By Bridgette Quimpo
Like the world itself, a softball is round.
I like using this analogy when asked to describe how the sport of softball has opened doors for me and my players. These are doors that I may never have been able to imagine, not just for me, but for literally hundreds of other women.
I am the head coach for a Division III college softball program a position I have held for the past 18 years, including the past nine at Ramapo College of New Jersey. And, most recently, in the last six months, assumed the role of Senior Woman Administrator at Ramapo.
Today February 2 is National Girls & Women in Sports Day, a day when we celebrate the confidence, strength and character that being part of an athletic program can inspire. I want to empower and help champion women in softball, athletics and in life.
Ive coached teams that have won NJAC conference championships and played in NCAA Tournaments. And Ive coached women who are academic standouts many have earned spots on the National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) All-American Scholar Athlete Team for earning grade point averages of 3.5 or higher.
Ive also coached players who have been named Woman of the Year by the New Jersey Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women.
This year, we mark the 50th anniversary of Title IX the landmark ruling that gives women athletes the right to equal opportunity in sports at educational institutions, like Ramapo College of New Jersey, that receive federal funds. Today, two in five girls have the opportunity to participate in a high school sport an increase from one in 27 in 1972, the year that Title IX took effect.
Progress is being made.
Ramapo offers a total of 10 womens sports including, softball, basketball, cross country, field hockey, lacrosse, soccer, swimming, tennis, track and field and volleyball. More than 150 women participate in intercollegiate athletics at our college, a sizable number when you consider that Ramapo is a Division III school that does not offer scholarships to student-athletes. And as a coach at Ramapo, I am proud to point out that the collective grade point average among Ramapo athletes is consistently higher than that of the general student population.
By the time I reached high school in the 1990s, Title IX had opened up doors for me that may not have existed for girls before me. I played three sports basketball, softball and tennis. I was able to continue my playing career into college, earning a degree from the University of South Carolina-Aiken.
Had I been born 25 years earlier, I may never have had an opportunity to be a student-athlete, let alone enjoy a post-playing career as a coach. Title IX changed my life, making it possible for me to build a career in sports where I can inspire, mentor and guide future woman leaders to positions of success.
The Womens Sports Foundation had compiled a list of the ways that sports help a young woman build character and life skills. Here are a few:
Gender barriers that once existed are breaking down. There are more opportunities for women in sports than ever before even in predominantly mens sports. This past summer, softball returned to the Olympic Games for the first time in 13 years, after it was deemed not global enough to stick around more than a decade ago.
In 2020, Kim Ng became the first woman general manager of a major league baseball team, the Miami Marlins. Becky Hammon spent seven years as an assistant coach on the San Antonio Spurs, before being named head coach of the WNBAs Las Vegas Aces. Last month, Rachel Balkovec became the first woman to be named manager of a minor league baseball team, the Tampa Tarpons, the Yankees Class A team.
Still, despite the advances, an equity gap remains one that women like me have to work to help close.
Only 3.2% of sports media coverage is devoted to womens sports, according to the Womens Sports Foundation. Also, just 43% of head coaching positions in womens college sports are actually held by women, according to the same organization. Finally, 60% of women in sports report being paid less money for doing the same job as a man, according to the Female Leaders in Sports Survey in 2019.
Alarmingly, 31% of women coaches believe they would risk their job if they spoke up about Title IX and gender equity. Sixty-three percent of female leaders in sports report experiencing sex discrimination in the workplace (thankfully, this is not the case at Ramapo).
We can and must do better.
On this day National Girls and Women in Sports Day we are here to celebrate our successes while recognizing that we still have a long way to go. After all, there are more softballs to be pitched and hit, and more doors to be opened for women athletes everywhere.
Bridgette Quimpo is the head softball coach and Senior Woman Administrator at Ramapo College of New Jersey.
Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to NJ.com.
Heres how to submit an op-ed or Letter to the Editor. Bookmark NJ.com/Opinion. Follow us on Twitter @NJ_Opinion and on Facebook at NJ.com Opinion. Get the latest news updates right in your inbox. Subscribe to NJ.coms newsletters.
Link:
Womens sports is still a work in progress I Opinion - NJ.com
- No Rest For the Wicked | Review In Progress - XboxEra - April 27th, 2024 [April 27th, 2024]
- Maine made progress in wages and productivity, but still faces shrinking labor force - Press Herald - April 27th, 2024 [April 27th, 2024]
- The Progress Report: How 4 Schools Are Teaching Kids to Read and Seeing Success - Voice of San Diego - April 27th, 2024 [April 27th, 2024]
- PROGRESS MADE IN COLE REHAB? - Bleeding Yankee Blue - April 27th, 2024 [April 27th, 2024]
- Pollution or Progress? What's Next for LNG Development in the Rio Grande Valley - Progress Texas - April 27th, 2024 [April 27th, 2024]
- Lykos Therapeutics Makes Progress in Europe - The Dales Report - April 27th, 2024 [April 27th, 2024]
- Adelaide Film Fest Picks Five Works in Progress for Cannes Showcase, With Giant, Drafthouses Mockbuster Making the Cut (EXCLUSIVE) - Variety - April 27th, 2024 [April 27th, 2024]
- Washington says real progress needed before restoring UNRWA funding - The Times of Israel - April 27th, 2024 [April 27th, 2024]
- LIGA Provides Further Guidance: Engages Audit Firm and Making Progress in Search for CEO and Management Team - Yahoo Finance - April 27th, 2024 [April 27th, 2024]
- Forest Health Council Reports Progress Toward Community Wildfire Resiliency-Greg Felt Talks Wildfire Mitigation with ... - Heart of the Rockies Radio - April 27th, 2024 [April 27th, 2024]
- Football notes: Robert Livingston pleased with progress of CU Buffs defense - BuffZone - April 27th, 2024 [April 27th, 2024]
- Spencer Hospital Emergency Department Project Continuing to Progress - KICD - April 27th, 2024 [April 27th, 2024]
- Proof-of-Concept Exploit Released for Progress Software OpenEdge Vulnerability - The Hacker News - March 16th, 2024 [March 16th, 2024]
- Progress being made on fire alarms, Oswego town supervisor says - oswegocountynewsnow.com - March 16th, 2024 [March 16th, 2024]
- Progress on the Boyertown Express featured at Dinner - Berks Weekly - March 16th, 2024 [March 16th, 2024]
- Fire Crews Stop Forward Progress of Two-Acre Brush Fire Near Vandenberg - Santa Barbara Edhat - March 16th, 2024 [March 16th, 2024]
- Hopewell plans to install speed cameras at three city schools - Progress Index - March 16th, 2024 [March 16th, 2024]
- New numbers on progress of penny sales tax - The Post and Courier - March 16th, 2024 [March 16th, 2024]
- Long Island woman who survived acid attack continues to make progress in recovery - PIX11 New York News - March 16th, 2024 [March 16th, 2024]
- Beam marks progress toward bringing 1st-ever MLS team to San Diego - NBC San Diego - March 16th, 2024 [March 16th, 2024]
- McKone: Irish-American progress and paradoxes | Perspective | timesargus.com - Barre Montpelier Times Argus - March 16th, 2024 [March 16th, 2024]
- Big East reportedly making a lot of progress on media rights deals with CBS, Fox - Awful Announcing - March 16th, 2024 [March 16th, 2024]
- Berrien County farmers note slow progress on the new Farm Bill - News/Talk/Sports 94.9 WSJM - March 16th, 2024 [March 16th, 2024]
- END OF SESSION: Sen. Crider and Rep. Cherry reflect on progress made during the legislative session - Greenfield Daily Reporter - March 16th, 2024 [March 16th, 2024]
- Vowles being patient with Sargeant but expects to see "progress" - RaceFans - March 16th, 2024 [March 16th, 2024]
- Inflation ticked up in February, reversing some prior progress - ABC News - March 16th, 2024 [March 16th, 2024]
- Latest NEOM progress video of The Line is indicator of scale - Supercar Blondie - March 16th, 2024 [March 16th, 2024]
- Statewide Impact of Ohio Intel ProjectEvident in Initial Progress Report - Scioto Post - March 16th, 2024 [March 16th, 2024]
- SpaceX makes significant progress with third Starship orbital test flight - TechCrunch - March 16th, 2024 [March 16th, 2024]
- UPDATE: Forward progress stopped on vegetation fire near Lompoc - KSBY News - March 16th, 2024 [March 16th, 2024]
- Lady Rattlers and Diamondbacks ready to roll - Progresstimes - March 16th, 2024 [March 16th, 2024]
- SpaceX celebrates major progress on the third flight of Starship - Ars Technica - March 16th, 2024 [March 16th, 2024]
- Helldivers 2 Galactic War live map: Track status and progress with this Liberty-approved web app - Windows Central - March 16th, 2024 [March 16th, 2024]
- Pittsburgh police will only respond to calls of in-progress emergencies as part of new staffing plan - Police News - March 16th, 2024 [March 16th, 2024]
- A year of achievement, rebuilding and progress for utilities - Yoursun.com - March 16th, 2024 [March 16th, 2024]
- Trkiye: No Direct Dialogue with Damascus, No Progress in Normalization - Asharq Al-awsat - English - March 16th, 2024 [March 16th, 2024]
- A WORK IN PROGRESS | News | shelbynews.com - Shelbynews - March 16th, 2024 [March 16th, 2024]
- From recurrent networks to GPT-4: Measuring algorithmic progress in language models - Tech Xplore - March 16th, 2024 [March 16th, 2024]
- U.S. Inability To Address Nuclear Waste Harms Environmental Progress - Newsweek - March 16th, 2024 [March 16th, 2024]
- Park Progress - Greater Wilmington Business Journal - March 16th, 2024 [March 16th, 2024]
- SF supervisor to hold hearing on homeless-shelter progress | Housing | sfexaminer.com - San Francisco Examiner - March 16th, 2024 [March 16th, 2024]
- 'It's good to see progress being made on the site': Revised vision for Liberty Theater property in Libertyville - Daily Herald - March 16th, 2024 [March 16th, 2024]
- Diversity Among Emmy Winners Is a Result of Industry Progress - TheWrap - January 18th, 2024 [January 18th, 2024]
- What would Dr. King say about progress and 2024? - The Chicago Cusader - January 18th, 2024 [January 18th, 2024]
- Police: Petersburg woman reportedly used hammer to hit her boyfriend - Progress Index - January 18th, 2024 [January 18th, 2024]
- Spokane County crews make great progress ahead of another storm system - AOL - January 18th, 2024 [January 18th, 2024]
- Lady Tigers Split Last Weeks Game's Lexington Progress - lexingtonprogress.com - January 18th, 2024 [January 18th, 2024]
- Lexington Police Investigate Shooting at Walmart Lexington Progress - lexingtonprogress.com - January 18th, 2024 [January 18th, 2024]
- Scotts Hill Lions Dominated Last Week Lexington Progress - lexingtonprogress.com - January 18th, 2024 [January 18th, 2024]
- Older Couple Rescued From Submerged Vehicle Lexington Progress - lexingtonprogress.com - January 18th, 2024 [January 18th, 2024]
- Fore-ward Progress | Bintelli's new River Ridge facility to focus on making electric golf carts - WDRB - January 18th, 2024 [January 18th, 2024]
- VIDEO: Project manager gives update on Glenn McConnell Widening progress - Live 5 News WCSC - January 18th, 2024 [January 18th, 2024]
- Truck driver sentenced for trafficking cocaine to Prince George County - Progress Index - January 18th, 2024 [January 18th, 2024]
- After decades of little progress, Milwaukee begins new approach to improve lives of Black men and boys - madison365.com - January 18th, 2024 [January 18th, 2024]
- Women are bored of waiting: Slow progress on shattering the glass ceiling on company boards - I by IMD - I by IMD - January 18th, 2024 [January 18th, 2024]
- Now Accepting Applications for the 2024 Progress Software Mary Szkely Scholarship for Women in STEM - GlobeNewswire - January 18th, 2024 [January 18th, 2024]
- "Some progress made" at Onslow BOE meeting, according to number of parents - WCTI12.com - January 18th, 2024 [January 18th, 2024]
- Spokane County crews make great progress ahead of another storm system - Nonstop Local - January 18th, 2024 [January 18th, 2024]
- DeSantis took credit for Florida's progress but Iowa may have sniffed out his bravado | Opinion - Yahoo News Canada - January 18th, 2024 [January 18th, 2024]
- Has the Israeli Military Made Progress in Its Goal of Destroying Hamas? : State of the World from NPR - NPR - January 18th, 2024 [January 18th, 2024]
- Jan. 19 Panel Examines 30-Year Progress of Women in Research - Mirage News - January 18th, 2024 [January 18th, 2024]
- Ducks' Midseason Check-in: Progress, Improvement Areas & More - The Hockey Writers - January 18th, 2024 [January 18th, 2024]
- Companies are hiding their climate progress. A new report explains why. - Grist - January 18th, 2024 [January 18th, 2024]
- Lou Leonatti With Progress Mexico Gives Hospital Bankruptcy Hearing Update On AM 1340 KXEO Am I Awake Morning Show - KXEO - January 18th, 2024 [January 18th, 2024]
- Seaside Heights Wants to See Progress From Developers, Will Investigate 'Bamboo' Property - Shorebeat - January 18th, 2024 [January 18th, 2024]
- Progress over perfection: Is Coach modelling a path for fashion transformation? - Vogue Business - January 18th, 2024 [January 18th, 2024]
- Watch the video of the Edmonds armed robbery in progress - MyNorthwest - January 18th, 2024 [January 18th, 2024]
- Albemarle County house burns to the ground in late night fire - The Daily Progress - January 18th, 2024 [January 18th, 2024]
- GHDDI and Microsoft Research use AI technology to achieve significant progress in discovering new drugs to treat ... - Microsoft - January 18th, 2024 [January 18th, 2024]
- Henderson County Suspects Apprehended in Trenton Lexington Progress - lexingtonprogress.com - January 18th, 2024 [January 18th, 2024]
- HCFD Reports Lowest Number of Residential Fires - lexingtonprogress.com - January 18th, 2024 [January 18th, 2024]
- Unlocking The Future: CAGA's Progress In Web3 And Blockchain Innovation - Benzinga - January 18th, 2024 [January 18th, 2024]
- Underwhelming performance: Quarterbacks still a work in progress - Daily O'Collegian - September 3rd, 2023 [September 3rd, 2023]
- Governor Hochul Announces Progress in Increasing MTA Accessibility - ny.gov - September 3rd, 2023 [September 3rd, 2023]
- A progress report: The columnist's garden in September - Kennebec Journal and Morning Sentinel - September 3rd, 2023 [September 3rd, 2023]
- September 2023: Innovative researchers celebrate scientific ... - Environmental Factor Newsletter - September 3rd, 2023 [September 3rd, 2023]
- Progress over perfectionism - Lynn University - September 3rd, 2023 [September 3rd, 2023]
- Signs of progress on new Folsom Medical Office Building - UC Davis Health - September 3rd, 2023 [September 3rd, 2023]
- LA District FUDS team makes progress on Nellis Remedial Action ... - spl.usace.army.mil - September 3rd, 2023 [September 3rd, 2023]
- UFC Fight Night 226 winner Volkan Oezdemir pleased with progress after training with Khamzat Chimaev - Yahoo Sports - September 3rd, 2023 [September 3rd, 2023]