Westfield sports have a fearsome reputation; WHS teams constantly make headlines as county, section and state champs. Practically every team is known for its success — boys and girls. Yet, there exists a significant problem in how girls teams from every sport are supported by their peers.
As a member of the girls basketball team, I experience this firsthand. I’ve almost accepted that large, exciting crowds won’t be a consistent part of my high school athletic experience. Have I experienced a packed, energetic crowd? Yes. Often? No. This shouldn’t be the case. It is time for the WHS community to come together and support girls sports the same way they support boys sports.
It was a cold, sunny Saturday morning in January. My team was set to play at 11 a.m. with the boys team to follow: a classic doubleheader. We were playing the seventh ranked team in the state, Chatham, and I remember feeling both anxious and prepared; all we had to do was play our game, no pressure. I didn’t anticipate this would be the game I remember most from my high school basketball career.
Fans trickled in. Among them were Westfield and Chatham parents, some friends, and, of course, the boys team. They were our biggest supporters throughout the season. Some seats were filled, but the gym didn’t feel full. By the end, though, the gym was packed with people. The reason? Our game lasted four overtimes.
Fans who came to watch the boys play after us began to fill the gym. Seats ran out; students were crowding the snack stand, practically overflowing onto the court. We ended up losing 55-61 in the fourth overtime, but that’s not what I remember about that game. I remember the atmosphere. At that moment, I didn’t care that those fans weren’t at our game for us. They were there, they became invested and, as athletes, we fed off the crowd. It’s part of the reason we played as well as we did. It was unlike anything I had ever experienced.
And it’s something I’m worried I will never experience again.
I attended both the girls and boys soccer county final games. The difference in student turnout was glaring. The stands only filled up by the end of the girls game and I assume that’s because some of my peers only wanted good seats for the boys game.
WHS athletes from every team and sport — boys and girls — deserve to feel supported. But too often, girls teams go unnoticed and unsupported even when they have a lot of success. It is time to make a change: Go to Tamaques Park after school and watch a girls tennis match; travel to Kean to cheer on girls volleyball; watch the entire girls soccer county final.
The most memorable moment of my high school athletic career is not winning the state sectional last season; it’s a regular season game on a random Saturday morning.
Undeniable energy and support from the fans is something every athlete at WHS deserves to feel. It is the student body’s responsibility to ensure this becomes a reality for every team.