight/ Spacedye Upbeat Bra 2.0/ Crisscross My Heart Sweatshirt

When possible I try to find some time to coach my own kids and help them to learn the sport I love, basketball.  Recently, I took my daughter to the park to work on some shooting and ball handling.  It’s important for us to have athletic clothes that are comfortable and flexible.  Oh, and as my daughter would say, style is also important.

On Mom- Salutation Stash Pocket Tights/ Run Free Half Zip/ Speedlight Tank | On Daughter- Athleta Girl Spliced Chit Chat Tight/ Spacedye Upbeat Bra 2.0/ Crisscross My Heart Sweatshirt

We absolutely love playing in Athleta clothes.  The tights are incredibly soft and we love that there are sizes for both of us so we can be “matching”.  I would say the best part of the tights is the deep pockets.  With 4 kids in different places, it’s important for me to have my phone on me in case someone needs to reach me.  The deep pockets in the Salutation Stash Pocket Tights fit my phone perfectly without feeling bulky and allow me to work and be available to my family.

 Salutation Stash Pocket Tights/Speedlight Tank

In Southern California, our weather turns quickly as the sun begins to set.  It’s important to have layers as the hot mid-day temps drop in the evenings.  Many of our practices are outside so we always take along a sweatshirt or jacket as the evening breeze rolls in.  I could not resist this cozy sweatshirt with the empowering message for my daughter.

Athleta Girl Spliced Chit Chat Tight/ Spacedye Upbeat Bra 2.0/ Crisscross My Heart Sweatshirt

Another reason I love Athleta clothing is that the company is working on a campaign to keep girls in sports.  As a girls’ high school basketball coach and a former player, I have seen first hand what the power of sports can do for girls.  When asked what I would tell my daughters to keep them in the game, this is what I said…..

On Mom- Salutation Stash Pocket Tights/ Speedlight Tank | On Daughter- Athleta Girl Spliced Chit Chat Tight/ Spacedye Upbeat Bra 2.0/ Crisscross My Heart Sweatshirt

Dear Girls,

   I want you to stay in the game because it will teach you that you are stronger than you know.  You will face challenges, you will fail, but then you will get back up and keep trying until you succeed.  Sports will teach you that you can’t accomplish your goals without a team that learns to work together.  Your teammates will become your closest friends because you will battle through sweat and tears to reach the top.  You will learn how to lean on people and to hold them up when they need you the most.  There will be many days that you will want to quit because it will be hard.  DO NOT QUIT.  By not quitting you will learn that life can be hard, but through hard times we grow stronger.  The stronger you are, the higher you’ll climb.  That’s what I want for you girls, I want you to know that you can do anything you put your mind to and nothing can stand in your way!!

Love, Mom

*Statistics from Gatorade’s recent “Girls In Sports” study

You can check out Harmony’s blog Play2Thrive for more on kids + sports, mental health & more!