Barbara Morrison
Editor-in-Chief

This is the third article in a series on the dynamics of girls’ sports teams. The first two articles can be found here, and here.

A looming question in the discussion about the divisions among players on girls’ sports teams is where these divides and dysfunctions arise from. Is it a result of social issues at school? Are they fostered at an earlier age on club and travel teams? Is it simply a result of the nature of female athletes?

Girls’ Varsity Basketball coach and former Girls’ JV Volleyball coach, Russ Coward feels that poor dynamics arise from preexisting divisions. As for these divisions, he points towards club and travel teams.

“They [town travel teams] are so good at getting the girls to play but that means the pressure to make the team starts earlier,” said Coward.

He also explained that in order to continue improving off season, there is pressure to join club teams that cost a lot of money. Then, bonds are formed on those club teams and girls on their school teams who did not play club feel left out.

He also said that he has seen his players let feuds and friendships from school affect their games.

“I have seen situations where girls did not pass to other players because they weren’t friends off the court,” said Coward.

A senior varsity volleyball player who prefers to remain anonymous said that the coach’s treatment of girls on the team also fosters divisions. She said that when coaches have favorites- who they “are always talking to before practice…they don’t yell at them for mistakes”- it creates friction between players.

Senior varsity volleyball player, Loraine Harhen, echoed this idea. When talking about poor dynamics she had seen as a player she said that her coach “has a different relationship with the girls who are benched” but “seems [to be] friends with all the girls who start.”

Coward said that while he tries to avoid causing more friction on his team with the way he interacts with players, it is difficult.

“I can say I try to treat everybody equally but I don’t know if I achieve that,” said Coward.

Varsity Girls’ Cheerleading coach, Josh Vadala has seen divisions and poor dynamics ruin a team’s performance, and says that it stemmed from jealousy after one player was singled out.

He said that when there is competition within the team, instead of with the opposing team, there will be problems.

“[coaches] need to make a conscious effort not to single anyone out,” Vadala said.

The anonymous varsity volleyball player expressed similar sentiments when speaking about cliques on the Girls’ Varsity Volleyball team.

“[Coach Maria Henderson is] always encouraging us to fight for our spots. It’s hard to get along when we want to beat out our teammates for limited spots,” she said.

For one senior three-season athlete, the attitudes of her fellow teammates contribute to divisions and the feeling that she is left out on her teams. This athlete says that homophobia on teams can make it difficult for many players.

“We had a team boyfriend that everyone talked about. It was an obsession for everyone on the team but me- so I was the outsider,” said the three-season athlete who prefers to remain anonymous to avoid outing herself.

“I’ve always felt a little ostracized…being on sports teams definitely doesn’t make me want to come out,” she said.

Both coaches Coward and Vadala see these problems of dynamics more on their girls’ teams than they do on the boys’ teams.

“Boys seem to be able to separate the athletic and the emotional a little bit better than the girls do,” said Vadala.

Senior athlete Rachel Socolow, who plays varsity field hockey, hockey, and lacrosse, agreed with Vadala’s observation. She said that having played on a boys’ sports team, she can see the differences in how teammates interact.

“When I played on a boys’ football team they were very focused on their sport- nothing else was important while they were there,” said Socolow.

She also said that this focus on the athletic rather than the social increases, despite gender, as the level of skill increases. According to Socolow, girls’ sports may have more issues with dynamics because they are not as developed and respected as boys’ sports teams.

To some, it makes sense that boys would have an easier time at seperating the social and athletic realm due to notions that boys are less emotional.

“It makes sense that boys should be physical while girls…are social,” said Socolow.

Vadala also said that he saw the difference in ability to manage dynamics for boys and girls to be a natural occurance.

Perhaps, though, the mere expectation that boys are physical and girls are emotional is what creates these distinct differences between the sexes in the first place. If there was not the expectation that all boys will hide their feelings and all girls will care more about social connections than about athletics, maybe the differences in team dynamics would even out.

In fact, there are many ideas about what coaches, parents, players, and even whole communities can do to improve the dynamics on girls’ sports teams to be healthy and to better support the amazing talent these athletes have. Solutions and strategies for the future will be discussed in the next and final installment of this series.