May 2016 - Parks & Recreation - 44

SOCIAL EQUITY

Coach Cortney and the StarrFire Girls: Raising
Awareness and Promoting Greatness in D.C.
By Jayni Rasmussen

T

he auditorium at Raymond Rec Center in Northwest Washington,
D.C., is buzzing with energy as hundreds of girls in a vibrant array
of colorful outfits get ready to show off a year of hard work at the
District of Columbia Department of Parks and Recreation's (DPR)
Cheer and Dance Showcase. A DJ puts on Beyoncé and, after a sharp cheer of
recognition from almost every dancer, the room ripples with motion as most of
the girls, across teams, move in sync to the choreography of the song. A couple
of girls yet too young to be on a team dance along, looking up to the big girls
with bright, admiring eyes. As families shuffle to find their seats in the bleach-
ers, a proud mom stands up and yells, " Yeah, Coach Cortney! We all know who
the best coach is! "
Coach Cortney is Cortney Wil-
liams, the coach of the StarrFire
Dance Team. Williams started Starr-
Fire just over a year ago while co-
ordinating the Young Ladies on the
Rise mentorship program as a rec-
reation specialist at the Deanwood
Recreation Center in the Deanwood

42	 Parks & Recreation

neighborhood in Northeast D.C.
Williams, noticing that more pro-
grams were needed to serve young
girls, recalled her days growing up
as a Chicago Park District kid, when
she looked forward to practicing and
hanging out with her friends every
day at her local recreation center's

| M AY 2 0 1 6 | W W W. PA R K S A N D R E C R E AT I O N . O R G

dance program. She immediately be-
gan recruiting, and in just a few short
weeks, the StarrFire Dance Team at
Deanwood Rec was 25 girls strong.
Washington, D.C., has not been an
historically easy place to grow up -
just 20 years ago, the city's macabre
nickname of " Murder Capital " was
a grim reality for many residents. To-
day, improved community services
and gentrification have catalyzed as-
tonishingly rapid change across the
city, translating to sharply declining
crime rates in neighborhoods with
the most development. But just miles
from the markedly safe National
Mall, in some areas east of the Ana-
costia River, the violent crime rate
has stood rigidly still for decades.
Deanwood is perhaps the most be-



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