Wednesday, August 22, 2018

High Schools Should Offer Girls Their Own Golf Teams by Lydia Siipola

Help us spread the word by voicing your support regarding expanding opportunities for high school female athletes who choose golf as their TEAM sport (i.e. TEAM GOLF)

Girls should be able to learn, practice, play & compete with & against their peers when they select golf as their sport and play on a team at the high school level just like the boys do.
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The Womens Sports Foundation (WSF, Billie Jean King's organization ) are unable to assist because there are too many females being discriminated against worldwide and they do not have the staff to assist at the local level. 


  • They wished me good luck and wish to be kept informed.  I will & we can!

  • I believe that the golf issue is not a limited local or New Jersey but a country-wide issue. 

  • I am starting small and affect change one county at a time, starting in my beloved Hunterdon County, New Jersey!

Our immediate actions need to show (and rally) support behind Girls TEAM golf and ADVANCING COMPETITIVE EQUITY.

High school female athletes who choose golf as their team sport deserve to experience playing, practicing and competing on a sports TEAM enjoying its many positive outcomes. 


If these athletes chose basketball, soccer, tennis, softball, swimming, lacrosse, or volleyball (to name a few sports) the female athletes are able to practice, play and compete with and against their peers. 

In New Jersey high school golf, this has historically NOT been the case. 

According to the NJSIAA aka New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association aka The Ruling Body of ALL high school sports in New Jersey) attorney, the following is the reality if a high school only offers a boys golf team: 


  • Girls are allowed on boys teams and must play by boys team rules. 
  • Coed teams do not exist. (I repeat COED golf teams do not exist in the language used by NJSIAA).


  • NJSIAA cannot compel member schools to carry equal gender numbers on rosters and/or play equal numbers of each gender during matches. 




I need your help and others like you in the high school sports world and beyond it.

If you have played a high school sport (girl's or boy's), please consider reading, signing and sharing the petition.

IF you have played college sports (women's or men's), please consider reading, signing and sharing the petition.

If you live in the Hunterdon County Area consider putting a REAL pen to PAPER?


The school district of interest is North Hunterdon-Voorhees Regional School District. http://www.nhvweb.net


Then expanding country-wide with all of your help, of course.

It is about the sport I love and getting more access for ALL females regardless of skill-level or club-affiliation. 


GOOD NEWS

The NJSIAA reconvened the Girls Golf Subcommitteeat their Golf Committee meeting on June 11, 2018 at the request of NJSIAA Golf Committee member Lydia Siipola. 

Okay yes, that IS me. 

It will focus the meeting agenda on issues specific to the sport of girls TEAM golf and expedite decisions regarding the same. 


NEWS THAT NEEDS IMPROVEMENT

 *  There are 311 boys golf teams in NJ. 


 *  There are 81 girls golf teams in NJ.
 

*  Let's look at Hunterdon County 

 5 high schools = 5 varsity boys golf teams + ONE ( 15 years young) varsity girls golf team program 


(Hunterdon Central Regional High School's SANCTIONED Varsity Girls Golf program)

(Inaugural 2004 season under Coach Lydia Siipola)
(checkout sidebar) )