Readers Become Leaders Winner Announced

The 2023 NCAA® Women’s Gymnastics Championships announced the winner of its annual Readers Become Leaders competition for elementary school children in the Fort Worth Independent School District (FWISD).

The Fort Worth Sports Commission, co-hosts of the championships, presented the championship trophy from the NCAA® to the winners at M.H. Moore Elementary School. The presentation will be featured during ESPN2’s telecast of the NCAA® National Collegiate Women’s Gymnastics Championship hosted at Dickies Arena April 13 and 15.

Photo courtesy of FWISD

M.H. Moore’s students read 16,986 minutes per student, during the ten-week competition period, reading a total of 8,178,755 minutes. “Though I’m moved every year by the progress these students make as part of the Readers Become Leaders Program, this year has been a huge leap forward,” said Jason Sands, executive director of the Fort Worth Sports Commission, a division of Visit Fort Worth. “This year’s results have shattered the cumulative record of all previous years by more than double, which is an incredible achievement for everyone: the individual schools, Fort Worth ISD as a whole, and the program itself.”

This marks the fourth year Fort Worth ISD, in partnership with the NCAA®, the Fort Worth Sports Commission and the Scholastic Book Company, completed the Readers Become Leaders program. The ten-week initiative featured 78 elementary schools – representing 36,636 students – that read a total of 71,306,182 minutes. All students received a free book courtesy of the NCAA® and Scholastic Book Company for participating.

Photo courtesy of FWISD

The NCAA® National Women’s Collegiate Gymnastics Championship will be hosted in Fort Worth on April 13 and 15 for the fifth year in a row. The event will take place in Fort Worth through 2026 thanks to combined efforts of the Fort Worth Sports Commission, Texas Women’s University and Knight Eady. For more information about the championships visit www.fortworth.com/ncaa.