Girls and Women in Sport: Playing, Believing, and Achieving

"Playing, Believing, and Achieving" is all part of playing sports. At Provincetown High School playing is something that everybody gets the chance to do. I started playing sports when I entered as a seventh grader. I started right away Varsity Soccer and JV Basketball. My eighth year I played Varsity Soccer, Varsity Basketball, and Varsity Softball. Since then I have continued to play all these sports.

 Usually,Playing sports isn't a right but a privilege, but having the opportunity to play is always present at Provincetown High School. Believing however is something that you yourself have to achieve. For me that was challenged often. With small numbers of players, there was never any second team on the bench waiting to be put in, therefore believing was something that had to happen. At Provincetown there are only 30 kids grades 10-12. This gives us the numbers of 13 for soccer, 8 for basketball, and just enough for softball. Believing that we could win when we were down, Believing that our shots were going to go in, or that we were going to hit the ball just far enough.

Achieving, however is a team effort. Personally, I can become the best I can be but in the end in all three of my sports it’s all about the team. As  Coach Manley says, "We're not just a team; were a family." This statement is completely true, together you win, together you lose, and this is why we achieve together. For me to achieve my goal of succeeding as a team, I have to first improve myself.

Playing, believing, and achieving are all part of my sports life, and succeeding in a game. Over the past four years, there was one constant thing in my life that made me be able to keep playing, believing and achieving and that was my coach, Coach Manley. He always encouraged, taught me, and made me a better athlete and person all together.