Women have always had a harder road than men in life. One example of this is in athletics. As a society we have definitely made strides in this aspect but that doesn’t mean everything is perfect. 

I have been participating in a club swim team for five years. While I have not faced extreme inequalities there are little things that make it harder to be a female athlete. Swimming has presented me with the challenges of always comparing myself to boys and has shown me the importance of having role models. 

Growing up there was a prevalence of males in sports that I watched, whether it was basketball, football or baseball. When I watched the swimming in the 2012 Olympic games and saw swimmers like Missy Franklin, I told myself that was who I wanted to be. Seeing women competing in sports at a high level was a big inspiration for me. To this day I have posters of Missy Franklin, Kathleen Baker and Lily King on my wall. Having the chance to watch women compete sparked something in me.I feel that a huge part to being a female athlete is having inspiration to keep me going. I love to watch female athletes of all sports compete, and I always have a sense of connection with them. When the Olympics roll around, whether summer or winter, I’m always paying extra close attention to the women competing. Having role models is big in being inspired to do a sport. 

I am constantly training with boys and there is always a sense of “I’m better, I’m stronger, I’m faster.” Sometimes I enjoy the competition, but there are times where it gets to be too much. I would call myself a feminist and that definitely shows with my competitiveness. I always want to keep up with the guys on my team and I don’t want to look weak or slow in comparison to them. I’m constantly trying to pace myself with the boys on my team and try to use them as a way to push myself and get better. But it’s not always easy when they seem to continue to get better and faster, while I’ve somewhat peaked. 

Sports are extremely important to me and a huge part of my life, I have participated in sports and watched sports my whole life. I can’t imagine not having sports to watch and cheer for. The fight to have females represented in athletics is something that we should always keep in mind. There are so many women throughout history who have paved the path for all of the female athletes of today, myself included. There’s a chance that I won’t compete in swimming at a level higher than high school, and that’s okay with me. Having the chance to be a part of a team since I was 12 and not feeling much inequality throughout my career is something I should be very thankful for.