With a new year beginning at Berkeley High School, fall sports are in full swing. Of the many athletic programs open to all BHS students, girls flag football and field hockey have been gaining popularity. 2023 was the inaugural year for girls flag football at BHS. This year, so many players tried out for both field hockey and flag football that two teams were needed to accommodate for these numbers.
The number of women in sports has been steadily increasing. Not only is this apparent in the BHS community, but it is a worldwide trend. Half of the over 10,000 athletes competing in the 2024 Paris Olympics were female. This marks a large shift compared to 1900, when women represented approximately two percent of all athletes in the Olympics.
There are various reasons for this trend at BHS. These factors are specific to each individual athlete. Some girls may be attempting to get conditioning for other sports, some may be curious to try these relatively new sports, and others might want to meet new people and be a part of a community at school.
Mire Vu-Beavers, a BHS sophomore, said, “I was inspired to join field hockey because I wanted to play another team sport to improve my athleticism. I also wanted to be a part of another team sport to meet new people.” Vu-Beavers, who has been playing lacrosse for six years, felt comfortable being in a team environment. “The girls are all super sweet,” Vu-Beavers said. “And the older girls definitely are role models to the freshman, sophomores, and people who have never played before.”
Katherine Howarth, a BHS sophomore on the girls flag football team explained why she felt encouraged to join the team.
“I wanted to be a part of another community at school,” Howarth said. “I’ve met so many new people and I’m excited for the rest of the season.”
Howarth had not played for a flag football team before, but she did have previous experience handling a football. “I’ve always played football with my dad,” Howarth said. “So I thought it would be a good way to keep playing but have another team to do that with.”
Whitney Borovicka, a BHS junior and a new transfer student at BHS, thought joining flag football would be a good way to acclimate to a new school. Borovicka plays both lacrosse and soccer, so having a broad range of experiences with team sports made joining a new team less daunting for her. “It’s definitely introduced me to people that I wouldn’t have encountered without the sport,” Borovicka said.
Speaking on the positive outcome of branching out and trying a new sport with a new team, Borovicka shared, “We have a great team dynamic, which is great because a lot of us didn’t know each other before.”
Both womens’ field hockey and flag football are available to any athletes that want to give the sports a try and attend tryouts at the start of the school year. Having developed womens’ sports teams and programs helps to creates more positive experiences for an increasing number of female students at BHS. The impact is not just the athletic aspect; being a part of these teams goes beyond the field for many. Female athletes are gaining the opportunity to learn lifelong skills such as teamwork, leadership and self-confidence, all while finding a sense of community within such a large school and while spending time playing a sport they enjoy.