By Connect Crew | May 20, 2026
There are great weekends in Happy Valley all year long. But Memorial Day weekend feels different. It is the unofficial kickoff to summer when pools begin to open, patios fill up, schools wind down, and the entire region shifts into a new rhythm. And this year, Happy Valley kicks off summer with a fitting theme: See Her Win.
Boalsburg welcomes visitors to one of the nation’s most meaningful Memorial Day traditions. And across Happy Valley, you can feel summer beginning in a place many already believe is one of the best places anywhere to live, work, and play.
This year, that energy gets an exciting addition with the inaugural See Her Win Multi-Sport Festival.
More than 575 young female athletes and their families will arrive in Happy Valley this weekend for a multi-sport experience focused on competition, connection, mentorship, and fun.
Hosted by the Happy Valley Sports & Entertainment Alliance in partnership with Teammates For Life, the festival features athletes competing in flag football, lacrosse sixes, rugby sevens, field hockey sevens, and wheelchair basketball across Penn State athletic facilities.
And while the sports themselves will bring plenty of excitement, the deeper story is what this event represents for both young athletes and the region itself.
“This is just the beginning,” said Char Morett-Curtiss. “We wanted to create an atmosphere where girls can compete, connect, and be inspired.”
That vision clearly resonated.
For a first-year event to attract nearly 600 athletes is a major statement. But organizers intentionally designed the weekend to feel bigger than simply another youth sports tournament.
“The vision behind See Her Win was to provide an atmosphere where girls can learn from coaches, athletes, and one another while leaving empowered, inspired, and excited about their future in athletics,” Morett-Curtiss said.
Throughout the weekend, athletes will not only compete, but also interact with collegiate athletes, attend skill clinics, hear leadership stories, and build friendships with girls from across the region.
“We are intentionally focused on highlighting up-and-coming Olympic sports as we see a rise in the growth of all these sports and opportunities in college athletics for young girls,” said Morett-Curtiss.
And honestly, when you look around Happy Valley at initiatives that consistently create impact, inspiration, and momentum, Char Morett-Curtiss is often somewhere at the center of them. Through Teammates For Life and decades of leadership in athletics, she has become one of the region’s most respected and influential champions for young athletes. Around Happy Valley, there is a growing understanding that when Char gets behind something, good things tend to follow.
One especially meaningful moment of the weekend takes place Friday evening during the Opening Ceremony at the Penn State Indoor Track & Multi-Sport Facility, which also includes a wheelchair basketball showcase connected to Penn State’s Rise Above efforts. Have you picked up your tickets for the July 25 Rise Above Event with Terry Smith as keynote? https://pennstateriseabove.org/fundraiser#paragraph-Hk7l87P4Yq
This weekend’s event is just one part of a broader weekend celebrating the future of girls’ athletics and the spirit of encouragement, inclusion, leadership, and opportunity surrounding it.
The festival also brings something larger to Happy Valley economically and culturally.
Hundreds of athletes and families will spend the weekend experiencing the absolute best of the region during one of the most beautiful weekends of the year. They will visit local restaurants, coffee shops, hotels, parks, and downtown businesses. They will experience Boalsburg Memorial Day traditions, outdoor spaces, live music, and the early rhythms of summer in Central Pennsylvania.
That matters.
Because weekends like this showcase what Happy Valley increasingly does well: creating experiences that bring people together around sports, culture, community, and connection.
Key Times & Places for Connect Readers
Friday, May 22
Rise Above Reception
📍 Penn State Indoor Track & Multi-Sport Facility
🕠 5:50 PM – 6:30 PM
Opening Ceremony
📍 Penn State Indoor Track & Multi-Sport Facility
🕖 7:00 PM – 8:00 PM
Saturday, May 23
Flag Football
📍 Penn State Intramural Fields
Lacrosse
📍 Penn State Intramural Fields
Rugby
📍 Penn State Intramural Fields
Field Hockey
📍 Jeffrey Field
Wheelchair Basketball
📍 Penn State Indoor Track & Multi-Sport Facility
Ice Cream Social + Collegiate Athlete Panels
📍 Penn State Intramural Fields
🕦 11:30 AM – 1:00 PM
Full schedule of events available at See Her Win Schedule
List of special events you can bring your children to join in… https://www.seeher.win/special-event
“We hope the community comes out to support these young women,” said Morett-Curtiss. “This is a unique gathering of young girls coming together for competition, skill clinics, inspiration from current college athletes, and simply to have fun and make new friends.”
And honestly, that feels like a wonderful way to kick off summer in Happy Valley.
