"If past growth continues, girls sports will flourish" from the January 24, 1974 Door County Advocate
By LINDA ADAMS
If past growth continues, girls sports will flourish
By LINDA ADAMS
PART V
In summing up the status of women's sports in Door county schools it is probably easiest to look at the programs from a have and have not point of view.
Door county is somewhat progressive in that all four schools offer female students programs of intramural sports on varying levels. Three of the four Sevastopol, Southern Door and Sturgeon Bay, offer their students a chance to compete interscholastically in anywhere from three to five sports.
From the have-not side there is a lack of both qualified coaches and officials which means there can be fewer sports offered and fewer outside events.
It appears that all the schools have "adequate" equipment yet in some areas of athletics it is not standard or regulation.
While the girls' teams in the county are allowed some practice time in the gym many feel that the girls are delegated a less than fair share of time in the good facilities.
All the coaches contend that while they are glad the WIAA is now regulating girls sports in Wisconsin they hope co-educational sports are never developed because that would limit participation to a select number of girls.
After several years of gratis work the coaches are now being paid for their time. However, for the most part the female coaches are being paid less than a third male assistant who has half of the students to work with.
While the athletic directors agree with the coaches that there is a lack of facilities, lack of officials and lack of help, they maintain that girls' sports can never be brought up to the same level as the boys' programs without harming the boys.
Probably the biggest bone of contention for all involved in girls' athletics is community acceptance of women's sports.
At Gibraltar there is no interscholastic competition for girls except skiing, but both Debbie Slack, physical education teacher, and Larry Lundell, athletic director-principal, maintain that there is no interest in interscholastic sports. Both are willing to initiate such program if student desire warrants them. Gibraltar does offer intramurals.
Southern Door Coach Chris Bontly says that while the school board has been cooperative in establishing girls' sports there are usually few spectators or supporters, from either within the school or out. Athletic Director Tom Van Lieshout says that he realizes that it will take time to build up interest in the embryo programs.
Similarly, Mary Meyer, physical education teacher-coach at Sevastopol, claims that few parents, students or school officials have shown any real interest in girls' sports. Eugene Waterstreet athletic director, made it clear that Sevastopol has always taken a conservative approach to sports, putting less emphasis on it than in other communities. Waterstreet theorized that girls' programs in this area would never parallel men's.
Unlike the other coaches, Diane Paterson, Sturgeon Bay said that she feels she has always gotten complete support from the students, parents and especially the administration. Evidence of the success of her program can be counted by the number of spectators present at each girls' athletic event.
It is obvious that some discrepancies and inequities exist in the sports programs in the schools. Recently it has been brought forth that similar forms of discrimination are taking place elsewhere in the county.
One concerned parent, Phyllis Straughan, has asked her attorney, James Ebbeson, to write a letter to the Sturgeon Bay recreation department to find out why elementary and middle school girls are not allowed use of the recreation facilities. Mrs. Straughan contends that if a group of girls want a chance to compete in a league like Pee Wee basketball or Little League baseball they should be given a chance to do so. She is not necessarily asking that the girls be allowed to participate on the boys' teams but that they be given some use of the recreation facilities.
In his letter to Joe Writt, city recreation director, Ebbeson asks that the city recreation program for boys and girls be reviewed. Ebbeson is also asking that athletic directors in the schools review sports programs to ascertain that emphasis is being placed individually and not on a few male-oriented sports.
Many women in town have voiced their disapproval at not being able to hold their weekly sports night. This year the recreation program for women was cancelled because of the lack of facilities. All those involved agree that students should get first use of the gym but feel if time can be found for men there should also be some time made available to the women.
Aware of the consequences suffered due to the lack of qualified officials one principal suggested to NWTI that there should be a program on women's officiating.
Mrs. Pat Hyland, women's coordinator at NWTI, says that plans are set for a six-hour seminar to be held this spring. The course will be open to men and women who want to earn WIAA sanctioning in basketball or volleyball. The attending the day-long program will be instructed on the rules and hand signals of the sports and will also have an opportunity to get out on the courts. For further information contact Mr. Hyland at 743-9332.
There has been a great deal of discussion as to who has the greatest prerogative when it comes to sports. Men have participated in competitive events as long ago as the ancient Green Olympics and the bouts between the gladiators in the Roman Coliseum. Today they perform in a different coliseum, called a stadium, under the auspices of football, basketball and baseball.
It has only been during the last decade that women in sports have earned any recognition and those few were usually exhibited as freaks. Changes in women's sports are coming. They will be slow and deliberate but the trend has begun and most supporters say - that there will never be a reversal.
Expressing their final view of girls' sports in the area the three coaches had this to say. "I predict that one day soon girls' athletics in this state will be so important that colleges and universities are going to offer sports scholarships to female athletes," says Diane Paterson.
She also said that universities have recognized the athletic trend and have begun training women in various fields to fill the present voids.
Mary Meyer says girls sports are here to stay. "Girls' sports will continue to increase in importance where sports are an integral part of the school curriculum. Otherwise I think it will be a long uphill battle."
Chris Bontly explained that she is pleased with the sports development at her school and hopes it will continue to progress in the same measure. She did impress the fear that those that push too strenuously for too much too soon will hurt the cause of women's athletics rather than aid it.
Many correlate the advent of girls' athletics with the women's human rights program that is sweeping the nation. It is the hope of a great many students, parents and coaches in Door county that girls' sports will eventually be bought up to an equal level with the boys.
Whether their wish will be fulfilled remains to be seen. If the momentum continues to build the next five years as it has in the past five, by the end of the decade Door county schools will have challenging, worthwhile programs for girls' athletics.
Courtesy of the Door County Library Newspaper Archive
Other posts about girls sports
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