Look out boys, here come the girls

by Amy Heaton

Hockey and wrestling are two sports that people generally associate with male dominance. This winter at B-CC, several girls are testing that generality.

Wrestling is a sport that requires a lot of strength, speed, and technical skills. Carla Amaya (11) is the only girl on the team, and she feels that though she is not quite as physically strong as the boys, she has developed the technical skill and speed to be a good challenger to the barons’ opponents. It is her second year on the team, and she has enjoyed the experience immensely.

It can be strange for her when the rest of the boys are weighing in, but the different and unique experience is why she joined the team in the first place. She also had friends who were girls on the team in the past who encouraged her to join and who she looked up to. “I was looking for scholarship opportunities, and the girls who had been on the team before were really inspiring,” says Amaya.

One of the parts that Carla has liked most about the team is the friends she has made. The boys on the team joke with her about being a girl, but when she gets out on the mat, “they are very supportive and encouraging.” Being on the wrestling team has also helped her get past the gender barrier, which a lot of teens have difficulty with once they leave high school.

Keeping up with the guys can be tough, but she works on her conditioning and speed especially since the boys have more strength than her. But the thing that Carla says is most important is, “if you have the heart, it just works.”

On the hockey team, the female presence is a little more distinguished. There are four girls on the team; Caitlyn McCarty (11), Mae Frawley(12), Lauren Yesner (12), and Moria Anthony (12). Both Frawley and McCarty had played for Montgomery County for several years, but had to join the B-CC team after the Montgomery County team was dissolved.

They try to be just as tough as the boys, but sometimes that is difficult because of the physical advantage the boys have over them. Though the boys on the other team try to be careful not to be too rough on them, the girls still get banged up a bit. When they get hit, they can always rely on their male teammates to stand up for them, since it is harder for them to hit back.

The girls on the hockey team have had the opportunity to bond with each other due to their unique situation. “Playing a sport often thought of a guys sport is awesome because you always get that shock value when you tell someone that you play,” says Frawley. They have the best of both worlds- they don’t get beat up too much but they still get to play the sport they love and make good friends in the process.

From the wrestling team to the hockey team, girls have had great involvement in sports that not long ago had the mindset of “no girls allowed.” Thanks to these girls who defied odds, both teams had successful seasons. Good job, lady barons!