Sports

SOLO As the only female head football coach in her son’s flag football league, Santosuosso is out to prove herself. TAPING UP Newly hired athletic trainer Natalie Bumpas tapes Junior Henry Piccagli’s wrist before he heads out to football practice.

Women’s sports Much work still remains

For years, women have made tremendous strides towards equality in the world of sports. But, today, women are still fighting for equal opportunities on the playing field and in the training room

The first professional women’s basketball game was played in 1997. The first FIFA Women’s World Cup was established in 1985.

The first female NFL coach entered the league only five years ago.

The list could go on, but within each sport, the story is the same: women haven’t been dealt a fair hand in establishing themselves in the male-dominated industry of sports.

Women’s sports have increasingly gained recognition as athletes like soccer player Megan Rapinoe, tennis player Naomi Osaka, and track star Allyson Felix have used their platform to fight for equality within sports, male sports remain in the spotlight.

Although female athletes have struggled to attain equal opportunities to succeed, women are finding themselves more and more vital within the sports world. At 10600 Preston Rd., women like Natalie Bumpas, the newly hired athletic trainer who serves as the only female member of the Athletic Department, are establishing themselves in an overall maledominated industry at an all-boys school.

Bumpas was hired this fall to help fellow Athletic Trainers Matt Hjertstedt and Doc Browning. After many years of education and as a trainer, Bumpas hopes to improve the safety and wellbeing of our athletes. Natalie

Born and raised in Bumpas Athletic Indianapolis, Bumpas trainer graduated from Indiana University and pursued a career in health and administration. After realizing this path wasn’t fitting for her, she returned to IU for a degree in athletic training.

She used her degree to join the Athletic Department at Appalachian State University in Boone, NC for a year before attending the University of Iowa for her masters in sports administration. At Iowa, she spent two years as an athletic trainer for the baseball team. With all of this schooling under her belt, she was ready to move on to a bigger stage.

“I interned for the New York Mets for a season, so I was down in Florida for six months — March through August,” Bumpas said. “Then, I got my first job in Division I athletics at the University of Nebraska at Omaha. While I was in Omaha, I worked with volleyball, softball, swimming, baseball and a lot of different sports. We had a pretty small staff, so we all pitched in where people needed our help. Then, I was in Chicago at Northwestern [University] for seven and a half years working with their baseball team, and now I’m here.”

With many years of experience and education, one would think a trainer like Bumpas would have many opportunities to work wherever she pleases. But, for many women, this is not the case.

“In Division I athletics or professional athletics, you definitely don’t get the consideration that a male athletic trainer would,” Bumpas said. “A male athletic trainer can really get any job anywhere with anybody, and it’s not that way for a female. The females have to work harder, they have to prove themselves, and it is a much tougher road for a female to get a job in this male-dominated world.”

Middle School assistant cross country coach Cristina Macaraeg, like Bumpas, feels she hasn’t always received the same recognition or platform as her male colleagues.

“When I was coaching varsity track in Los Angeles, it was a little more challenging to be heard, especially because I had so many other coaches working alongside me for the different events,” Macaraeg said. “It was just difficult to be recognized.”

Former Middle School track coach Michele Santosuosso, who now spends her free time coaching her two young sons in football and basketball, has also experienced struggles because of her gender.

“The only aspect that’s been different in both football and basketball for my kids is with the other male coaches,” Santosuosso said. “Since I was the only female coach, I would get yelled at or they wouldn’t shake my hand at the end of the game. At first I found it insulting, but now I just find it funny, especially if my team beats their team.”

Bumpas feels she must act with more precaution because she’s at an all-boys school.

“It’s a little bit different, but I’ve been working with all boys for many years now,” Bumpas said. “There were only four females at the [New York] Mets, and as we got further into the season, it was just me. I was the only one because everybody else left for their affiliate. It is different in the considerations that I have to have, but it shouldn’t be any different for you all.”

Middle School water polo coach Janis Oprea says because she’s spent her whole life surrounded by men, coaching at an all-boys school is no different than coaching co-ed teams.

“I grew up with guys, so this is just natural for me,” Oprea said. “I didn’t have any sisters, so I’ve been playing sports with guys my whole life. Women sports didn’t pick up until I was a junior in high school, so then I joined the girls teams. Us girls who were athletic had no choice but to just play pick-up games with guys our whole lives because we had no other options for sports.”

Oprea, who grew up in Michigan, spent her childhood playing any and every sport, which inspired her to start coaching. Despite not having any opportunities to join girl sports teams as a kid, she found a way to stay active with her friends in the neighborhood.

“We were like The Sandlot movie,” Oprea said. “We all just played sports. There were no girls sports, even in my school, so I was always running around with my three brothers and all the kids in the neighborhood playing real football, real basketball and real baseball since I could probably walk. ”

For female athletes like Bumpas, Macaraeg, Oprea and Santosuosso, the pay gap battled over in the WNBA and for the Women’s National Soccer Team demonstrates a disconnect between how we value the achievements of women versus men.

“It doesn’t make sense to me that there is such an imbalance there, especially with the example of the women’s soccer team and what they have accomplished,” Macaraeg said. “It might be that their endorsement deals aren’t as big, but as far as success on the field, they’ve proven themselves more than capable of what the men have done and have achieved more. So it doesn’t make sense that their pay is so much less.”

While female athletes don’t receive the same recognition and respect as male athletes, Bumpas says they put in equal amounts of work. By the“Especially if you’ve ever worked at any college, numbers there’s no difference between the women’s schedule and 3.2 the men’s,” Bumpas said. % of all sports “They’re doing the same media covers amount of lifting, the same female sports amount of training, the same amount of practicing and all the same things that male 1.12 athletes are doing. It’s not billion viewers like it’s easier to be a female during 2019 athlete. It’s not like it’s Women’s harder to be a male athlete. It’s a very equal playing field as far as how hard they’re World Cup 95 working.” % difference Oprea believes although men and women put in equal amounts of work between NBA and WNBA rookie salaries Sources: Cheryl when it comes to sports, the Cooky, Adelphi University physiological advantages men have are the reason sports are so maledominated.

“Men are better at sports,” Oprea said. “I was at a disadvantage playing with all the guys. They were stronger, and most of them were faster. It helped me get better, but there’s no way I am equal athletically. That’s just biology.”

While Bumpas has been treated differently as a trainer in the past, she says the environment here is very supportive of her despite her gender.

“When you are an experienced and strong female, sometimes that is difficult for people,” Bumpas said. “Everyone here has welcomed me with open arms, and I think they definitely have been really open to my ideas and some ways that I can improve things around here with all the experience that I’ve had.”

Bumpas hopes one day male and female sports are respected equally, and female athletes are appreciated beyond their gender.

“I just hope that someday there isn’t a need to do an article about women in sports,” Bumpas said. “I hope someday it’s just about sports. I know it’s been a rough road for a lot of other female athletic trainers because I’ve known female athletic trainers that have goals of working in the NFL or working in the MLB. I hope that the female teams can achieve their goals, achieve the equal pay and accomplish the goals that they want to accomplish. It’s been really inspiring to see some of the stories and see the progress that has been made.”

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In brief

CHAMP TO COACH Former national chess champion turned coach freshman Harry Wang is currently training several of his elementary and middle school students from various schools in Plano and Allen.

Along with participating in loads of tournaments, Wang’s main goal is for his students to improve their chess rating, a number that determines a player’s skill. While he normally rents out a local learning center to tutor his students, Wang is forced to teach online in accordance with safety guidelines. In the future, Wang plans on giving free lessons to underprivileged kids, as well as donating the money earned from these lessons to support various causes.

IVY CANCELED Due to concerns regarding COVID-19, the Ivy League announced July 8 to cancel all fall sports this year. The decision was made due to the lack of confidence that a safe environment could be maintained for all athletes. The Ivy League will, however, allow small group workouts and individual practices for these collegiate athletes.

Current alumni athletes Yale football player Anthony Andrews ’20, Dartmouth football player Paxton Scott ’20, Dartmouth football player Carr Urschel ’20, University of Pennsylvania basketball player Andrew Laczkowski ’20 and Yale football player Seun Omonije ’18 will not be able to participate in their respective sports this year because of this cancellation.

SCRIMMAGE Returning varsity basketball players played various scrimmages against local schools throughout this fall. Coached by former varsity basketball captain and University of Pennsylvania basketball player Andrew Laczkowski ‘20, the team beat Duncanville High School, the defending 6A state champions, 64-62.

The team also beat Highland Park High School for the third year in a row 59-49, however, they took a tough loss to the two-time 5A state champions Lancaster 54-60. Taking on some of the best competition in Texas, the players are grateful to be the preseason number one ranked team in the state and the number 23rd ranked team nationally via MaxPreps last April.