Iowa girls’ sports deal with unfair scheduling conflicts. Boys don’t

It has been a fantastic year to experience the excitement and exhilaration related to women’ and girls’ sports in Iowa. Unfortunately there are still issues restricting opportunities for our young women athletes.

One such issue involves the Iowa Girls High School Athletic Union’s (IGHSAU) scheduling of state finals for high school girls in golf and tennis. With overlapping dates, if girls qualify in both, they must forfeit one. This not only hurts the individual athletes who have worked so hard to reach this level, but it also penalizes the team from which they must forfeit.

This scheduling conflict does not exist for male athletes in this class. Where, oh where, is Title IX? One wonders why we have a separate girl’s athletic union if they do not act in the best interest of girls.

Coaches, parents and sports enthusiasts have written to implore the IGHSAU to adjust the schedule, often without even the courtesy of a response. The Cedar Rapids Gazette has detailed this problem in its sports columns (the latest refer to May 7, 2024).

A petition with over 100 signatures of coaches, parents, sports devotees and women’s rights activists was sent last year. All to no avail. It is time for a change!

Joan Jacob

Cedar Rapids