10 April 2012

Title Nine Indeed

Softball season for Zoe started up this week and it really got me thinking.

I never played softball.  I never played any sports really.  OK I swam when I was younger, but if you blinked, you might have missed my high school career.  As a young girl I took ballet, but it wasn't strange that I didn't do any other sports when I was older.  None of my friends played sports.  There were some "jock" girls in high school that impressed/scared the hell out of me, but I never even considered I could actually play any of the sports they played.

These days girls can play every sport under the sun and in most cases it seems like our local high school has a team for it.  In elementary schools girls can start playing soccer, basketball, softball and lacrosse through the town leagues.  That did not exist at all when I was a kid.  To be clear these girls on the teams are all kinds of girls -- from the kind that wear pink and hang up Justin Bieber posters to the kind that wear their brother's clothes -- not just the "jocks."  It seems like most girls play at least one sport.

I think because it is something that was so completely incomprehensible to me at her age it gives me a real thrill to see Zoe out there playing basketball, field hockey, softball and even just tag with her friends.  She looks so confident and natural out on the field/court/playground.  I love seeing her in a uniform all sweaty and involved in the game and then smiling and laughing with her friends.  I love how she feels about playing games or sports.  I'm jealous of all that physical confidence and I hope it lasts her entire life.


2 comments:

Emily Barton said...

She's tough, but can I still say, she's so cute?! I promise not to say that cute bit as soon as she turns 12 (at least, not publicly). Like you, I never dreamed of playing or being able to play sports (didn't even have a "blink and you miss it" moment). Let's hope Zoe hangs on to that enthusiasm (gotta get her through that horrible middle school stage, although I have confidence she'll be a girl who comes through that with self esteem -- and sports trophies -- in tact).

ZoesMom said...

Emily - yes of course you can still say she's cute. I think she looks cutest when all outfitted for one of her sports. I hope you're right about her getting through middle school!