"Her Voice" Discussed in Athletics

The Academy is celebrating its 50th anniversary of co-education through the “Her Voice” series of programming, scheduled from Feb. 7 to Apr. 24.

The “Her Voice” series consists of webinars in which panelists speak on their experience as students at Exeter, their profession and more. Some, like the school-wide assembly “Her Voice in Athletics,” were open to the Exeter community, while other webinars like “Her Voice in Science & Engineering” were open to alums.

English Instructor and Assembly Coordinator Alex Myers organized the “Her Voice” events alongside English Instructor and Dean of Faculty Ellen Wolff and Director of Institutional Advancement Morgan Dudley. 

Panelists for the “Her Voice” events were chosen by Institutional Advancement and Myers. “I try to figure out whose voices and stories we haven’t heard, and how we can get a richer sense of what this anniversary means,” Myers said. “I really want to look at why the school went coed, how it felt for early teachers and students, what went well and what did not, and how we can continue to learn from the experience.”

Myers continued, “The symposium allows for a consideration both of Exeter specific questions and the contextualization of our coeducation process within the fields of education, gender studies, race theory, and so on.”

The “Her Voice in Athletics” panel featured five Exeter alums: Kathy Nekton P'85, P'98; Susan Herney '69, '74, '83 (Hon.); Linda Lanton '74; Anne Marden '76. The panelists discussed their experiences as female athletes at Exeter and the progress made for women in sports since their time at the Academy. Following the assembly, student athletes and current faculty shared their responses to their stories.

Prep Amelie Bunnell reflected on the perseverance of the women on the panel. “They made sure that their voices were heard, and they had to fight that, and they did it themselves. They recognized that they weren't always given equal treatment,” Bunnell said. “With the track runners, people expected them not to be as good as the boys, but they were doing the same workouts and same journeys. I mean, they proved themselves.”

“I want to thank those women for paving the way to get me where I am,” lower Elizabeth Lavin said. “I think things have definitely changed over time, but there are some elements that don’t go away.”

Upper Naisha Deora feels similarly. “I think these efforts have long-lasting impacts in what the community is shaped into today – where people are not afraid to speak up about where they see double standards or injustices.”

Deora elaborated on what resonated with her in the “Her Voice” in Athletics webinar. “Since I run track, what Ms. Herney said about the track team stood out to me. She spoke about how the coach at the time had no different expectations from girls than he did from the boys. 

“This mindset resonated with me and I am grateful that our current coach thinks the same way,” Deora continued.

Senior Nina Wheeldreyer compared Marden’s time as a member of the girls’ crew team to her own. “So many of the experiences both in boats and the boathouse sounded so similar to the ones I’ve had in my time at Exeter,” Wheeldreyer said. “It’s so crazy how so much has changed since Ms. Marden was a student yet the core of rowing, the drive, the teamwork, and the bonding stays the same.”

Lavin believed past ideas on gender roles still influence sports teams today. “Obviously we don’t have a lot of co-ed sports, a lot of co-ed practices,” she said. “We still have a couple of sports that are just boys. Some elements of the separation between girls and guys in the idea that, ‘Guys are supposed to be stronger and better than you’ is one I definitely still hear a lot.”

“I think many people related to much of what was said in the assembly, and that makes me feel sad,” senior Maegan Paul said. “All athletes have potential to be great regardless of their gender or race, and it's incredibly disappointing that there is still so much inequity happening on nearly every level for sports….we still have work to do to ensure that all teams are getting the same respect and experience.”

Although the assembly hinted at the work ahead, senior Erin McCann also noted an uplifting theme of confidence in the panelists’ discussion. “I related to how the panelist all gained confidence outside of sports by playing on a team at Exeter,” she said. “I hope that girls will continue to gain confidence and a sense of community through playing team sports.”

Girls basketball and field hockey coach Katie Brule recalled her experience playing basketball in college. “In college, the packed stands faded during my games while the men’s games drew rowdy crowds, even on a Tuesday night. That was hard to see as a player and as a team, especially one that struggled for each win,” Brule said.

Brule shared her vision for the future of female athletics. “Where conversations about the GOAT [greatest of all time] aren’t a debate over Tom Brady or Michael Jordan—they’re about Serena Williams and Simone Biles, and athletes of all genders. I hope to see young girls embrace competition and aggression and speed and strength without fear of labels, simply because they love the sport,” she said.

Deora also expressed, “My hope for girls participating in sports as a whole is that cultural and societal views will not hinder them like they don’t hinder men.”

Prep Sydney Anderson said, “I think coeducation has progressed since when it started 50 years ago. I’m sure it isn’t perfect, but I’m not worried about me being a girl having a negative impact on my education here.”

Bunnell noted that although great progress has been made, there are still more changes to be made. “Boys will just put down female athletes and say things like, ‘Oh, you're a girl. You can't do that.’ A lot of people make jokes like that when it shouldn’t be joked about, and then other people just laugh it off, too,” she said. 

Upper Kaitlyn Flowers shared her views on the social expectations placed on women. “I want the girls at Exeter to feel like they can hang with the guys in a workout or race,” Flowers said. “There should be a camaraderie [that] would allow us to push each other to become faster and stronger. And I want to see girls approach sport with toughness, even if society has classified that toughness as masculine. That grit is our greatest asset when pushing ourselves in a workout or through various setbacks.”