Next woman up

Female athletes change standards of sports at MSD Next Woman UP

“You run like a girl! Grow a pair! Man up!” are simply few of the many phrases thrown around and normalized on the field. With the aid of these microaggressions, various stigmas were formed surrounding the validity of women in sports. Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School has an abundance of female athletes within its athletic program; however, many feel as if they are stuck in the shadow of their male counterparts.

On a professional level, men have dominated the interest of mass audiences. According to a Healthline article from a 2016 study, girls gain less support from teachers, and even family members, to be physically involved in sports. Similarly, the achievements made by the female teams at MSD tend to receive less attention.

Although the ticket sales and attention garnered by the MSD football team never seems to falter regardless of their record, the state-qualifying cheerleading team that performs at every game often goes overlooked.

“I feel like cheerleading isn’t taken seriously as a sport, and it is neglected by most people and considered something you do for fun; but it is a sport,” varsity women’s soccer. I actually think our girl’s team receives higher accolades.”

At MSD, female athletes have also made their way onto teams that only cater towards males. Senior Ava Cunningham is the only girl on the men’s wrestling team; however, she is not the first or only woman to do this. This year’s football season featured junior Kelly Ferber as the first ever female punter and kicker for the varsity football team.

“[My biggest accomplishment, being on the football team is] that I get to wake up every day, go out on the field and do something that I love,” Ferber said.

Cunningham often feels the frustration of putting forth all of her effort during matches, yet not being taken seriously or being sexualized in the sport. She feels pride when winning against those who doubt her and believes that matching their strength is one of her biggest accomplishments.

“I 100% feel that I have been sexualized as a woman in sports. This is because a lot of the time I get responses like, ‘Oh, I don’t want to wrestle a girl,’ or ‘I don’t accidentally want to grab her in the wrong place,’ but sometimes they do; however, most of the time I just try and talk to them and ask them to wrestle me, and how they’d wrestle anyone else,” Cunningham said. Biologically, women are at a natural disadvantage. Not only are women at a higher risk for sports injuries caused by the increased stress on their slightly wider pelvis and hip positioning, but men’s hearts are about 20-25% larger than women’s. In addition, males produce primarily testosterone, which promotes the development of muscle mass, but the primary hormone produced by females is estrogen, which encourages the accumulation of fat. These

cheerleader Anna Kiernan said.

Nationwide, there is controversy about whether or not cheerleading should be considered as a sport as many believe their only role is to cater to the football players. Whereas most sports are male-dominated or have multiple teams to accommodate different genders, cheerleading is often sexualized because most teams have a predominantly female roster.

“[Cheerleading] doesn’t get recognized at all and is neglected,” Kiernan said. “I have been told by many people that it is not a sport and is something people do for friends.”

On the other hand, outside back Calista McCausland thinks that the school has done a fine job of placing the attention on all sports teams. McCausland, a junior on the MSD varsity soccer team, played as a guest in the U.S. Youth Soccer National League competition and placed sixth in the country.

“I feel like people always assume men are going to be better than women in whatever sport they play. Men downplay the difficulty of women’s sports,” McCausland said. “[But] I think MSD is good about promoting both men’s and

I feel like people always assume men are going to be better than women in whatever sport they play. Men downplay the difficulty of women’s sports, [but] I think MSD is good about

Calista McCausland, 11 promoting both men’s and women’s soccer. ”

disadvantages play a role in the stamina, endurance and overall performance of female athletes, which leads to the stigma that women in sports cannot handle as much as or compete with men.

Women’s golf player Lindsey Salomone strives to exhibit her athleticism at each of her matches and prove the strength of women through her hard work and dedication.

“Growing up I would only watch male golfers since I never saw women represented on television,” Salomone said. “Simply because women are viewed as incapable or weaker than men, I was unable to grow up with a female role model which motivated me to work harder.”

Traditionally, household names in sports feature men of all teams and skill sets, but for many women, they tend to only receive attention once they reach this exceptional level of success or are dramatized to fit the media’s narrative.

Four-time Olympic Gold medalist and tennis player Serena Williams is the most prominent example of this. Williams has been pushed in the spotlight multiple times not only for her accomplishments, but for her “attitude” and feuds with her opponents outside the court.

This has occurred various times throughout women’s involvement in sports; as views for the games of women’s sporting teams are relatively low compared to that of men’s, they are often portrayed as unprofessional and are not solely recognized for their skills in their field, but rather are dramatized for entertainment purposes.

The stigmas that surround both the capability and drive of female athletes remain prevalent on a national scale, as well as in one’s own community. As women continue to display their skills on the field, they strive to defy the societal standards thrown their way. Story by Julianne LoFurno and Sophia Squiccirini

Power Move Get Your Head in the Game. During a women’s varsity basketball game, point guard Kayla Kravitz (24) fends off Flanagan High School’s defense. The Eagles lost the Jan. 5 game. Photo by Fenthon Aristhomene

Spreading Cheer. Seniors Hailey Hung, Ashley Ferrer, Sophia Avron, Kacie Shatzkamer, and junior Talia Kabolowsky cheer on the varsity football team’s Senior Night game against Coral Glades High School on Nov. 5. MSD won 28-3. Photo by Kelsie Yon

Pass the Ball. In the semi-final round of Regionals, defender Lizzie Sheehy (08) lines up the shot for a pass to her teammate against Park Vista Community High School on Feb. 16. Photo by Maria Vera

Power Move. At a home game on Jan. 5, power forward Julia Kayser (35) drives past a Flanagan High School defender. Photo by Maria Vera