Scope's Sports
Women In Sports: Is It Equal?
by: David Scopinich
The purpose of this article is to give
recognition to the unsung sports stars at
Hazleton, the women. Hazleton has a women’s
volleyball team, softball team, and cheerleading
team, the soccer team is also considered coed.
This article will focus on three women who
have served their sport
well and have done so
with pride. The three
featured women are
Sheri Rundle of the
volleyball team, Dor
othy Barrett ofthe soc
cer team, and Colleen
McClure of the
cheerleading team.
Sheri Rundle is
a sophomore at
Hazleton majoring in
Health Policy and Ad-
ministration. Sheri will
be moving to Univer
sity Park next fall where
she will be involved
with volleyball at the
intramural level. Sheri
was a setter on the vol-
leyball team that she
described as, “A team
that played well as a
team not individuals
and that was why we
were successful.”
Sheri’shobbies
include Rollerblading,
outdoor sports, partying and sleeping. This
article was also written to sere another purpose
and that was to find out how women felt they
were treated by Hazleton. When asked how
she felt her and her team were treated, Sheri
said, “I feel that at Hazleton all of the money
and attention goes towards basketball and the
other sports don’t seem to get as much as
basketball [does].”
Dorothy Barrett is the one and only
woman member of the “coed” soccer team.
Dorothy is a sophomore at Hazleton majoring
in Marketing. Dorothy will be moving to
University Park next fall where she is not quite
sure if she will try out for the women’s soccer
team. Dorothy plays halfback and striker for
soccer. Some ofDorothy ’ s hobbies are skiing,
running, partying and sleeping. When asked to
describe the team, Dorothy said, “it was a lot
of fun and that they really played well to
gether,” but there is more to Dorothy’s story
than that, Dorothy also said, ‘ ‘I feel that it was
unfair that there is only one varsity room in the
gym and that it was on the men’s side where I
was not allowed to be. When the coach would
take the team in there and talk, I was not
allowed to be there and it made me feel as
though I was not a member of the team as much
as the guys.” Dorothy also told me a story
about when she was brought into the varsity
Pictured from right to left: Colleen McClure, Sheri Bundle,
Dorothy Barrett, and friend doing one of the things they love the
most, partying and hanging out together in their residence hall
rooms.
room and Gene Grobelny found out. Grobelny
then made it dear that Dorothy was not al
lowed in there. After hearing Dorothy I ask
myself, is this the definition of “coed”? Do
rothy Barrett was a member of the soccer team
because she tried out just the same as every
man on that team and she was good enough to
make it. Dorothy was done a great injustice by
this campus and she did nothing to deserve it.
Dorothy did do something that has never been
done before though, she was the first woman
to ever lay in a C.C. A.C play-off game, a fact
that she said she was happy and surprised to
discover.
Colleen McClure is a member of the
cheerleading team and is a sophomore major
ing in Nursing. Colleen will either be moving
to University Park of the Hershey campus to
complete her degree. Colleen was a flyer on
the cheerleading team. Colleen described the
team as, “hardworking, contrary to popular
belief.” Colleen also said, “I feel that the
Cheerleading team did our job well by giving a
lot of support for the team and doing a magnifi
cent halftime routine. ’ ’ The cheerleading team
doesn’t get the credit they deserve because
they do participate in asport that alot ofpeople
can’t do and people should realize that. Col
leen manages to juggle cheerleading and bong
a Nursing major along with
her other hobbies such as run
ning, sleeping and partying.
After people found out
that I was writing this editorial
I was given information that
disturbs me. There seems to
be a feeling that there is un
equal treatment of sports
teams here. The players on a
lot of sports have come to me
stating that they feel their
teams are not getting as much
attention or funds as the bas
ketball team. Is this true? Is
the basketball team favored
by the Athletic Department?
Well, when I approached a
certain number of the basket
ball team I was told that the
uniforms and sneakers that ev
eryone seems to think were
paid for by the University were
paid for by the players them
selves. This leads me to be
lieve that these accusations
are false. There is one area
that is unbalanced though and
that is the treatment ofwomen
in sports, the volleyball team was a women’s
team that was the most successful team on
campus and they received no recognition other
that my article in the Collegian. The
Cheerleading team is not given the respect they
deserve, and finally to that “coed” soccer
team we have. Why were plans not made so
that Dorothy Barrett could have joined her
team for the coach’s talks? Why was
made to feel as though she was not a part of the
team. As Sports Editor and Student Govern
ment Association President, I challenge the
Athletic Department to ensure, that the next
Dorothy Barrett does not feel that way because
having a “coed” team is a special thing if
people do not realize it and we should keep the
little diversity that we do have.