Coach Holter Feature

THE WOOSTER

BLADE

Editors-in-Chief Ashton Dunlap, Luke Pomfret Webmasters Ashton Dunlap Graphics Manager Grace Brownson Business Manager Delaney Wilson Head Photographer Rumen Zdravchev A & E Editor Lexxe Parsons, Laura Rapport Cover Editors Chloe Frichtel, Lucia Perfetti Feature Editor Molly Snyder, Grace Brownson Focus Editor Sheridan Schauer, Lanie Meyer On Campus Editor Hannah LoGiudice, Delaney Wilson Sports Editor Trent Kuzma, Jhon Fajardo Trends Editor Olivia Hiner, Sophia Mera Views Editor Brittany Wachtel Staf Writers Mattie Dunlap, Molly Byrne, Ben Stavnezer, Nora Levy, Stella Powers, Theo Ollier, Grace Kostohryz, Anika Ellis, Maya Galindo-Benson Artists Grace Brownson Photographers Grace Brownson, Hannah LoGiudice, Rumen Zdravchev, Ashton Dunlap, Ben Stavnezer, Brittany Wachtel, Nora Levy, Delaney Wilson, Sheridan Schauer, Molly Synder, Maya Galindo-Benson, Molly Byrne Adviser Kristi Hiner The Wooster Blade is a biweekly student publication printed every other Friday by the Newspaper Production classes at Wooster High School. The Wooster Blade is designated as an open forum and follows publishing guidelines as established by district-wide publications policy protecting students’ freedom of expression. All copy, art and photography are property of The Wooster Blade and cannot be reproduced without permission. Letters to the editor are limited to 300 words and The Wooster Blade reserves the rights to print and edit as per length and content. The Wooster Blade is a member of Quill and Scroll, National Scholastic Press Association and Columbia Scholastic Press Association. Letters and inquiries should be addressed to The Wooster Blade, 515 Oldman Road Wooster, Ohio 44691. The Wooster Blade can be contacted at 330-345-4000 ext. 3210. The newspaper can also be found at thewoosterblade.com

THE VOICE OF WOOSTER HIGH SCHOOL

OUR VIEW Students advocate for equity in sports programs

There are currently 27 school sports at WHS, and many of the athletes who participate in these sports have recently expressed that they believe their sports are not equitably represented. During football season, many athletes and teams say they feel overshadowed by the attention given to football, especially as this is the sport that garners bigger attendance, more money, incorporates another sport (cheerleading) and involves the performance of an extracurricular activity (with the marching band and majorette/flag corps). Many athletes feel misrepresented based on either their gender or the team on which they play (JV, varsity, both/other). During the week of Oct. 4, 90 WHS athletes were polled as to their perspectives on sports equity within our high school sports programs. Athletes who took the poll expressed varying viewpoints on how certain sports are treated in terms of funding, gender, recognition and the team on which they play (JV, varsity, both/other). When looking at equal representation for the different teams at WHS, it is evident that most student athletes feel their sports are not equally represented. In total, 49 out of the 90 students polled believe their sport does not receive equal representation. In terms of being equitably treated by the WHS athletic department, 61.7% of males find that their sport is given equal representation, while only 39% of females feel that they are equitably treated. Relating to the gender barrier present, those polled were asked if they think certain athletes are treated differently due to their gender, with 78.7% of the polled male athletes stating they do not feel they are treated differently. Of the female athletes polled, 53.7% said they are treated differently because of their gender. There are clearly gender inequities within the representation of sports at WHS, as reflected in the female athletes who participated in the poll. These gender inequities need to be addressed, and equitable recognition needs to be given to female teams. This discrepancy between the attitudes of male and female athletes is also concerning, with male athletes being largely unaware of the concerns of their female counterparts. A majority of athletes polled also expressed that they are treated differently due to the team on which they participate (JV, varsity, both/ other). In total, 61.8% of athletes said that certain athletes are treated differently due to the team on which they participate. Of JV athletes, 64% of those polled stated that certain athletes are treated differently when compared to 55.6% of varsity athletes. Similar to the existing gender inequities present in WHS sports, there is also a barrier present between JV and varsity athletes and teams, as noted by the poll responses. These inequities in attention and representation also need to be addressed, and equitable recognition needs to be given to JV teams. In order to address the inequities that student athletes note they are experiencing, the WHS Athletic Dept.; WHS students, administration and coaches; and the greater Wooster community need to better evaluate these discrepancies and change how they support and promote WHS athletics.

During the week of Oct. 4, 90 polls were randomly distributed to WHS student athletes.