Downhill slope remains slippery in terms of girls’ basketball participation in Iowa

[QChawks]

Player interest was low, and coaching prospects were slim.

A difficult decision — a temporary shutdown of the girls’ basketball program — was confirmed late last fall at Central City High School, when a meeting was called to gauge interest among potential players.

Three showed up.

And with that, Central City became one of six schools in Iowa without a varsity girls’ basketball team this winter, and one of two (Rockford is the other) without the sport in any capacity.

The other four — Sibley-Ocheyedan, Clarion-Goldfield-Dows, West Sioux and Charles City — are playing a non-varsity schedule this winter.

Sibley-Ocheyedan is only two years removed from reaching the Class 2A state semifinals. Charles City has roughly 250 girls in grades 9-12



Good article

 

[Hawki97]

Let me guess. It's the invasion of dudes isn't it?

OK, now that that's out of the way - I'll read the article.

 

[IIowaFarmBoy]

Why?

Not phone based

Emphasis on academics

Club sports

Politics at local level

Young coaches with no idea how to coach

Princess Elsa

Younger people if not lgbtq are more traditional and don’t like seeing girls knocked out by confused boys

Take your pick

 

[Tom Paris]

Thanks for posting. Since coaching high school girls basketball for the majority of my adult life this article hits home. Jeff hit on basically all of it. We have said for years that basketball is the toughest sport for girls. The season is the longest and it’s really hard work. Hopefully the CC effect helps us. I am pro being a multi sports athlete but the best teams I have and believe will coach are the ones who are full of basketball first girls. If it’s a hobby sport obviously it’s going to be tougher because too many of the kids won’t shoot in the off season. I started at a volleyball first school and that coach did everything possible to control the athletes.

 

[HawkeyeShawn]

Thanks for posting. Since coaching high school girls basketball for the majority of my adult life this article hits home. Jeff hit on basically all of it. We have said for years that basketball is the toughest sport for girls. The season is the longest and it’s really hard work. Hopefully the CC effect helps us. I am pro being a multi sports athlete but the best teams I have and believe will coach are the ones who are full of basketball first girls. If it’s a hobby sport obviously it’s going to be tougher because too many of the kids won’t shoot in the off season. I started at a volleyball first school and that coach did everything possible to control the athletes.

Is girls basketball more difficult and do they have a longer season than the boys do?

 

[thewop]

Maybe they can get more boys to play girls basketball.

 

[IANDFAN]

I can’t believe this article is about girls basketball decline and not softball.

 

[TSNPS]

I can’t believe none of you guys can figure this out.
Girls wrestling
There you go

 

[kn288]

They need to bring a 6 on 6 classification back.

 

[Obviously Oblivious]

I can’t believe none of you guys can figure this out.
Girls wrestling
There you go

Less than 2,000 girls statewide in wrestling programs is not the driving force behind basketball’s recent decline.

It’s a bit shocking that less than one year after arguably the state’s or country’s greatest female basketball player leaves Iowa that we’re seeing this trend.

 

[MitchLL]

As a coincidence, could it be the six schools without the sport are in dying towns/areas and there will be more in years to come?

I assume any interested girls are allowed to play at a neighboring school?

Charles City has always been a "softball first" school.

 

[Tom Paris]

I can’t believe none of you guys can figure this out.
Girls wrestling
There you go

It's part of the problem but far from all of it.

 

[StormHawk42]

Is girls basketball more difficult and do they have a longer season than the boys do?

No but I don’t think it’s necessarily that simple either. Haven’t read the article yet but I would argue it takes girls much longer to develop the type of skills needed to be decent bball players. By the time many get to high school, if they haven’t developed or put in the time, the girls teams can get flattened by better competition.

My alma mater beat their opponent 57-5 last week. Those scores aren’t uncommon in lower classes either. Takes a lot of mental energy to get blown out like that every game.

 

[SalAunese]

Is girls basketball more difficult and do they have a longer season than the boys do?

No, and the season ends before boy's bball does.

With the exception of Charles City, almost all of these schools are from districts with very small enrollments. For an example, RRMR should have consolidated with North Butler or Charles City 20 years ago. Too many rural folks cling to pointless ideals regarding their schools/communities, and it will cost them (and their children) in the long run. These communities are dying whether the school is in town or not. Charles City has 10+ girls out for wrestling and the JV girls basketball team has a full roster.

Here's what the girl's participation numbers are boiling down to:

1) Girl's wrestling
2) Cheer/dance squads
3) Choir/Music
4) Simple numbers
5) Lack of interest

Club sports isn't really an issue at these rural districts, neither is the stupid notion that trannies playing girls sports is a factor in these rural districts with less than 35 to a class.

 

[Bulldogs1974]

I can’t believe none of you guys can figure this out.
Girls wrestling
There you go

that is part of it but from what I see, many of the girls that should be playing basketball are choosing to focus on a single sport, volleyball. parents are paying 300-1000 per month for club volleyball, so they focus on that. 2-3 girls per grade doing that partially accounts for that decline.

 

[Bulldogs1974]

The other big reason:
Basketball and football are catching up to wrestling in weeding out kids too early. The AAU and YSF models get great numbers when they are young and undeveloped. Small kids get beat on early and quit and never come back.
If you don't play AAU as a 3rd/4th grader you get killed in middle school sports. It demoralizes kids and they don't go out. The quality of play is not really better when they are seniors because they played so young, they just were better earlier. Travel teams pick and choose so many kids will never go out because they weren't picked when young. The RRMR's of the world don't have a structure in place to get their kids playing when young, they rely on parents to do everything.
Wrestling just did this a long time ago with little kids tournaments.

 

[millah_22]

I can’t believe none of you guys can figure this out.
Girls wrestling
There you go

Prob has a lot more to do with: Takes a lot of hard work in the offseason, so they don't want to do it >> Therefore, the girls are not good >> They lose a lot >> Losing is not fun >> Don't want to participate because they don't want to do something that's not fun.

 

[Tom Paris]

No, and the season ends before boy's bball does.

With the exception of Charles City, almost all of these schools are from districts with very small enrollments. For an example, RRMR should have consolidated with North Butler or Charles City 20 years ago. Too many rural folks cling to pointless ideals regarding their schools/communities, and it will cost them (and their children) in the long run. These communities are dying regardless if the school is in town or not. Charles City has 10+ girls out for wrestling and the JV girls basketball team has a full roster.

Here's what the girl's participation numbers are boiling down to:

1) Girl's wrestling
2) Cheer/dance squads
3) Choir/Music
4) Simple numbers
5) Lack of interest

Club sports isn't really an issue at these rural districts, neither is the stupid notion that trannies playing girls sports is a factor in these rural districts with less than 35 to a class.

The season starts a week before the boys and the girls tournament ends a week before the boys.

 

[Bonerfarts]

I can’t believe none of you guys can figure this out.
Girls wrestling
There you go

Girls wrestling is huge at my son's high school. They have over 20 girls out for wrestling and only 15 boys. Girls wrestling is getting big and still growing.

 

[IAFB2021Champs]

It’s mainly a lack of interest. Look at how little amount of students go and watch Iowa Hawkeye basketball games.
Basketball takes a lot of work and conditioning. If a girl isn’t that interested in the sport to begin with, why would they work so hard for something they don’t enjoy.
It’s much easier to play on a phone and hang out with friends.

 

[BonzoFury]

They need to bring a 6 on 6 classification back.

No

 

[tumorboy]

Let me guess. It's the invasion of dudes isn't it?

OK, now that that's out of the way - I'll read the article.

Might need dudes just to have games.

 

[IAFB2021Champs]

Girls wrestling is huge at my son's high school. They have over 20 girls out for wrestling and only 15 boys. Girls wrestling is getting big and still growing.

I feel like it’s a flavor of the month type of thing. I’d guess it will die down in a few years. I’d bet if iowa started up a men’s volleyball team that didn’t interfere with football and possibly basketball, it would have some big numbers the first few years as well.
It’s a different sport that they weren’t allowed to participate in before.

 

[HawkeyeShawn]

No, and the season ends before boy's bball does.

With the exception of Charles City, almost all of these schools are from districts with very small enrollments. For an example, RRMR should have consolidated with North Butler or Charles City 20 years ago. Too many rural folks cling to pointless ideals regarding their schools/communities, and it will cost them (and their children) in the long run. These communities are dying whether the school is in town or not. Charles City has 10+ girls out for wrestling and the JV girls basketball team has a full roster.

Here's what the girl's participation numbers are boiling down to:

1) Girl's wrestling
2) Cheer/dance squads
3) Choir/Music
4) Simple numbers
5) Lack of interest

Club sports isn't really an issue at these rural districts, neither is the stupid notion that trannies playing girls sports is a factor in these rural districts with less than 35 to a class.

Tom said. “We have said for years that basketball is the toughest sport for girls. The season is the longest and it’s really hard work.”

All I want to know is why it’s more difficult for girls. Has something changed over the years to where girls are gravitating towards sorts that aren’t “really hard work” that also have shorter seasons? If so, maybe expand on those thoughts.

 

[millah_22]

Tom said. “We have said for years that basketball is the toughest sport for girls. The season is the longest and it’s really hard work.”

All I want to know is why it’s more difficult for girls. Has something changed over the years to where girls are gravitating towards sorts that aren’t “really hard work” that also have shorter seasons? If so, maybe expand on those thoughts.

I read it as Tom comparing the length of the basketball season to the other girls sports seasons like volleyball and softball.

 

[SalAunese]

Outside of Charles City, it's a numbers game. You're looking at rural, remote school districts with declining enrollment numbers.

 

[SalAunese]

I don't know much about Central CIty, but how many of their decent athletes opt to open enroll at places like Linn Mar or Xavier?

 

[Jerome Silberman]

Less than 2,000 girls statewide in wrestling programs is not the driving force behind basketball’s recent decline.

It’s a bit shocking that less than one year after arguably the state’s or country’s greatest female basketball player leaves Iowa that we’re seeing this trend.

The wrestling numbers are definitely part of the equation. How many bball players were there prior to wrestling becoming a thing? 6-7k?

I see this as a bit of a perfect storm that probably has 4 or 5 key causes.

 

[Jerome Silberman]

Outside of Charles City, it's a numbers game. You're looking at rural, remote school districts with declining enrollment numbers.

If the enrollment projections are correct for the coming decade, girl's ball is just the tip of the iceberg.

 

[hawkeye54545]

Cell phones. Specifically smart phones.

Since this became the norm participation in everything seems to have dropped. Even adult sports leagues don't draw the numbers they once did. Just to play in a softball, volleyball or basketball league is hard now.

 

[SalAunese]

You have those projections on hand?

 

[HawkeyeShawn]

I read it as Tom comparing the length of the basketball season to the other girls sports seasons like volleyball and softball.

That’s how I read it too. Are girls more inclined than boys to avoid sports with longer seasons and sorts that are “really hard work”.

 

[SalAunese]

That’s how I read it too. Are girls more inclined than boys to avoid sports with longer seasons and sorts that are “really hard work”.

Doubt it, especially with the increased girls wrestling numbers in Iowa and hockey here in Minnesota. Both are more "work" than basketball IMO.

My niece is in competitive cheer/dance and she's in competitions from January to the 4th of July all across the southeastern USA. Those participation numbers are growing too..

 

[ISUBryce]

As a coincidence, could it be the six schools without the sport are in dying towns/areas and there will be more in years to come?

I assume any interested girls are allowed to play at a neighboring school?

Charles City has always been a "softball first" school.

No, it's not that at all.

I live on the Ankeny Hawks side of Ankeny. Only 21 girls out for basketball 9-12. The coach was asking my neighbor to play who is a good athlete but has literally never played basketball ever. You have to think there are at least 600 girls in the school and they can only get 21 out. It's like that all over the metro.

From what I've been told from people I know is that volleyball is winning.

 

[Bulldogs1974]

When parents spend big money their kids stay out. Volleyball and dance are sports anyone can do when young and your kid never really looks bad. Parents keep paying and the kid feels obligated to stay out.

 

[Bulldogs1974]

I feel like it’s a flavor of the month type of thing. I’d guess it will die down in a few years. I’d bet if iowa started up a men’s volleyball team that didn’t interfere with football and possibly basketball, it would have some big numbers the first few years as well.
It’s a different sport that they weren’t allowed to participate in before.

wrestling parent are going out of their way, like nothing i've seen, to make girls interested in wrestling. Dads that wrestled are gung ho on getting their daughters out. I do see a new fad type of thing going on here. My school has a lot of girls wrestlers, more than most but there aren't many on the team that would be playing basketball.
There are less girls wrestling than there are in AAU volleyball that are what, in the past, would hav been basketball players in my school.

 

[Tom Paris]

Tom said. “We have said for years that basketball is the toughest sport for girls. The season is the longest and it’s really hard work.”

All I want to know is why it’s more difficult for girls. Has something changed over the years to where girls are gravitating towards sorts that aren’t “really hard work” that also have shorter seasons? If so, maybe expand on those thoughts.

Again, it's the longest girls' sport season. The constant sprinting is hard work. Non stop moving throughout the game. It's a helluva lot harder practice and game than volleyball and softball.

 

[luvmyhawks]

When parents spend big money their kids stay out. Volleyball and dance are sports anyone can do when young and your kid never really looks bad. Parents keep paying and the kid feels obligated to stay out.

Wait, what? I can’t speak for dance but clearly you have never watched youth volleyball.

And I would blame a big part of this on club volleyball. These club coaches are so demanding anymore. In my experience with my kids sports, while high school coaches are very demanding, they are usually pretty good about encouraging the kids to play other sports. Club coaches, not so much. When their high school seasons are over, they expect your attention front and center.

I guess wrestling could have something to do with it. However, wrestling, for boys anyway, has always attracted a different type of athlete than basketball.

 

[HawkeyeShawn]

Again, it's the longest girls' sport season. The constant sprinting is hard work. Non stop moving throughout the game. It's a helluva lot harder practice and game than volleyball and softball.

I’m not arguing that the season is not the longest and also not arguing that basketball isn’t a difficult sport. Why would these two factors matter more to a female than it would for a male?

 

[torbee]

Let me guess. It's the invasion of dudes isn't it?

OK, now that that's out of the way - I'll read the article.

Sounds like they should bring in more trans folks to bolster the numbers and keep the sport alive! 🙂