Date: Fri 14-Mar-1997

Publication: Bee

Author: KIMH

Quick Words:

Girls-In-Boys'-Sports

Full Text:

Girls In Boys Sports - Kim Harmon

B Y K IM J. H ARMON

With the advent of Title IX, high school athletics has become as equal as it

can, providing the same opportunities for the girls as it does for the boys,

but there are times when some opportunities simply don't exist and the gender

line between male and female sports becomes blurred.

Female swimmers, in particular, are afforded the chance to compete on the

boys' teams in the winter if, in the fall when the girls' teams compete, the

swimmers participate in some other sport, like soccer. And then there are

those times when there are no opportunities for girls - like in football and

wrestling and golf - other than competing with the boys.

The actual phenomena, girls competing with boys, is not unusual in itself. The

rarest instance, perhaps, occurred on the Kennedy High School football team in

Waterbury, where the Eagles boasted a female placekicker. Then there are the

less rare instances of girls joining wrestling teams and the far more common

instances of girls swimming on the boys' teams (the Joel Barlow boys' swim

team, in fact, is primarily all girls).

The gender line has been blurred before, but it hasn't really gotten blurry

here in Newtown.

Back in 1981, Mary Ann Roberts played for the junior varsity boys' soccer team

and in 1983, Patty Hensel (now Patty Powers) played for the varsity boys'

soccer team. This, though, was before the inception of the girls' soccer

program in 1984.

And back in 1993-94, Antonia Militano competed for one season on the wrestling

team.

But in 1996-97, the gender line at Newtown High School got blurry enough that

no one could see it.

The boys' swim team welcomed one new swimmer, Tara Fiscella, and one new

diver, Alyssa Von Oy, both of whom played soccer in the fall, when the girls'

swim team competes. The wrestling team, meanwhile, welcomed a sophomore to its

jayvee ranks, Amanda Morici, a field hockey player in the fall and softball

player in the spring.

And it has been a positive experience all around.

New Swimmers

For Tara Fiscella, the experience of competing with the boys was not exactly a

new one. As a freshman, she played for coach Jim Casagrande on the golf team,

competing in four varsity matches (50.25 average) and scoring once with a low

of 45.

And she was not new to swimming, after years competing with the Newtown FAST

swim program.

But this . . . this was new.

"You know," she said, "it really wasn't that awkward at first. The guys

treated me very nicely."

And while she might have been a bit apprehensive at first - "I never thought

I'd make it through the whole season," she said. "The practices were tough." -

things smoothly out rather quickly and Tara became a solid member of the

Nighthawks.

"I came in thinking I'd swim a relay here or there," she said. "I never

thought I'd make an impact."

But the way coach Brian Reiff sees it, "she is one of the people who upgraded

the quality of our depth. She was the type of swimmer we needed and she had a

work ethic that didn't take a back seat to anybody on the team. She had that

non-quitters' mentality."

Tara - who would have joined the swim team as a freshman if she knew she could

- became invaluable to the Nighthawks with her presence, especially, in the

butterfly and individual medley, backing up the front line swimmers and

scoring the second-, third- and fourth-place points.

Another person who became invaluable to coach Reiff was Alyssa Von Oy, who,

despite having no diving experience whatsoever, helped the Nighthawks craft

the best 1-2 diving punch in the South-West Conference.

Alyssa had the tools to dive, but she picked them up in gymnastics. It wasn't

until she was persuaded by tri-captain Adam Peck and physical education

teacher Joanne Johnson that she could use those tools to become a successful

diver that she joined the team.

"(Being on the boys' team) didn't bother me in the beginning," Alyssa said,

"because I knew some of the kids on the team. They really made me feel

welcome."

Still, she wasn't convinced what sort of impact she would have.

"I didn't expect to be that high up in the scores and ability," she admitted.

"I actually expected to be one of the worst divers. I didn't think I'd be an

impact at all."

Coach Reiff didn't know what to expect, either, but what he knows now is,

"where (Alyssa) started to where she finished the season has to be the best

improvement of any swimmer on the team. It says a lot about the kind of kid

she is. I give her a lot of credit for rising up and finishing fifth at the

SWCs."

Alyssa, who played junior varsity soccer this past fall, didn't waste much

time before she transposed the types of skills she learned in gymnastics to

the diving boards and - while quickly qualifying herself for the CIAC state

meet - became a perfect compliment to star sophomore diver, Kyle McCullough.

"Alyssa is talented enough that when she is working on something," said coach

Reiff, "it really comes out nice. She performs dives that are at a really high

level."

Tara and Alyssa have both helped the Nighthawks soar to their highest level in

21 years - a 13-3 record and third-place finish at the SWC championship meet.

Now all coach Reiff hopes is that they are allowed to return to the team.

Movement Afoot

The CIAC allows girls to participate on boys' teams only when there is no

girls' team available or when the female athlete participates in a different

sport when the girls' team is available.

Both Alyssa and Tara play soccer in the fall, when the girls' swim season is

underway.

Apparently, though, there is a movement afoot to abolish that rule and force

athletes like Alyssa and Tara to choose between one sport and another.

"I'm pretty upset," said Alyssa. "Diving is really fun for me and so is soccer

and I don't want to have to give up either one."

Tara added, "I'm frustrated because I love to swim and I'm thinking about

working and getting better and better and it's upsetting because I really feel

like I'm a part of the team."

Coach Reiff confirmed that the rumor persists, but what brought such a

movement about - such as abuses in the system - he is unsure about. Officials

from the CIAC did not return phone calls at press time.

To be sure, Alyssa and Tara will be keeping an eye on the developments.

As will their teammates.

On The Mat

While girls have been competing with boys for some time on the soccer field,

football field, or in the pool, few of the more obvious concerns have been

raised.

Except when it comes to wrestling.

Because of the nature of the sport, the close quarters grappling, concerns

have been raised and sometimes they have been vehement. A story that ran in a

Waterbury newspaper spotlighted girls on the Holy Cross High School wrestling

team and detailed the concerns that coaches, fellow wrestlers, and even

referees had about the idea.

Some coaches, apparently, secretly pray that no girls try out for their team.

Fellow male wrestlers have found themselves very uncomfortable with the

prospect of grappling with a girl. And some referees have claimed they refuse

to officiate matches where a girl is involved.

None of that stuff, however, seems to have infiltrated the Newtown High School

wrestling camp.

That's where Amanda Morici, a sophomore, plied her trade this winter for the

junior varsity team.

"I was really nervous at the captains' practice," Amanda admitted. "I didn't

know how the guys would react to me."

Although her parents raised some of those same concerns, Amanda - who played

basketball last winter but was persuaded to become a wrestler by her friend

and neighbor, Paul Giarratano - tried out for the team, became a jayvee, and

did well enough to earn the respect of her fellow teammates.

"At first I thought she was doing it for a joke and that really made me mad,"

said Darryl Newman, "and when I found out she was serious about it, it really

wasn't a big deal. She really did take it seriously, she improved a lot, she

got better and she really cared. I'd be happy if she came back next year."

Amanda had no expectations this season and just one goal - " . . . to pin one

person, just one person," she said - and achieved that in the third or fourth

match of the season.

She finished up 5-7. Or in other words, she "retired" five guys. Apparently

the stigma of losing to a girl might be enough that the vanquished wrestlers

wouldn't want to return to practice the next day.

"I felt bad about some of that," said Amanda, "but they are in my weight class

and I still think it's pretty equal."

And everything being equal, Newtown High School has forged a new frontier this

winter as three girls not only competed with the boys on a level playing

field, but they competed well.