^(P 08 _ ___
______________ Forum
Non-traditional sports
receive little recognition
whether or not the OSAA
are men who have more
recognizes them as a sport.
Staff Reporter
interest in men's sports than
The school sports,
women's, but this doesn't
Football, boys' basketball
except lacrosse
explain why the boys'
and baseball may not be the
which was added
games draw more student
most successful sports teams
spectators.
that West Linn has to offer, but to satisfy Title
IX, are OSAA
\ *
West Linn is not a
they are undeniably the most
sports. Before
one sport school.
highly recognized, followed
the OSAA will
Yes, our Varsity
and attended. These are the
recognize
»
Volleyball Team
most traditional sports in
something
i
y wHMl
has been
America and have been for
as a sport,
Jp
quite some time, but times
over 50
V
are changing and students
percent of
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have developed a wider range
the teams at
A
of interests. Athletes in all
the 6A level M
sports work and devote time
extraordinarily
would have f lK
and effort to training and
successful in the
to have a
JR
competition, but not many
\ past, but that
fl:.'/”’-'
people know about them, or
\ doesn't mean
that
/
sport.
seem to care.
fr'' that when
So, for
The Girls' Rugby Team is
■fct
people
rugby to
one of the most successful
Ip P *
become a
in the nation, but very few
Mr
school sport, over
people know about it. They
50 percent of all the 6A
have won the state title
schools in the sport would
every year since 2004 and
immediately
have
to
have
a
team,
and
then
have been undefeated since
hear the name,
"West
the OSAA would have to
2005. In 2007, the team was
Linn," that they should think
create special districts for the
ranked ninth in the USA. In
only of it. The majority of our
teams.
2008 they were ranked second
sports teams usually make it
Girls' sports teams, as a
in the region.
to playoffs—at least the first
whole,
are
supremely
under
And what about
round. Volleyball averages
recognized in comparison to
Girls'Golf, Boys'
|
about 40 student spectators
boys' sports teams. After Title
Ski Team, and the
g
at the majority of their home
IX passed, which requires
Snowboarding
games. People need to attend
equal funding,
Team? Last year,
lesser known sports as well.
w opportunities
the Girls'Golf
On the day of the volleyball
JP
and recognition playoffs, about a quarter of
Team took
¡gSy
for female
Ajth in state,
the student body left school
sports,
it afternoon to go watch,
y ' - . '
liTciuding a
M
W " X*
for the
¡¡¡III
would which was great; those
fourth place
‘t \
have
individual
Wmm
students were supporting
■
h
been
finish for
]
our school and our awesome
¡ ¡ I expected that
Suna Shin,
gp J ’
Volleyball Team, but if they
girls' and boys'
^
sophomore.
M k 1||
are going to go watch
The Boys' Ski
4^1'.
^ sports would
volleyball playoffs,
Team won third
flE? ^ ¡1
l l | ^ even out and
At , they need to
i
^
become
in state, which
q -T fe
/Q*
watch golf and ski
included David
playoffs as well.
Hinton's,
m
This fall, our Football
senior,
Team, Girls' and Boys' Cross
second
equally Country teams and Boys'
place finish.
Soccer Team all worked hard
popular.
Last year the Snowboarding
enough to make it to playoffs.
This is nowhere near true—at
Team's Tanner Kewley, senior,
Recognize all sports; attend
least in our area.
won second in state in the
their games, recognize them
The last three years, the
Men's Individual Halfpipe
at assemblies, and support
Girls' Varsity Basketball
and Mackenzie Bruns, 2008
them in playoffs.
Team has consistently made
graduate, earned fourth in the
Recognize the
it to either the first or second
state in Women's Individual
round of playoffs, whereas
Halfpipe. All of these athletes
the Boys' Varsity Basketball
work and train just as hard, if
Team only made it to the first
not harder than our football,
round one of those years.
boys' basketball and baseball
Theoretically, you would
players, and people need to
think that spectators would
recognize this.
want to come and watch
J
Some of these sports,
the more successful team J g j
such as rugby, ski and
play, but the girls'
jg lf i
snowboarding, aren't listed
as school sports. They are
classified as club sports.
This means that
these sports are
*
achievements
affiliated with WLHS
of all sports,
games
and are allowed to use *
West Linn.
never have even a quarter of
the facilities free of charge
As the fall sports season
the spectators that the boys
during the season, but
comes to a close and winter
games draw. Usually on game
receive no funding from the
sports begin, think about
nights, the student stands at
district, while school sports
all the games and events
the girls' games have about
receive pay for coaches,
you could watch on Friday
12 people and the student
transportation and supplies.
evening, not just boys'
stands at the boys' games
According to Rob
basketball. The face of sports
have an average of about 85.
Holstrom, athletic director,
is changing, and maybe your
I understand that most of the
the difference between school
viewing habits should too.
people going to watch games
rts and club sports is
"Girl's Lacrosse
doesn't get
recognized that
much and it
should."
J ennifer S itton
team
—Jazzmin Nielsen,
freshman
"Volleyball team
because they
won state [last
year] and they're
good."
— Thomas Ward\ so p h "
omore
S
W hat do you think is the most
under appreciated sport or
activity that deserves more
attention and funds? W hy?
"Either band
and orchestra
or the girl's
softball team.'
— Jenny Cooper,
ju n io r
"Cross country
because they
perform very
well and it's not
represented as
much as sports
that don't do as
well."
— Charles Corbett,
senior
All photos by
Avery Breyne-Cartwright