Students Perceive Disparity Between Boys’ and Girls’ Teams

While the athletics department works diligently to make sure that boys’ and girls’ sports teams receive equal opportunity in support, transportation, coaching and equipment, perceived discrepancies remain. Senior Daniela Nemirovsky, who is a captain of the girls’ varsity soccer team and runs track, said that these differences are a concern for many female athletes. However, Athletic Director Shane LaPointe said that they are mostly misconceptions and misunderstandings.

LaPointe was named Athletic Director last year and said that the school works to give all teams equal opportunities. However, differences in equipment or recourse for certain teams can be mistaken for gender prejudice, while often it is due to requirement differences between sports. Football, for instance, due to a large team size and the need for expensive equipment, almost always requires more funding, LaPointe said. That being said, certain funding is out of the athletic director’s hands, which can account for certain teams receiving gifts or food from parents, or large donations from outside donors who have given to certain teams in the past.

Nemirovsky cited the example that many of her girls teams travel by Red Dragon for games that are an hour and a half away, while the football teams travel by a more luxurious coach bus “wherever they go.”

“Last year girls’ volleyball was undefeated and they still got [fewer] fans than football. [And] girls soccer always gets [fewer] fans than boys."

According to LaPointe, though, any team going an hour and a half away from Exeter to play will get a coach bus, and only teams going about half an hour away will get a Red Dragon.

Nemirovsky also said that she has heard that boys’ hockey gets free pizza from the school after every game, whereas girls’ hockey doesn’t, and other girls’ teams, such as soccer, rely on parents and coaches for any after game food. Nemirovsky said she wasn’t “completely sure” about whether or not the boys’ hockey team food is funded by the school, and did acknowledge that the perception was based in rumor. Also, girls sports teams usually have fewer attendees for their events than their male counterparts on the field, which Nemirovsky said can be hard to combat. She acknowledged that athletes “can’t really fault people for what they like.” However, she said that positive reinforcement can have a substantial effect on attendance. “If there’s a lot of people [attending a game], then more are going to want to go; whereas we do have fans, but most of them, for soccer at least, are parents,” she said.

Senior Matthew McShea, who plays hockey and lacrosse, said that one way teams can support one another and boost attendance is if the boys’ hockey goes to watch girls’ basketball and vice versa.

Upper Charlotte Polk, who plays volleyball, basketball and lacrosse, also noticed an uneven distribution of fans at games, and that not many people attended games, even when the girls’ basketball team won the championships her prep year. When there are fans, family and friends usually make up the crowd. While this is something Polk said is not easily regulated, there is usually a consistently lower crowd turnout for girls’ sports.

Other athletes felt poor attendance was also impacted by games’ schedules, during E/a games in particular. According to Nemirovsky, the girls’ games are often put in the same hour and a half time slot, while boys’ soccer and football have their own times.

“Last year girls’ volleyball was undefeated and they still got [fewer] fans than football,” Nemirovsky said. “[And] girls soccer always gets [fewer] fans than boys.”

Lapointe said that she makes an effort to show that each individual student’s participation in a team is important and respected, and herself attends varsity and junior varsity. If a student is showing up six days a week to a sport, that is a big commitment that the athletics department tries to honor, she said.

Separate perceived injustices lie in investment and coaching. Senior Bonnie LaBonté, who plays hockey, field hockey and lacrosse, said that girls’ teams are often given less seasoned coaches, and that the athletics program for girls is overall less “intense” and “elite.” History instructor Nolan Lincoln served as an assistant coach last year to the girls’ soccer team, but according to LaBonté, he was moved to coach boys’ soccer “when they found out that he was [a] good [coach].”

LaBonté also noticed a pattern of girls’ coaches staying with their teams for shorter periods of time, and questioned why there aren’t enough experienced replacements. LaBonté suggested Exeter hire more coaches who may not be from within the community, but who are “not new to [their] sport, have taught a club team and have been an assistant.”

Labonte also said that the girls’ hockey team was trying to come to Exeter a few days before Thanksgiving break ends, something the boys’ hockey team “has done for as long as [she] can remember,” but it was met with resistance.

In her first year as athletic director, LaPointe has focused on making athletics more risk free, with the help of CFO David Hanson’s risk management efforts, but also hopes to address these perceived inconsistencies.