Mission High School has a variety of girls’ sports such as volleyball, basketball, soccer, softball, tennis, and flag football. However, based on several interviews, the girls’ teams feel overlooked because of the lack of support.
According to Martha Sanchez, a senior who has played soccer for two years here, “Girls’ sports go unnoticed compared to boys’ sports.”
I interviewed a few female athletes and here’s what they had to say about the status of girls’ sports at our school.
Mariana Aguilar, Senior: Soccer player-
What did it look like playing your sport elsewhere vs. at MHS?
I’ve been playing soccer since I was 10 years old. It was harder when I was younger because the coach was mean and rough on us. He’d yell at me, making me cry, but looking back now I appreciated him for it. I became a tougher player not only because of my coaches but also because I’d mainly play with boys. Now, playing with a different coach I feel that they can be too soft, so the team I’ve been on hasn’t been as skilled or competitive compared to when I was younger.
What would you want to see be improved by our sports directors for girls’ sports?
I feel like we deserve better coaches, resources, and equipment. Compared to boys’ sports, the girls don’t get enough recognition. We don’t have as many resources as the boys have.
Terrance Hubbard, Senior: Basketball and Tennis player –
What did it look like playing your sport elsewhere vs. at MHS?
I played both sports since sophomore year so about 3 years. I played basketball when I was younger on a club team after school.
Playing now, there are higher expectations, especially when it’s a popular sport, and people expect you to be successful. The coach is really mean now.
I think that girls’ sports at Mission High are definitely something where you can grow relationships with other people and get to know them, but that girls’ sports in general aren’t promoted enough.
We have way less resources than the boys’ sports do compared to the basketball teams. The boys have more stuff, get new shoes every year, and have five coaches and the girl’s team couldn’t even have one for the year. I feel like it’s unfair, but it’s still fun because of the players putting in the work, not so much for the school being supportive.
What would you want to see be improved by our sports directors for girls’ sports?
I think better promotion and equity when it comes to resources that we do have, like funding and coaches. Also, people actually listen to what we have to say because you can talk to the sports director, but they won’t listen and do anything about it.
Sydelle Laudenorio, Senior: Volleyball, Basketball, and Flag Football Player –
What did it look like playing your sport elsewhere vs. at MHS?
I’ve been playing basketball since I was 3 years old. I started volleyball freshman year, and then flag season only lasted my junior year.
I started to play when I was in the Philippines. I guess they just love to play basketball, so it’s what I grew up around. When I got to America, it was one of the things that I wanted to continue pursuing. My interest in volleyball and flag football just came out of nowhere and something that I just wanted to try out. I still play basketball outside of school by going to the rec center a lot just to shoot around and I still go to boy’s volleyball practices to play since there’s no girls’ team anymore [due to the season being over].
I think that a lot of the girls’ teams here at Mission are good with the right support. The girls’ volleyball team got a lot of support from not only the coaches but also the players themselves with their commitment, drive and motivation. Of course, having the right coaches pushes you to have a good team.
Basketball was completely different, and a big reason why is because of the coaching. They don’t work at this school, so there’s not much influence on the kids outside of practice.
We’re underfunded in general for several sports, not just the girls’ teams. I also think a lot of the girls’ teams are overlooked and the players themselves because we had a girl on the track team go to state and nobody knew because it wasn’t promoted or celebrated.
What would you want to see be improved by our sports directors for girl’s sports?
I think that the Athletic department could do a bit of a better job showing that they care for all of the sports and not just certain teams. I’m not sure what they can do for coaching, but I think having better support in general for all of the teams including more funding, which I know will be a lot difficult now with all the budget cuts.
Evan Aaliyah Benitez, Sophomore: Basketball player –
Why did you have to play on the boy’s JV (junior varsity) basketball team?
I had to play on the JV team because we didn’t have enough girls for a girls’ basketball team, and we didn’t feel like our coaches were fully committed either.
How was your experience?
The boys’ coaches were cool and the boys weren’t bad either. It just was really different because we (Evan and Maxine Burns, the female athletes on the boy’s team) all expected to play with girls. It was also messed up because not all the girls got the same treatment (compared to the boys).
What would you want to see be improved by our sports directors for girl’s sports?
Honestly, just promotion and getting a stronger coaching staff because none of us felt supported.
Mr. Garcia: Dean and sports director –
How do you feel about the future of girls’ sports at Mission High school?
I feel optimistic. I think that we have a lot of students coming in — like today we found out that there’s a student here who plays and who runs track and an unknown athlete out there and just every day we’re discovering new players that want to participate, they’re just a little shy but I think the way more we get the attention out there — we want to get this program started, I think we’ll have more people come in and step up.
How do you think girls’ sports could be improved?
Motivation — people, peers helping peers, helping others come out of their comfort zone, their shells. You know cause I feel like a lot of students are shy but I think it’s peer-to-peer. We have the coaches out there who are motivated to coach, we have the programs, it’s just we need the participants.
Mr. Zelaya: Sports director –
Are the girl’s sports funded equally as the boys?
It’s actually funded by sport. Girls’ and boys’ basketball is the same, boys’ and girls’ soccer is the same. But boy’s football (gets more money) because the stuff costs more; you get more money for that because the helmet, shoulder pads, all that stuff (costs more money). Track and field gets the same amount of money as baseball and softball do, but it all goes in a pot and it’s all very little in general.
One year, I have to buy stuff for this team, and another year for another team, and so on because none of it’s enough on its own. That’s why I try to do new uniforms every 3 years so we try to keep them, but sometimes things get lost and we have to replace them. And then everyone gets their equipment.
Since it all goes into one pot, I have to figure out which team needs what, but the teams have to fundraise for the extra stuff. It doesn’t come out of the school but the team fundraising.
Overall, girl athletes at Mission don’t feel they get the attention or support they deserve. Even though the school itself is low-funded, this year it has appeared that boys’ sports have been prioritized when it comes to promotion, resources, and coaching. With more awareness and support from the school, girls’ sports can get the recognition they deserve.
