CLAIRE PARKER AND ANNIE ROSENTHAL, NEWS EDITORS:
In 1972, Congress passed Title IX, which ensures the right of girls to equal opportunities in athletics. On June 27 of this year, the National Women’s Law Center filed a complaint to the Department of Education Office of Civil Rights alleging that the DCPS system, including Wilson, is violating Title IX.
The report, based on data gathered during the 2010-2011 school year, cites disparities in available teams, facilities, coaching, and equipment between girls and boys teams. “By failing to provide equal participation opportunities and equal benefits and services for its female high school students, the District is depriving many girls of the significant benefits associated with playing sports,” reads the complaint.
Athletics at Wilson
At Wilson, there are 38 sports teams — 19 for each gender. Last school year, 380 girls participated in athletics, compared to 375 boys. Wilson competes in all 21 DCIAA sports, as well as 17 club teams. The girls lacrosse team was started at Wilson 11 years before the boys team. Girls track coach Desmond Dunham and girls volleyball coach Dr. Perette Arrington were Washington Post All-Met coaches of the year last year.
“Our program is steadily growing, and we continually add on new opportunities for the females to participate,” said JV soccer coach Sissela Tucker. “I do completely agree that [the NWLC’s] three main complaints — lack of girls’ teams, less qualified coaches, and inferior playing fields — are true at most DCPS schools, but not necessarily at Wilson. Coach Gore is incredibly committed to girls’ sports, especially since three of his daughters were players on girls teams here.”
Varsity baseball player Alex Conte said, “I think there are probably more important things but if it becomes a real problem, like if a sports team isn’t able to play because of lack of a facility, then it should be worked on, but it isn’t a pressing issue.”
But Issues Remain
Female athletes have a different point of view. Skyler Mackey, a junior on the girls varsity soccer and basketball teams, agrees that Coach Gore works hard to ensure equity. But, she says, “The boys’ coaches don’t take us women seriously. While I do think coaching is equal, I don’t think the facilities are.” She refers to Fort Reno, where girls soccer teams practice, as “the dust ball.” She adds, “Even when I played girls basketball it was unfair– boys would have the main gym and girls would get the auxiliary gym, which was usually covered in gross food from people’s lunches.”
Softball captain and junior Sophia Cordes says, “[Girls] have equal opportunities in terms of sports teams they’re allowed to be on, but once you’re on the team, you don’t have equal opportunities because you don’t have the same equipment and facilities.” Because Wilson doesn’t have a softball field, girls softball had to practice a mile away at Turtle Park. Cordes said the facilities discrepancies “affected me personally because I have to run a mile to our practice field and walk for an hour to get home. It makes it harder for girls to be competitive.” The softball home field last year was technically Guy Mason, a 20-minute bus ride from Wilson, but because Georgetown University owns Guy Mason, their softball team often occupied the field. Wilson games had to be re-directed to other fields and sometimes canceled.
According to field hockey captain and senior Tao Marwell, for the past two years the field hockey team has had to practice in a small rectangular area between the baseball diamond and soccer fields at Fort Reno — a space not conducive to field hockey. She said, “All this might be because field hockey is a club team, but there is definitely a difference in what we have and what some of the boys’ teams at Wilson have.”
Wilson is more equal than at first glance
Gore said the fields issue is more complicated than it appears: “Some of that we can’t control. We use the school facilities but we also work with the Department of Parks and Recreation for fields, and I don’t control that. I request space from them. But,” he added, “that’s a dynamic of us being a big urban school with a flourishing athletic program – there aren’t enough area fields available to us for us to do all the things the student body would like to do. I’d say it’s a good problem.”
He says that in terms of things such as coaching and uniforms, which he does have control over, “I think we’re pretty darn equitable.”
Gore also feels that the NWLC complaint does not accurately represent athletic equality at Wilson. The data compiled in the report was from 2009-10, the year before the NWLC requested information from Gore. It was his first year at Wilson, and the school was temporarily located at UDC, which made records difficult to find.
Wilson compared to other schools
The NWLC complaint cited greater discrepancies at other schools. In 2002, Roosevelt High School won the DCIAA girls’ soccer championship. Their coach left the following year, and a new coach was never hired, so they haven’t had a girls soccer team since.
Wilson, whose teams receive generous private funding from the Parent Teacher Student Organization and Booster Club, can afford to minimize disparities. “There is a definite lack of girls teams at other schools,” said Tucker. “I do hope that this lawsuit causes those teams to effect change.”
Inequalities at other schools bring down the level of competition for Wilson teams. “It’s an issue across the city and it needs to be addressed,” said Gore. “But the solution has multiple dynamics… we have advantages with baseball and soccer where kids are growing up playing those sports. In the rest of the city, if they don’t have that, how can they expect kids coming in at the high school level to pick up a brand new sport and then be competitive?”
A National Mindset?
Why does athletic inequity exist? It may be the result of an American mindset that emphasizes certain male-dominated sports over others. ”We have incredible girls’ coaches, but like in any sport, even national teams, more awareness typically goes to the male sports. This is a pervasive national mentality — not one that exists solely in DCPS,” said Tucker.
Several female athletes noted that at Wilson, this awareness manifests itself in an emphasis on football and basketball. “A lot of attention is given to the football team, which is pretty normal in society today,” said Marwell. “However, we need to acknowledge that there are girls sports teams that work hard and are very competitive as well, and they usually don’t draw the same support that teams such as football or boys basketball do.”
Benefits of Girls in Sports
“DCPS would need to provide almost 700 additional athletic opportunities to girls to provide parity. Failure to comply with the basic provisions of the law is not only unfair to current girls, but also to all the women who blazed the trail before them,” said an NWLC press release.
According to a report by the National Federation of State High School Associations (cited in the NWLC complaint), students who participate in sports programs are less likely to engage in risky behaviors like drug-use, teen pregnancy, and smoking. They are more likely to achieve academically, be involved in student government, and receive attendance and academic awards. Athletics especially benefit disadvantaged or minority students. In addition, the report shows that after Title IX, girls’ health has improved and obesity has declined.
“Sports are crucial for girls, both in their academic and social development. Many girls tend to be withdrawn or fearful of letting themselves really shine — both in the classroom, and in the ‘real world.’ Sometimes, we take the back seat to men, and let them try and lead projects or have more success in the workplace,” said Tucker. “On the field, however, we try to shine. With the support of our teammates, and our coaches, we take charge, score that goal, spike the ball, or sink that putt…That allows girls to develop an integral sense of self-confidence that could otherwise be lost.”
Changes?
When asked if any significant changes were going to be made at Wilson this year in response to the complaint, Gore said, “No. We’re going to continue to grow and respond to the needs and desires of the student body.” Two soccer teams were added for girls last year: a spring girls rec league and a Special Olympic team for both genders. Additionally, Gore explained that the Fort Reno fields are planted with Bermuda grass, “elite grass” that gets stronger each year, so the fields have and are continuing to improve. He added that he is considering offering a community service trip to the Dominican Republic for both the baseball and softball teams this winter.
If the OCR responds to the complaint as the NWLC has requested, they will investigate all DC high schools to ensure they comply with Title IX and identify their Title IX coordinator. If they choose not to respond, things will stay as they are now.
“We have been crying Title IX for some time now and finally it’s getting some attention,” said Mackey. “I’m happy and hope changes are made, if it’s not for me then I hope it’s for the generation to come.”
As appeared in the August 30 issue of The Beacon
