In an age of coed everything, another area which had beenpredominantly male has been penetrated by females-football.Recently, there have been female students on the varsity footballteams at Ballou and Theodore Roosevelt high schools in the Districtof Columbia. What is your opinion of coed athletics? Do you thinkthat girls should be allowed to compete with boys?
The whistle is blown as the ball is kicked-off. The war beginsas eleven players on each side of the ball battle for control of thegame.
In today's athletics, the outcome remains to be seen, but thequestion is not how the game should be played or why, but who theplayers will be-male or female. Football is a competitive sport, andvery physical; almost bone-crushing. I know, I am a footballplayer, myself. I have played since I was knee-high to a grasshopperand have had only one experience playing against a girl. But thequestion is, do girls have the stamina to play against boys. Someseem to think so.
In my opinion, if a girl has the heart and guts to play, then lether play. The pressure is the hardest thing she will have to face.You don't have to have strength to play football, or any sport. Butyou do have to have the heart to love the game and that leaves itopen to just about anyone. CHUCK LOCKHART Potomac
I think that coed athletics are both unnecessary and ludicrous.Schools have made provisions for different teams for girls and boys.There are sports for girls and sports for boys, both of which shouldbe kept separate. While many girls feel that they should be allowedto participate in any sport they choose, they must realize that insome areas of life, it is necessary to remain within their own realm.This occurs when they realize that some sports simply weren'tintended for girls.
I don't think that girls should be allowed to compete with boyswhen it comes to sports. Competition is perfectly acceptable in anyother area, however coed sports would not benefit either party. HEATHER STOUFFER Osbourn Park
To me, coed sports should be allowed becuase girls and boys andmen and women compete in everyday life together. They compete in thecareer field and in relationships together. Sports are fun things todo and should be shared among both sexes.
'The harder the competition, the better player you will become,'said former basketball coach Ron Davis. He was not referring to coedsports, but I believe the statement applies to coed sports as well.Girls can become better players by playing with boys and boys canlearn a lot by playing with girls.
The only reason sports are not coed is that some people cannothandle a girl being better than he is. I believe that all peoplewere created equal and should have a fair chance at all sports. KENDALL MALLARD Woodbridge
Girls competing with boys? No way!
The line has to be drawn somewhere. Next, the question will be,'Anyone for coed lacker rooms?' Imagine girls playing tackle footballwith boys. How about wrestling?! Anyway, why would girls playsports with boys? They should just form their own teams if they wantto play a sport.
Personally, I think the sports that only boys play should stayonly with the boys. They need something that only they can do andsomething that only they can stand out for doing. I think that'ssports. JENNIFER AYOUB Woodbridge
The demand for coed sports grows daily. More and more males andfemales are beginning to play a wide variety of sports together.
Some individuals are biased. They think sports should stay theway it's been played for years. Football, for example-even thisrough sport has been penetrated by women. I believe that everyperson is entitled to try out for any sport he or she chooses. Nowthe individual should not be judged on whether they are male orfemale, but on how well they perform. If I were a coach and a womanput out more effort and performed better than a man, I would chooseher for the team.
Sports should be open to whoever wants to try out. The peoplechosen shouldn't have to worry about what sex they are, but onlyabout how well they play that sport. GREG WILLIAMSON Osbourn Park
The question of girls competing in predominantly male sports hasbeen very controversil throughout the years. In my opinion, girlsshould have the right to compete with boys. If a girl has what ittakes to be on a predominantly male team, then she should 'go for thegold.'
This is controversial because women have to overcome thehistorically established stereotype of the sweet, petite, caring andphysically weak female. Let's face it, times have changed and soshould the stereotypes. Women of today are astronauts, scientists,political and military leaders, truck drivers and constructionworkers. Why should athletics be so controversial? If a female ison a predominantly male sports team, one could conclude that she isbetter than the best on that team and has proven herself time andagain to have what it takes to be on that team. DEDRA JONES Potomac Students Speakout Topic For January:
In the United States, children are not considered full citizensuntil they reach the 'age of majority' (18th or 21st birthday,depending on the state). Until that age, to a greater or lesserdegree, depending on the age of the student and the state ofresidence, a number of the rights of citizens guaranteed by theConstitution are limited or ignored in many situations. Theseinclude, in addition to the right to vote, a number of the 'Bill ofRights' Amendments: free speech (First Amendment), right to keep andbear arms (Second Amendment), privacy (Fourth Amendment) and dueprocess of law (Fifth Amendment). However, until the age ofmajority, children are not held to be fully responsible for theiractions under the law, are not required to pay taxes or otherwiseserve society (jury duty and military service). Given that veryyoung children are unable to understand and be responsible for therights of citizens, what age do you consider the right age of fullcitizenship?
Responses should be no more than 150 words in length and typed orwritten legibly. We are also interested in receiving political-stylecartoons on the topic. Cartoons should be drawn on posterboard.
Students should submit their responses by January 15 to: Weekly High School Section The Washington Post 1150 15th St. NW Washington, D.C. 20071
Selected responses from each school will be published in Januaryeditions of the Prince William Weekly.
