No Girls Division At Joe Vivian - APS Shows Consistent Inequality
No Girls Division At Joe Vivian - APS Shows Consistent Inequality
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This past summer New Mexico was the 18th state to sanction girls' wrestling. Before the sanction it was more of a co-ed system where girls were compelled to wrestle with the boys. Most teams out of the Albuquerque metro area have taken full advantage of the new sanction by introducing an all-girls division in multiple tournaments this season now that the sanction is in effect.
However, not everyone in the state is following the rules. It has been reported that there will be no girls division at the Joe Vivian. Nor will one be made for the All-Metro Championships. It appears that Albuquerque Public School (APS) is not taking the sanction serious. Adding to the insult, APS is also not permitting APS girls to travel out of the city where most tournaments with girl divisions are occurring. This is preventing the girls in the city of Albuquerque from growth and achieving their full potential. Not creating an all-girls division at APS events means female wrestlers are still being required to wrestle with the boys. This is a display of inequality at its best and is frustrating for many female athletes. Considering that APS is the biggest school district in the state, they should be offering more opportunities for not only female athletes but all athletes. Not to mention statistics are showing that girls wrestling is one of the fastest-growing sports in New Mexico. NMAA Executive director Sally Marquez mentioned this statistic in a recent meeting.
So what's the problem with APS? It may be time to ask the APS Athletic department some questions. Of course, their main excuse is usually money due to cutbacks. Is money really a problem? After talking to several coaches and parents money is not the issue. The difference in APS rules is what's preventing wrestlers, female and male alike from participating in similar advantages as the rest of the state’s athletic programs. Most parents and coaches say they could pick up the cost by fundraising for their teams. If cutbacks are the issue than the APS Director of Athletics needs to let the coaches have a little more flexibility in running their own programs. That's not the case APS Director of Athletics Kenny Barreras runs the athletic department like a dictator. In other words, coaches never get a say, no voting, no discussion its Kenny’s way or the highway. Sadly this is the approach that is taken, some coaches feel if they fight back they’d be in jeopardy of losing their job. If cutbacks are the issue, why do the cutbacks hit the kids and coaches first? Doesn’t that defeat the purpose of what APS is all about, which is helping our kids succeed? The motto pitched by APS is “Expect Great Things.” Let's be honest, it should be “Expect Cutbacks.” Kenny’s annual salary is $89,802.34 whereas a Head Wrestling Coach gets $3,500.00 before taxes.
Unfortunately, APS has set itself apart with other inequalities. For instance, let's take a look at coaches' salaries as an example. An APS’ Head Wrestling coach gets paid two to three thousand dollars less than a Head wrestling coach out of the city on average. Outside APS area Assistant coaches are also paid more as well, while inside APS they remain mostly volunteers. It doesn’t stop there, most schools out of the city are allowed to have 8th graders wrestle at the high school level if they’re qualified. Why can't 8th graders wrestle in APS? Let's swing back around to cutbacks, of course, if there are cutbacks coming from the high school level you can bet there is no funding for middle school teams. One reason that may be pointed out by the APS athletic department is participation level for the sport, no incentives from APS could also be the problem as well. What's contradicting and somewhat a slap in the face is having Rio Rancho teams coming to the All-Metro Championships who’ve had 8th graders wrestle in the tournament in the past while APS doesn’t allow athletes the same opportunity. Some parents don’t even deal with it, as a result, some parents move to Rio Rancho to give their kids the opportunity for a better deal. Considering that Rio Rancho is a hop skip and jump away from Albuquerque this has helped Rio Rancho programs turn into powerhouses of the sport.
Another complaint is the scheduling, coaches in APS don’t have much say when it comes to their schedule. Whereas other schools out of the city get to make their own schedule. A few coaches informed us that they got the same schedule they had from the year before coming into this season. Also, most teams in the city end up wrestling each other four to five times throughout the season, while teams out of city get a broader look at the competition. Again more flexibility needs to be given to the coaches as well as more opportunities for our kids.
What has to be done? Solutions to the problems are imminent if the APS athletic department can’t come up with solutions to these issues it may be time for some of their staff to step away and let new administrators in that are going to find solutions. Running the department with dictation is not going to solve anything. Dictation trickles down the chain of command to the coaches and it needs to stop immediately. Action by parents has to start now, again most coaches are afraid of losing their jobs if they stand up and fight these issues. Parents are the ones that need to get more involved by calling and emailing the APS athletic department. Parents need to start the fight now and continue the fight until equality is met at all ends. After all, it is our kid's opportunity that is at stake, if we don’t fight for them there will be minimal opportunity for them to succeed to their full potential. We don't only need the support of APS parents we also need support from all our brothers and sisters throughout the wrestling community. This will ultimately help create a fair playing field for the sport.
Article By: Anonymous
Date: 1/18/2020
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