Girls Athletics

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The roar of the bleachers fills the gym. Students are on their feet and intently watching the boys basketball players on the court. A three-pointer sinks, and cheers erupt from the student section.

In contrast, the sounds heard from the gym during the varsity girls basketball game are the squeaks of shoes and the dribbles of the basketball, as the team looks to make another basket.

The girls dedicate their time to this sport, but minimal people are there to witness it, except for the few underclassmen sitting at the top of the bleachers.

Compared to boys games, girls teams are not given the student attention they deserve. Instead of being cheered on by the majority of the student body, girls teams lack fans.

Seniors, it begins with you. Underclassmen follow your lead. If you are at the game, they will be at the game. If you start the cheer, they will cheer along with you. If you stand, they will stand.

During boys basketball games, the student section is packed and on its feet. This should not be any different for the girls. The girls practice the same amount of time, are successful and put forth their effort.

As students, we should not sit for the girls games. We should be on our feet with energy. Instead of only catching the last part of the girls game, before the boys game begins, arrive at tip off and enjoy it.

During the home game against Christ Prep on Dec. 8, the student section was lacking, though we commend those who were there. Even though there wasn’t a boys basketball game afterwards, students should still have been there, cheering on the girls team.

Scrolling through Twitter, there was a tweet reporting the final score of a high school girls basketball game as well as a picture of the empty, nonexistent student section. The tweeter encouraged the school to do better, and the tweet went viral.

Although support of girls sports continues to be lacking, there is progress that is being made. Kansas City is helping to pave the way for female sports as it builds the first-ever stadium in the U.S. for women’s sports.

When we return from Christmas break on Jan. 6, there is a varsity girls and boys basketball game at St. James. The girls start at 6:30 p.m. and the boys start at 8 p.m., so arrive at 6:30 p.m. with your loud voices to cheer on the girls. Carry that same energy into the boys game.

As the basketball season is upon us, recognize that we are all only high school students once, so we should soak in this time we have with our classmates.

Invite a friend, carpool and show up to the girls basketball game. Your support and enthusiasm will be seen by the girls basketball players and coaches.