Girl Athletes
Tackling stereotypes on the field and on the
waves.
by Children’s PressLine
TWEENS & TEENS News December 2007
Girls who play sports are healthier,
get better grades and are less likely to experience
depression and use alcohol, cigarettes and
drugs, versus their sedentary counterparts,
according to www.kidshealth.org. Children’s
PressLine spoke with young female athletes
about their experiences in a male-dominated
arena.
Ashley Bretz, age 18
Bloomington, Indiana
Right now I’m playing rugby. I have
played softball, basketball, volleyball and
a little bit of football. I had a male football
coach who treated me very differently because
everyone else on the team was a boy. The coach
first said I shouldn’t be there. He
said I should be on the cheerleading team
instead. I wasn’t allowed to do some
of the drills. I felt left out. I proved him
wrong because I play just as well as all the
other kids. I tackle.
Kylie Kain, age 14
Bethesda, Maryland
I have been playing sports since second grade.
I’ve played lacrosse, soccer and basketball.
I started out with soccer, and my two older
brothers encouraged me to do well. They’re
really good in lacrosse and they play at one
of the top high schools in the whole nation.
I think my favorite thing about sports is
just getting to know other people around the
world. I play on a lot of different teams.
Sometimes I play with friends, whereas sometimes
I play against them.
My brothers have always loved sports. They
used to go out and throw the ball or kick
around the soccer ball with me. I would also
play with my parents, and I started really
liking it. When I wanted to try out for a
team, my friend signed me up to play on a
house soccer team. As a result, soccer was
the first team sport I played. I think boys
are brought up to play sports more than girls.
A lot of boys are competitive, but not in
a bad way. I think that some girls are also
competitive and were born to play sports.
I feel like I’m one of those girls,
and sports definitely take up the majority
of my life.
I go to a girls school. This year, there were
caring signs posted at the school encouraging
the girl teams. But, I can’t imagine
any of the boys from the boys school coming
out to support us girl athletes at our games.
Molly Ashkenas, age 17
Berkeley, California
Every day when I am surfing, I feel competitive.
It’s an adrenaline rush being out in
the ocean, and it’s really fun. There
have been a couple of times where the guys
cut me off. It’s really demeaning when
they do that. Though it feels good to take
them on, some guys are mean and it feels like
you have to prove yourself when you’re
a girl out there surfing in front of them.
Most guys feel intimidated by girls. Still,
surfing with guys isn’t always a bad
experience. Some guys are mean to girls, but
some guys are really nice and they can be
supportive.
I say the most difficult thing is having a
career in sports. I think there’s more
pressure on girls to prove that they can surf
well, whereas with guys people automatically
assume that the guys are good surfers. It’s
because only boy surfers are shown out there,
and girls are mostly considered bikini models.
I’m definitely going to be surfing for
the rest of my life. It’s such an amazing
feeling.
Lila Roo, age 18
Portland, Oregon
Surfing changed my life in a big way. It has
made it possible for me to achieve most of
the goals that I set out to do. I’ve
been surfing since I was 13. I’d wake
at 5am and take a board to the beach and head
to school after surfing. Then right after
school, I’d do my homework on the bus
and surf throughout the afternoon. I surf
at least two times a day.
Surfing has taught me a lot of discipline
and a lot of strength. I like riding big waves.
In Hawaii, a lot of animals are always in
the water and it’s a really beautiful
thing. I think surfing brings out the best
in a lot of people. In the water, mostly everyone
is happy and excited. They’re all smiling.
It’s a just a good place.
It’s hard to earn the respect that the
guys get out there. People assume girls can’t
do what boys can do, and people assume that
girls are supposed to put on a bikini and
watch the team. I’m smaller than boys
and it’s harder for me to bear weight
like they can. But, I think I’m more
graceful than a lot of boys. Women and men
treat sports differently. Boys and girls are
very different. It’s frustrating when
other people compare boys and girls like they’re
the same.
I feel empowered when I surf with boys because
I love hanging out with guys when they treat
me like an equal and not like an object. Still,
it’s frustrating because as a girl you’re
not given the benefit of the doubt that you
can be an athlete. It takes a long time and
a lot of perseverance to earn people’s
respect.
I love seeing young women grow and find something
that they can be very strong at. It doesn’t
depend on what girls look like or what they’re
wearing; it’s the strong connection
with nature and with themselves that’s
important.
Children’s PressLine is a youth
journalism organization in Manhattan that
trains kids to be reporters and gives young
people the opportunity to represent themselves
in the media. This story was reported on by
Karla Cano, 14, Kevin Cano, 11, and Jake Sidransky,
10. For more information, visit www.cplmedia.org.
