Sports have always held a special place in my heart. I grew up playing on soccer teams with lots of other young girls from all over my city. I spent many afternoons playing tennis and lacrosse or running with girls from my school. I greatly enjoyed this time I spent outdoors, doing activities that my friends and I loved. These moments, playing sports, are some of my favorite memories from my childhood and teenage years.
As I moved into upper grades in high school, I noticed that many of the girls who I would play soccer or other sports with began to drop out of these activities; the number of soccer teams began to shrink as a result of less girls signing up, fewer girls would attend the tennis clinics.
This trend seems to be universal. More than half of girls drop out of sports by the age of 17 (CNN). Gender stereotypes and messages about what activities are ‘appropriate’ for girls or boys frequently push girls out of the sports that they love. Societal messages about what extracurriculars are better suited for girls or boys such as that only men should be allowed to play ‘rougher’ sports such as soccer or lacrosse or that sports in general are ‘masculine’ are harmful and incorrect; girls should engage freely in sports.
In addition to being a fun, active way to spend time with friends, playing sports teaches players lessons, both about the game and life. I know that I learned many lessons as a result of my involvement in sports throughout my life, the most important of which I consider to be teamwork and resilience.
I learned the most about these two lessons during a tennis doubles match. A doubles tennis match consists of two players on each side of the court, working together to beat the other team. My doubles partner, Kaela, and I had played a long, tough match which resulted in a tie-breaker, meaning we had to play our opponent until one team reached 7 points or won by two. We keep alternating with the other team; we would win one point and then lose the next, making our tie breaker go on far past the seven point marker. Our entire team watched impatiently outside the court; whether or not we would proceed to the next round of the championship tournament depended on the outcome of our match. Kaela and I worked together for each point, speaking words of encouragement regardless of if we’d hit the shot straight into the net or sailing out or hit a winner. We were up by one point, needing another point to solidify the win, when Kaela hit a backhand into the right side of the opposing team’s court, and our opponent sprinted after the ball, missing it. Kaela and I gave each other a high five and approached the net to shake hands with our opponents.
Kaela and I were overjoyed that our team would be moving on to the next round of the tournament; however, I believe that the biggest victory that came from our match were the lessons of resilience and teamwork that the win required of myself and Kaela. These lessons have guided me in other areas of my life such as within the classroom. They have guided my ability to collaborate with other students as well as to work hard in mastering particularly challenging subjects at school. Girls have an equal right to boys to have these valuable formative experiences through playing the sports they love.
Alli Burt
Memunatu Editorial Fellow
Article has been edited for clarity and brevity
