Welcome to the sixth 2015 column of “The Gender Corner,” published in collaboration with The Anguillian newspaper. We are taking a slight turn this year – still providing thought-provoking and stimulating discussion on gender-related matters – but now focusing on the thoughts and real-life experiences of those in our community. The goal is to break the silence about a range of issues so that we can start building a positive and productive society. This week we look at the topic of girls and sports; hearing first-hand from a 12 year old self-proclaimed “sports lover.” Here is what she has to say:
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My name is Brianna Gumbs and I am 12 years old.
I want to talk to you about sports and girls; mainly about girls doing sports.
Girls should do more sports. I enjoy doing a lot of sports. For example, football, long jump, running and swimming are at the top of my list, but there are lots more.
I believe that Anguilla’s young females can take Anguilla to the Junior Olympics. We can also build ourselves into stronger and better young ladies by doing sports. There are lots of young female athletes on the island that are capable of coming together to make a team. But sometimes I think that there is no one to push them. There are many girls that can do sports but just don’t do them.
Sports can also keep us off the streets and from getting into trouble. When I’m playing sports, I have so many things to do and I’m having fun so I have no time to be on the street. I also think that sports can stop a young girl from getting pregnant at a young age. The sports just keep you busy and happy that you only have time for good things.
At the National Sports Day, there is a shortage of girls at the schools that can do many of the sports activities. More boys always show up and there are a large number of boys that train weekly all year long. I think that the girls should compete against girls in the actual sport competition but when training, everyone should train together. Why not get the girls to train with the boys for the extra push? This would force the girls to train just as fast and as hard as the boys. I know that girls can do just as well as boys in the different sports.
Being good in sports is also a talent. There are many youths on the island that are good at running, football, long jump, swimming, bike riding and much more. We have to get involved in sports so that we can have fun and be healthy. Also, if we don’t do something about all of these talents we have, it can go to waste!
I want every girl to know that sports can make you strong and give you a purpose for your life. Let’s see more girls doing sports!
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If you’d like to contribute your experiences to The Gender Corner, feel free to email Dr. Ronya Foy Connor, Gender Development Coordinator, Ministry of Home Affairs, The Valley, or to Ronya.Foy-Connor@gov.ai. or call at 497-2518.
(Published without editing by The Anguillian newspaper.)
