By Hannah Ritchie

Only one in four girls at Colleyville Heritage High School in Texas, my school, participate in sports while more than half of boys are on sports teams. This is NOT because girls aren’t interested.

Last December, 3,374 girls in grades 6-12 participated in a survey to gauge their interest in sports after a student filed a Title IX grievance. The results (and more so the comments girls wrote) were revealing. When asked the question, “If you tried out for a school sport but did not make the team, would you want to play that sport on a recreational level, for no credit, after school on your campus?” results showed 53.3 percent of girls answered “yes.”

In Texas, unlike some other parts of the country, students receive a required athletic credit by participating in sports only during the school day. Sports may also practice during, after and before school.

According to data from a Freedom of Information Act request I made to the district, even though my high school enrolled 1159 female and 1156 male students (in the 2007-2008 school year), only 287 — or 25 percent — of girls participated in sports. Meanwhile, 633 — or 55 percent — of boys did. Our girl’s participation rate is one of the lowest percentages in the country according to a study by the Women’s Sports Foundation.

So, why don’t more girls play sports at my high school?

1. Girls who played sports in middle school are shut out in high school – while boys are not (thanks to football)

In middle school, volleyball is an open-admission sport, mirroring the open-admission football program for boys. In fact, there are three middle school volleyball teams for girls, letting some who are new to the sports a chance to play on a developmental team. In some years, according to a Freedom of Information Act request I made to my district, more girls play middle school sports than do boys. Middle school athletics include options to play volleyball, football, tennis, basketball, track and cross country. Only tennis and basketball teams have try-outs.

In high school, however, boys are welcomed onto the football team without try-outs, which is why the football team has no cap (and in 2007-2008, for example, made room for 260 boys) while there is no comparable athletic team for girls (the largest team for girls that year was soccer with 58 participants).

2. You haven’t played club sports for more than 2 years

The message on the school website when I started high school two years ago (it’s since been removed) noted that, “High school athletics is not a place to learn a sport. You must be a skilled player to participate in athletics.”

At an information meeting for incoming 9th graders, high school counselors told us that if we hadn’t played a club sport for at least two years we shouldn’t even try out for the team. Apparently it is a big hassle for counselors to rework your schedule if you sign up for a sport and then don’t make the team.

3. You ride the bus

No sports are offered exclusively within school hours. If you want to work out without competing, you are out of luck. There are not even free weight times to lift, unless a student is enrolled in an athletics class.

4. You are almost, but not quite poor

The reality these days is that students have to pay fees to participate in classes above the basic offerings — including band, choir, drill team and athletics. These fees are only waived if you qualify for free or reduced lunch (about 20 percent of our community).

5. A coach or other school official discourages you from playing

The executive summary of the survey showed that 99 girls said they didn’t play sports because they were discouraged by coaches; another 93 who had played sports in the past said they were not playing now because they were discouraged by negative remarks by a coach; and 54 who were presently playing would not play the following year because of negative remarks made to them by a coach. Ironically, the survey results showed that 77 to 89 percent of girls (depending on the grade) who participated in sports reported “really” or “somewhat” liking the experience.

When I reviewed the comments girls made on the surveys, here are some things they wrote:

— This year for my team at school (varsity volleyball) I thought that our coach was very harsh and did not have the rights to say that stuff to us. She really hurt some girls’ feelings and to do that is not what a coach should do.

— Transportation, cost, and practice times don’t work out for me… I can’t do after school practices at all because of my schedule at home and my classes, but I really would like to join school clubs and sports, if only the school could work with my schedule and with mine and my parents budget.

— I do not play soccer for the school because I was cut from the team and I do not plan to try out next year because the coach was not encouraging.

— The coaches play favorites and it is obvious to everyone and it hurts my feelings when they don’t have to work as hard in the sport as a non-favorite athlete.

— My coach makes fun of me frequently in front of everybody and he thinks its hilarious but it isn’t! I don’t think its mean — it’s just annoying!!!

Adults in the district may point to figures showing they are doing enough. But I think there is something wrong when twice as many boys as girls in my high school are participating in sports. Girls DO want to play!

Hannah Ritchie is a senior at Colleyville Heritage High School in Colleyville, Texas. She played volleyball in grades 7-9. She began looking into gender equity issues in sports in her school district as part of an English project on Title IX her sophomore year. The differences between gender opportunities became vastly apparent when her younger brother entered high school and was able to walk onto the football team. She hopes that in the future girls are given the same opportunities as boys.

View Original Post at fairgamenews.com

• Filed Under:  
• Football, Volleyball, SportsPLUS, Discrimination/Title IX, High School, Student-Athlete

There is 1 comment on this post. Join the discussion!

LHiggs

My high school had 200 athletes on the XC team. Every year. the coach would deliberately seek out athletes who had been cut from other sports and encourage them to join the XC team. There should be more people like that in every high school.

Wednesday, December 9, 2009 at 10:20am PST