Football Rules the Land, Leaving the Girls Out in the Cold

What does it take to get some of the other sports recognized and supported as much as our beloved football teams? Where's the booster clubs and fan support for the other student athletes? In particular our girls sports programs.

Take this in for an example. Our football team lost in the playoffs at home 2 years ago. We had one of the best fields money could buy. Rainy, crappy weather for 3 weeks, multiple games played and the field, any field would be in rough shape. We lost a playoff game on the field at home. Next year, we have the same artificial field turf installed as they have for the Wisconsin Badgers football team. All paid for by private funds and our booster club.

Then you look our girls cross country team. What do they need? Shoes provided by the parents. Hand me down uniforms and room to run. After my daughter joined the cross country team I was truly impressed with the training regimen that these girls went through. They logged 4 to 8 miles a day, 6 days a week running whether it was raining, sunny, hot or cold. They did their time in the weight room bench pressing, arm curling, and doing squats. They maintained their grades. They represented their school with hard work, pride, commitment, and honor.

What does it get them? A BYOB Banquet. That's right, the girls cross country banquet is tonight. To help keep down costs: Please bring a dish to pass, dessert to pass, your own beverages, your own plates, and eating utensils. What's up with that?

I've been to the cross country meets and I have to be the first to admit they're not the most exciting sporting events: .....And they're off, now they're back. But that doesn't take away from the fact that the girls on this team are probably mentally and physically the best trained athletes in the school district.

Take another local schools girl's volleyball team as another example. Their girls are going to state for Volleyball for the first time ever. The team doesn't have any pep band or cheerleaders. The parents had to beg for a pep rally, which they finally received.

My understanding in talking with a friend who has kid on the team is that the school was sent tickets to sell but no one seem to know about that fact. When they confronted the schools Athletic Director, he said they sent them back and if people wanted them they could by them at the Resch center. He didn't put any effort in to trying to sell them. You can bet if their boys make it to state for football, everyone will know where to get tickets.

Maybe it's time for the all school districts and parents to take a step back and look at the sports programs as a whole instead of putting an emphasis on just a few. You may have a few gems come out of a football program once and a while, but I'll guarantee there's a lot of overlooked diamonds elsewhere.