Lynx host women in sports celebration

Minnesotans will celebrate the 22nd annual National Girls and Women in Sports Day with two events this week, the first one tonight on the eve of the actual national celebration day.

The first Slam Bash, organized by the Lynx, will be held at 5:30 p.m. today at International Market Square in Minneapolis. The Lynx will recognize five people for their contributions to women's sports and commemorate the 10th anniversary of the WNBA team.

The awards and their recipients:

• Lifetime Achievement Award: Kathleen Ridder, a University of Minnesota women's athletic department benefactor

• Dads and Daughters Award: Bob Erdman, a longtime high school and college basketball coach

• Global Assist Award: Karen Frederickson, executive vice president of a state-based international aid agency

• Community Assist Award: Becky Roloff, CEO of the YWCA of Minneapolis

WNBA president Donna Orender will be the main Slam Bash speaker. Another guest will be Gophers women's basketball coach Pam Borton.

Also featured is a panel discussion involving Anne Donovan, coach of the U.S. Olympic women's basketball team, TV commentators Cheryl Miller and Nancy Lieberman, and Lynx guard Lindsey Harding. Miller and Lieberman are members of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.

"Those in attendance will have the opportunity to hear from the best to have ever played women's basketball," said Angela Taylor, a Lynx vice president.

Ceremony at Capitol

On Wednesday, an awards ceremony will be held at noon in the State Capitol rotunda in St. Paul. The Lynx anniversary will be noted, as will the 25th anniversary of women's athletics in the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference.

• Wilma Rudolph Award for Courage and Inspiration: Connor Lewis, a Barnesville (Minn.) High School freshman. She is a three-sport athlete with cystic fibrosis.

• Marie Berg Award for Excellence in Education: Sharon Euerle, the Mankato West High School activities director.