Girls Sports and The Trailblazers of the Past

Heather Byrne
Staff Writer 
   “Today, do what others won’t so tomorrow you can accomplish what others can’t.” — Simone Biles, Gymnast. Every year, National Girls and Women in Sports Day is on a different day of the year, this year the holiday was February 1st. A few female sports that are currently being practiced at Bonneville High School include basketball, cheerleading, volleyball, softball, competitive and ballroom dancing, and the newest, wrestling. Wrestling is the fastest growing women’s sport in America according to The Register Herald. Currently on the girls wrestling team, three of Bonneville’s girls are ranked amongst the top six in the state, although the team as a whole is not currently ranked. According to Maxpreps.com, the BHS girl’s basketball team is currently ranked 69th in the state of Idaho, just below Nampa’s Columbia High School and just above McCall-Donnelly High School. In Addition, Bonneville’s cheerleading team took first place at state during the 2021-2022 school year and have been placing at tournaments ever since. The cheerleaders are district champions this year and will be competing at nationals. Not only are our cheerleaders hard workers, but with softball tryouts coming up, many of Bonneville’s softball players are preparing for their upcoming season by weightlifting. Last year, the team’s score was 13-9; thirteen being wins and nine being losses. BHS is not the first and only place where women’s sports were practiced.
  According to Brittanica.com, croquet was the first sport in the Olympics to be played by women in 1900. Although croquet was one of few female inclusive sports, in 1926 female swimmer Gertrude Ederle competed in the long-distance swimming competition and beat the male record by around two hours. Two years later, Sonja Henie earned a gold medal in figure skating, and changed the sport entirely by adding ballet moves into her routine. Another female athlete became famous in 1932. Babe Didrikson participated in many separate Olympic track and field events and went on to compete in other Olympic sports, becoming a revolutionary athlete for women’s sports. A decade later, a woman named Fanny Blankers-Koen took home four Olympic gold medals in track and field events and was the first woman to do so. Not only was Koen a dedicated athlete, but she was also a mom to two kids and a wife to Jan Blankers. Koen also had a well-known nickname from those who were not so impressed by her balance of her personal life and career. She was known as “The Flying Housewife” because many believed at the time that she was not diligent enough in her home life and should not have been participating in sports with a family at home. 
  Thanks to women like Gertrude Ederle, Sonja Henie, Babe Didrikson, and Fanny Blankers-Koen, women’s sports flourish and are a welcomed activity for ladies to participate in. Women’s and Girl’s Sports Day is a reminder that women can be just as skilled as men in the sporting world, and honors all who have spoken up for the rights of female athletes. 

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