A CHANCE TO SHOW WHAT THEY CAN DO
On March 26, Y-Press will focus on the mothers of Martinsville and Western players, and their thoughts on youth opportunities today.
"Basketball: Men invented it; women perfected it."
Girls playing and following women's sports believe this saying, which is posted in many girls locker rooms.
Y-Press recently interviewed two girls basketball teams to find out about the motivations and opportunities that exist for young female athletes.
First, we interviewed five girls from the Martinsville High School team: Erin Fields, 17; Meghan Ruesch, 16; Anna Hall, 16; Allison Harris, 16; and Danielle Mitchell, 15.
Then Y-Press visited Western High School in Russiaville and interviewed seven girls on the varsity basketball team there: Ashley Hayes, 14; Aimee Trost, 17; Lauren Burns, 17; Gayle Lukes, 17; Jennifer Felix, 17; Erin Ring, 16; and Betsy Burkholder, 15.
The following are excerpts from those discussions.
Getting started
LAUREN: Both of my parents played in high school, and ever since I was little it has always been something that has been around.
JENNIFER: My dad got me and my sisters into it, and my older sister also played it, and I thought it looked like a lot of fun.
GAYLE: I played with my dad a lot when I was little, and we had a little play basketball hoop, and that's how I got started.
ANNA: When I was 5, my brother always played basketball. He's a couple of years older and I always looked up to him. I went to all his games, and instead of being a cheerleader for him, I always wanted to go out and play with him. So when I got older, I decided I wanted to be athletic.
ERIN FIELDS: I starting liking -- loving -- basketball probably in fifth grade. I loved playing because I was with my friends, and that's a big reason why I still play.
Equality
ASHLEY: At games, the guys get more fans than we do, and the media hypes up the guys' games more than ours.
BETSY: I think a lot of it has to do with that the boys games are on Friday and Saturday nights and people kind of go there to hang out. I also think girls sports have been getting more publicity than they have been.
AIMEE: More people are starting to come to girls' games because they realize that girls can play.
ALLISON: In Martinsville, we have a town paper, and they (cover) both the boys' and girls' sports equally. We have our own show on TV. Things are basically pretty even.
MEGHAN: At our school, sometimes the guys and girls joke around with each other about the sport they play and stuff. But we all respect each other, and I have never really been discriminated against.
The WNBA
ASHLEY: It will give girls around the state who also love basketball a closer team to watch.
LAUREN: I think it gives girls confidence, so they don't have to quit after college -- they can strive to be awesome.
ERIN F.: I think it's really, really good that we have professional women's basketball players. Most women who wanted to be in a professional sport would have to go to a different country, and that's just (unfair).
DANIELLE: Now that we have the WNBA, women can prove that we're good, too, and men don't always rule.
ANNA: I think it's great. Women used to be ridiculed for being too macho and too athletic, and now children can look up to them.
The future
DANIELLE: In 10 years, I'll probably still be in college, 'cause I'm working on becoming an athletic trainer. Either that or be a coach of some kind.
GAYLE: I'll be finished after this year, because I'm a senior. When I go to college, I'm going to be focusing on soccer.
ASHLEY: I would love to play in college, but I'm not sure I'll get the opportunity. I still have four years of high school to go.
ASSISTANT EDITOR: Mike Leaming, 16.
REPORTERS: Christine Beyer, 10; Xixi Hohman, 13; Andrea Phillips, 11; and Morgyn Purdy, 11.