Photo Credit: Courtesy NAYS
Growing up in Raleigh, N.C., in the late 1960s and early 1970s, young girls like Jane Bailey didn’t have many opportunities to participate in organized sports. But times have certainly changed there—thanks in large part to the enthusiastic and tireless efforts of Bailey and her staff at the city of Raleigh Parks, Recreation and Cultural Resources Department.
“Part of me wants to be sure that every child in the Raleigh area has the opportunity to participate in sports,” says Bailey, who joined the department in 1983 and has been its Athletic Program Director for the past 8 years. “I love seeing kids on the baseball field or basketball court trying as hard as they possibly can. Sports teach a person about themselves and about life.”
While basketball is the department’s most popular sport—no surprise considering Raleigh sits in the heart of Atlantic Coast Conference basketball country—it also provides a diverse offering of sports programs such as football, baseball, cheerleading, volleyball, lacrosse, and track and field, among others.