On Sunday, March 8th, when women around the world are observed for their achievements on International Women’s Day (IWD), the Cavaliers will host a day of activities at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse dedicated to empowering women of all ages. The PowerHouse Dance Team clinic and an all-girls Cavs Academy youth basketball clinic featuring instruction and inspiration from Cavs assistant coach Lindsay Gottlieb will be part of the Cavs IWD celebration prior to the team taking on the San Antonio Spurs at 7:30 p.m.
Sunday’s celebration will tip-off with a Cavs PowerHouse Dance Team clinic from 12:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. More than 80 girls and boys will learn a fun and high-energy dance routine from members of PowerHouse, a competitive-level precision dance team, and will perform the dance pregame on the court.
An all-girls Cavs Academy Youth Basketball clinic will take place from 1:30 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. Seventy-five girls ages 7-17 will participate in the sold-out clinic that will teach fundamental basketball skills then give the players an opportunity to apply what they learned in a scrimmage. Girls attending the clinic will have the special opportunity to hear from Coach Lindsay Gottlieb, the first female coach in the history of the Cavs franchise, who will speak about her background and journey to the NBA.
The Cavs Academy Youth Sports Clinic is part of the Jr. NBA Her Time To Play (HTTP), a national initiative dedicated to helping girls and women participate, connect, collaborate and actively engage with basketball. Sunday’s clinic is fourth of five all-girls clinics hosted by Cavs Academy since 2018, with the final all-girls 3v3 clinic being held at Cleveland Clinic Courts on Saturday, March 21st. For more information and to register, visit CavsYouth.com.
The clinics will be followed by the Cavs vs. San Antonio Spurs game at 7:30 p.m. at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse where the celebration will continue, including:
- Purple, the internationally recognized color symbolizing women, will illuminate Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse’s massive 77,110 square foot curtain wall.
- The Cavs coaching staff will also wear purple on the sideline in support of IWD
- In addition to Coach Gottlieb on the Cavs sideline, the first female full-time assistant coach in the NBA, Becky Hammon, will be coaching on the Spurs sideline.
- 50/50 raffle proceeds from Sunday’s game will benefit the American Cancer Society’s (ACS) ResearcHERS program, which supports women researchers who are trailblazers in the critical cancer research field. The ACS funds some of the world’s top women researchers who are leading the way in areas such as cancer prevention, smoking cessation, breast cancer, behavioral factors, obesity-related cancer risk and access to care
- At halftime, girls and women of the Cavs entertainment teams including Cavs PowerHouse Dance Team, the minis, Wine & Goldies and Scream Team will be joined by in-arena host Nicole Marcellino for a girl-powered halftime dance performance featuring IWD-inspired music and stunning on-court projection.
- A special in-game moment celebrating over 700 full and part-time women employed across the Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse organization including Cavs, Cleveland Monsters, Canton Charge and Cavs Legion. All female staff and all female fans in attendance will be asked to stand for a moment of recognition.
- Recently selected Cavs Game Growers Casey and Lauren will be in attendance and honored in-game. The “Game Growers” program, a partnership between Nike and the NBA and WBNA, is an initiative that gives eighth-grade girls the tools and resources they need to increase girls’ participation in sports in their local communities.
- Videos featuring Cavs players speaking about influential women in the world.
- The Fan Cam on Humongotron will prompt fans to the strike the IWD #EachForEqual pose.
International Women’s Day Team Shop Specials!
An exclusive International Women’s Day Collection has been designed by the women on the Cavs Graphic Design Team in collaboration with the Cavs Better Halves. The limited collection features a hoodie, ladies’ tee and girls’ tee and all feature the words “Confident, Fearless, Powerful and Limitless.” The Cavs International Women’s Day collection is available in-stores and online at Cavs.com/Shop while supplies last.
A portion of proceeds from the International Women’s Day tees and hoodie will benefit the Greater Cleveland YWCA, a local organization dedicated to eliminating racism, empowering women and promoting peace, justice, freedom and dignity for all.
A Lindsay Gottlieb Icon jersey (wine) will also be available for purchase on International Women’s Day. She chose #3 in honor of her mother, who passed away when Coach Gottlieb was in college. The jersey can be purchased in-store and online at Cavs.com/Shop.
Additionally, all ladies’ apparel will be 20% off in-store at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse and online at Cavs.com/Shop.
Fans are encouraged to follow the celebration on social media with hashtag #IWD2020.
Fans can purchase tickets to the Cavs International Women’s Day Game and all home games this season at Cavs.com/Tickets. or at any one of Discount Drug Mart’s 60 northern Ohio locations.