GIVE up being a girl?

--to TAKE part in sports or other non-girl activities?!

By Cinse Bonino

I read an article a few years back in a Sunday, Chicago Tribune (Chicagoland Edition) which described a certain girl. (I'll tell you who she is in just a minute). Here are some of the things the article had to say about her:

She has hazel green eyes.

She is 5 feet, 6 inches tall.

She weighs 125 pounds.

She wears her hair in a long ponytail.

She calls herself a total girl.

She puts polish on her fingernails.

She flirts with boys.

This girl sure sounds like, well like a girl; doesn't she? She is. AND she played football as a kicker in high school and college. And she played WELL! All the other players are boys. They support her. It may have something to do with the fact that she runs the sprints at the end of practice, does weights, and goes to all the meetings too.

Her name is Tonya Butler. But Tonya is just one girl. She IS doing an amazing thing, but one wonders if it SHOULD be considered amazing. Tonya herself is quoted as saying, "I want to be known as a kicker, not a girl kicker".

You don't have to be on a high school football team to break or bend gender restrictions.

If girls do things that are usually thought of as boy things, several things could happen:

• People might zero in on the fact that the doer (the participant) is a girl and overlook her actual performance.
• The fact that this girl is doing a so-called guy type thing might brand her as non-feminine.
• People with VERY traditional values might be threatened by a girl being allowed into a male area.
• People might actually GET that girls (women) can do many things.

That last one is my personal favorite. No, I'm NOT saying that ALL girls would make good kickers on a high school football team. But then again, all boys don't make good kickers either. That is WHY they have tryouts for sports. That is why some teams win more than other teams -- because some individuals are better at certain activities than other individuals. And some individuals are more willing to work hard and to be part of a team than others. Girls and boys. Men and women.

So if you are thinking of doing a male thing be prepared for people to say all kinds of absolute garbage about the situation, but also be prepared to work hard and to be willing to be judged for your performance. Don't listen to any judgments that are NOT about your performance. DO listen to the constructive criticism of your coach, mentor, and teammates.

You don't have to be on a high school football team to break or bend gender restrictions. The way you dress, how assertive you are, the hobbies you choose, the sports you do for fun and recreation -- all these things and more can widen the world's horizons. But be prepared, because they can all ALSO show how narrow some people's minds truly are.

Find out what other girls and women are doing in sports AND take a quiz to find your perfect sport in Get Moving

I think it's worth the risk to be able to choose to discover what it is that this world has to offer. To choose what interests you now and in the future. I say, go for it, and let the judgments fall where they may. Just don't carry any judgments around with you. Don't let any of those judgments DEFINE who you are, and you'll go far. No matter what you choose to do.