As I watched the puck dart across the ice during the first game of the high school season, I marvelled–along with the other players on the ice–at the speed, aggression and my teammate’s ability to keep everyone in the rink engaged, something I had only ever witnessed in professional games.
I began playing ice hockey at age nine and for five of my six years playing, I strictly played on an all-girls team. This year, for the first time, I am not only playing for a travel, AA level, all-girls team but also for the Rockville/Magruder (RAM) team.
The reason I decided to join RAM is because they have had other girls on the team before, and these girls recommended for me to join. Teammates on my all-girls team also play for their high school teams and speak very highly of it.
I believe that playing on a coed team is beneficial for all female athletes. Playing against faster, more forceful competition can grow stamina and allow female players to advance their skill set.
RAM is a consolidation of players from many schools, including CESJDS. I am the only girl on RAM, so I both practice with and play against boys of all high school ages at the varsity level.
Being on a team that is otherwise all boys has been an outlet for me to step out of my comfort zone and grow as a person and player. My time on the team has truly been an eye opening experience, both negatively and positively.
While I appreciate all that I have gained and learned from being on the team, such as independence and self sufficiency, being the only girl definitely has its downsides. I am constantly isolated from my teammates, as it is physically difficult to keep up with the guys who are generally bigger than me, and socially hard for me to be a part of their group.
The camaraderie and sense of friendship I find on my all-girls team is an aspect that is quite lacking on the boys team. Nonetheless, I do prefer the speed and intensity of the games when I am playing with boys.
I especially like when I can implement what I’ve learned on RAM to my travel team, allowing for me to excel and stand out with new speed and confidence. This is a large reason why I believe coed sports are important, especially when considering playing professionally.
According to the Arizona Canyon Athletic Association, a large benefit of coed sports is that they largely increase sportsmanship and mutual respect between genders.
Women’s leagues usually have different sets of rules and regulations that prevent them from being as aggressive and rough as men. In hockey, a large portion of the game is fighting and using your body against opponents. However, in female hockey leagues, there are policies preventing girls from using the full extent of their power. For example, girls are not able use their torsos to check, but rather must use their arms. While there is not a specific reason for these policies, many believe it is because according to the UPenn School of Medicine, women are more susceptible to head injuries.
Many people believe that women and girls should not be allowed to play ice hockey with men because of safety concerns and checking legalities. However, according to the National Institutes of Health, there are the same amount of risks on both teams to the players, just different types and severities of injuries.
Girls should play coed sports at least once so that they learn how to apply their skills with a new set of people, in a more competitive setting. Once girls go back to their travel teams, they can use the skills they learn on the coed teams, allowing them to stand out and surpass their opponents.
