By Jared McCallister\Eva Dilmanian
Registered nurse Kristen Lewis was “hanging on by a thread” after working a demanding, 12-hour overnight shift at Bellevue Hospital in Manhattan, but she mustered an early morning burst of exhilaration once she registered her daughter Rylee King for the anticipated 50th anniversary season of the Colgate Women’s Games.
First in line at the Nike Track and Field Center at The Armory in Manhattan on Saturday, November 29 for the early morning registration day, Lewis preceded scores of athletes, coaches, and parents for the Games that attract runners, high jumpers, and shot putters of all ages from the five boroughs of New York City and the New York tri-state area, and many far-flung cities along the east coast from Maine to Georgia.
Arriving after working an overnight shift at a New York hospital, Kristine Lewis proudly hoists the Colgate Women’s Games registration bag for her daughter Rylee King, who’ll represent the Clear Stream Avenue School in Valley Stream, Long Island. Photo by Elliot Mangual/Colgate Women’s Games.
Marking a half-century of steadfast support from the Colgate-Palmolive Company, Colgate Women’s Games is the U.S. ‘s longest running amateur track & field series for girls and women, providing athletes of all ages with valuable free athletic competitions, and educational scholarships for the top-scoring competitors. Over the decades, hundreds of participants have gone on to become age group, high school and collegiate champions, and numerous have achieved national prominence and global fame.
There is no charge to register, compete, or attend Colgate Women’s Games’ events. To participate, athletes must complete an online Entry Form: visit www.ColgateWomensGames.com for instructions; and then the athlete (or their representative) must pick up a free competitor’s packet at our in-person registration on Saturday, December 13 (9AM-3PM) at Pratt Institute Student Union, 200 Willoughby Avenue, Brooklyn, NY. Packet includes competitor’s t-shirt, bib number, and Colgate-Palmolive essential health and hygiene products.
All competition will be held at the Nike Track and Field Center at The Armory, at 216 Fort Washington Ave., New York, NY. Competition includes two Preliminary Meets which are open to all competitors (on December 28, 2025 and January 4, 2026), one Semi-Finals Meet which is open to qualifiers (on January 18) and the thrilling Finals competition (on February 7).
Sisters Sydney and Payton Richardson of the Rye County Day School, and their friend Jazmin-Paige Bemett (r.), of the School of the Holy Child in Rye, New York display their Colgate Women’s Games’ 50th anniversary shirts. Photo by Elliot Mangual/Colgate Women’s Games
At the Finals, Colgate-Palmolive will award educational scholarships to the top three highest point scorers in the series in each event and division. More than 100 educational scholarships worth $2,000, $1,000, and $500, for first, second, and third place, respectively, will be awarded, for a total exceeding 5,000 scholarships awarded to date.
“At Colgate-Palmolive, we focus on reimagining a healthier future for all – and supporting Colgate Women’s Games is one more way we advance our purpose. The energy Colgate Women’s Games is bringing to the track is palpable. And with these registration numbers, we are on the way toward making this 50th Anniversary season a milestone in more ways than one,” said Dana Bolden, Chief Communications Officer of Colgate-Palmolive. “We encourage all aspiring athletes to register and be part of this historic season.”
Tatsah Laurent, of Middle School 180 in the Bronx, after receiving her Colgate Women’s Games registration materials.
Photo by Elliot Mangual/Colgate Women’s Games
After viewing the Nov. 29 registration, Colgate Women’s Games Meet Director Cheryl Toussaint said, “It was a joy to witness the enthusiasm of new and returning participants registering for Colgate Women’s Games 50th Anniversary Season. The camaraderie and sense of community were palpable. The athletes recognize the significance of the Games, and many expressed their excitement to be part of its enduring legacy.”
And the Colgate Women’s Games “camaraderie” is one reason Lewis loves her daughter to compete in the series. “It’s a good experience. I like the competition. You meet new people, and you make friends. All around, it’s an experience.” Her daughter, 10-year-old Rylee, is a three-time Colgate Women’s Games series veteran competing in the “Elementary B” division 55-and 200-meter dashes this year for the Clear Stream Avenue School in Valley Stream, Long Island.
Sisters Sydney and Payton Richardson — both in 10th grade at Rye County Day School in Westchester County — came to the Armory early that morning with their friend Jazmin-Paige Bemett, a 10th grade student at School of the Holy Child, also in Rye, New York. All 3 athletes plan to compete in the 55-meter dash. “Personally, I like the competition at Colgate and the whole experience—the environment and the energy. The staff is really cool,” Payton said.
Forest Hills High School team from Queens
Tatsah Laurent, 13, an 8th grader at Middle School 180 in the Bronx has heard great things about the Colgate Women’s Games from her coach, and this is her first time competing. She’ll be running the 55-meter dash and the 55-meter hurdles. With encouragement from her coach, Tatsah said “I want to continue racing in high school and college, so this is a great opportunity for me.”
Jiselle Paez from Jersey City, NJ
For more information on Colgate Women’s Games Season 50, How-to-Register, Meet Schedule, Competition Events, Rules and Regulations, and FAQs, visit www.ColgateWomensGames.com and follow on Instagram.
