Coaching Girls

Jordan is well coached. A solid outfielder, she hits like one of the boys because her coach never forgets she’s a girl.

In pre-season practice, coach Craig Griffen caught himself discriminating. He began to treat Jordan differently than her boy teammates and she began to respond. “Something about the yelling. Girls seem to like to talk about things quietly. They don’t respond when I bark at them,” says Griffen.

Some experts say on the playing field boys and girls learn differently. With girls, coaches must convey the competitive spirit more quietly. As girls get older, coaches need to reinforce that girls can be tough strong and feminine. “Otherwise they start to see themselves as the women you see in magazines, they want to be like that and feel like it’s not cool to be an athlete,” says Lisa Ardery, a girls soccer coach.

In the real game, girls like Jordan don’t want to be treated differently. “Because it shows I’m weaker and they’re already making fun of me on that point just because I’m a girl.” Still, boys and girls may be equal, but they are not the same. Parents should remember a good coach can mean the difference between a foul ball and a home run, when daughters step up to the plate.

What Parents Should Know

Active participation in sports is not only a source of recreation for children, but also an avenue for learning. Developing patience, learning cooperation, and increasing self-esteem are just a few of the benefits that kids get from sports. Those characteristics are needed by both boys and girls, but with the higher percentage of boys involved in sports, is it possible that girls are missing out on some of the opportunities that contribute to a girl’s success.

Dr. Donna Lopiano, Executive Director for the Women’s Sports Foundation, states in an article she wrote, that many women are at a disadvantage in the workplace because they are not familiar with many of the “written and unwritten rules” of organizations that are influenced by sports models. For example, men are taught at a young age while participating in sports, “the illusion of confidence”, or in more common terms, never let them see you sweat.

As women move into executive level positions it is likely that more feminine approaches will begin to influence organizational structure and behavior. In the meantime, it is wise for parents to encourage girls to learn the rules of the game.