Girl power unleashed: Title X needed so boys can catch back up

Title X - Enough already, girls, you win! I go back to the days before Title IX and equalization of opportunities for women in sports – actually the law covers civil rights issues as well, so AP physics better have some women at the bunsen burners. I remember the low expectations period of women’s sports and never thought much about it one way or the other. The best girl I ever saw play basketball and roller skate was Bobbi Chamberlain, who at 73 drives a school bus for Neshaminy High School and can still take a younger lunch lady to the hoop. But in all seriousness, I was watching the Cape girls’ soccer team scrimmage Appoquinimink March 14 and thought, “Look at all these athletic young women speeding up and down the field, and they don’t even use their hands.” Blend them in with the girls’ lacrosse team (both sports with a net and goalie) and it makes you wonder just how deep is this talent pool? And more than 85 percent of these athletes are on the first honor roll. Speaking of equalization laws, Title IX only flows in one direction, so even if girls’ sports were receiving more money and uniforms, perhaps coach buses, and the boys didn’t, it just doesn’t matter. It’s tough darts, Ace, get better with less, just like the women had to do. Are there more opportunities at the next level for women? Probably not, but actually yes. Cape women have won 17 state titles in lacrosse, field hockey and track since 2009. Comparing boys to girls in sports is totally unfair, especially when the girls win more championships.

Waxed, buffed and polished - Cape girls’ lacrosse will host the Mid Atlantic Play Day Saturday, March 17. It is billed as the best play day in the country, which is a safe claim because most states in the country don’t have teams. But the Vikings, under the direction of coach P.J. Kesmodel and carried forward by coach Lindsay Eichner, don’t hesitate to go looking for trouble and sometimes get smacked down for their efforts. The Vikings will scrimmage St. Stephen’s & St. Agnes School at 9 a.m. at Champions Stadium. The Saints were 27-2 last year and are a Top 5 program nationally. Cape scrimmages Glenelg at 2 p.m. The Gladiators were 20-0 last year and also somewhere in the Top 7 in the country. Cape catches a break in the middle, scrimmaging Bel Air at 11 a.m. The Bobcats were merely 15-4 last season. 

Reasons to quit - The Willie Nelson and Merle Haggard drinking song “Reasons to Quit” is funny if you think drunks and hangovers are funny, “reasons for quittin’ don’t outnumber all the reasons why not to.” I thought of this leading into four days of nonstop March Madness basketball. I don’t drink anymore, not since another lyric in the song helped describe me, “the reasons for quittin’ are getting bigger each day.” Imagine the fun if you don’t have a drinking problem: four straight days of basketball, beer and schnapps kicked by pizza and hoagies, never leaving the house. You don’t have a drinking problem, you have a basketball problem. But Pop Pop don’t preach!

Cover band - I’m a cover Fredman. I have often said, “I cover high school; I’m not in high school.” The community went full boat whack last week, with adults going back to high school in their minds, speculating, postulating and evaluating who is walking out for what reasons. I just stayed clear of it all, because I’m not in high school – I just write about it. And I’ve been unrelentingly out there doing it across three generations. “Hey, Fredman, you coached my grandfather. Man, how old are you?”

Snippets - Hilary Merlo, Cape Class of 2009, was a team captain in field hockey, swimming and lacrosse. I don’t know if there have been other three-sport captains, so I don’t want to throw any names out there. The All-Henlopen Conference Northern Division first team for boys’ basketball was Ian Robertson and Randy Rickards of Cape, Caleb Matthews of Smyrna, Shaft Clark of Caesar Rodney and Jaquan Burton of Sussex Tech. The All-Henlopen Conference Northern Division first team for girls was Kylie Lucas of Caesar Rodney, Sydney Pedersen of Cape, Jayla Smith of Smyrna, Janiya Stevens of Sussex Tech and Yaa Afriyie of Polytech. DIAA went Slam Dunk to the Beach and eliminated Cape’s Randy Rickards from any all-state and Top 15 postseason honors. DIAA was ready to bring down the hammer if Cape had allowed Rickards to play in the tournament after missing a game while suspended. And that’s cool, except nobody knew that. Go on now, git!