Pushing the defender out of the way, Erika Nettles posts up in hopes of scoring. She yells for the ball to be passed to her, as she has a clear opening to score a point. The ball is dribbled down by a less skilled boy as he sees her wide open, but turns away to pass to another boy.
According to junior Erika Nettles, this is just one of the many situations in which she was underestimated by a boy in her freshman gym class.
“They always leave us out and assume that girls don’t want to participate or aren’t good enough to be at the boys’ level [with] their speed and stuff,” Nettles said. “It insults what the school system is trying to teach about making this a safe, smart and equal school. The classes are about putting the girls to the side and promoting boys’ athletics.”
Junior Jonathon Robbins believes girls are underestimated in sports because of the childhood difference in girls’ and boys’ athletics. To Robbins, growing up in sports can determine the outcome of a boys vs. girls competitive game.
“If the boys’ team went up against a girls’ team, they would beat them, because from a younger age boys are taught to be more athletic and to be working on these [sports],” Robbins said. “The girls aren’t necessarily pushed to be athletes. Boys have more time and rigorous practices by this point than the girls have, so it gives [boys] more muscle mass and skills.”
Since all students have to receive a PE credit in order to graduate, some students don’t put forth the full effort in their chosen elective classes. Senior Ashby Volk had gym first period during her freshman year and only involved herself enough to get a good grade.
“I had it first period and it was year round, so everyday I when went to classes after, I would be sweaty and gross, so I didn’t want to participate,” Volk said. “[But] I participated well enough to where I got a good grade. I never put my full effort into it.”
Senior JR Godwin Jr. has taken a physical education class every year since his freshman year and always noticed a crowd of girls not engaging in the class unless they were looking for an easy grade.
“There are some girls take PE as a fun time and they just go in there to do what everybody else does: have fun and play games,” Godwin said. “There are some girls that go in there that think they’re getting a free 4.0 grade boost and just walk around and do nothing.”
Lyn Smith has been teaching physical education classes for 28 years and has seen little difference in the way girls are treated.
“In general, [boys don’t treat girls differently]. I think it’s more the behavior and respect for all kids is a little less than it used to be when I first started teaching,” Smith said. “Now everybody thinks they’re entitled or that they’re privileged, but I don’t think there’s any difference in the way the boys treat girls.”
Smith is a physical activity advocate and uses different methods to involve girls. One way was giving the class a ball everyone could play with and the girls a soft soccer ball that only they could use.
The soft soccer ball’s purpose was to let the boys go on with their game while the girls also play their own.
“Guys are all going to play their own game,” Smith said. “I introduce an everybody ball and a girls only ball. The guys know they can’t touch the [girls’ ball] because I’m trying to get all the girls to participate, too. If the girls want to play, the [boys] will throw them the ball. If the [girls] don’t want to play, the [boys] just go on about their game.”
Although it was a method to get everyone involved, it made some students feel insulted.
“I play soccer and it’s an insult,” Nettles said. “It’s really not that hard to kick a ball.”
The underestimation holds some girls back from participating, but can motivate many to work harder, such as junior Morgan Simmons.
“If I’m on a team with guys and they don’t pass me the ball, I will just work so much harder to make them want to pass to me and make them want me to be involved in the game,” Simmons said. “I hate it when I’m on a team with guys and they don’t incorporate me in their game.”
In some classes, one will find girls walking around or standing in the corner with their friends. Robbins believes the girls who stand around during the class are the main reason boys treat them differently.
“There weren’t any guys standing out and saying they didn’t want to do anything, so [girls not participating] got the message across that girls [didn’t] want to.” Robbins said.
Sophomore Christopher Medina thinks equal participation will help the conflict of mistreatment and make boys and girls equal in the gym class.
“Everybody should participate,” Medina said. “If girls are allowed to not participate, then guys should be allowed to not participate and vise-versa. If guys have to participate, then girls should have to. It’s [simply] equality.”
– By Courtney Wolfe
