Living in a small town is both a blessing and a curse. Many small towns face the problem of a popular sport overshadowing a less popular sport. This is a major issue in Pelham, specifically with girls soccer. Now I’m not saying the girls varsity soccer team is unpopular, but it’s not at the same level as the boys varsity hockey team, for example.

I’m in seventh grade which means, as I’m sure you know, that I can play modified sports. And it only makes sense that I play modified girls soccer since it’s one of my favorite sports. However, when I heard that the modified girls soccer team didn’t have enough jerseys for its thirty-six players, I didn’t feel very proud of that.

At first I didn’t think anything of it, but when I started talking to some of my friends, I learned that boys modified soccer had enough jerseys for their entire team. Not only did the boys team have enough jerseys with the same number of players as us, but every other modified team had jerseys for all of their teammates.

It seems like a very stereotypical, unimportant concern, but this is a real problem that many small towns face; where one team doesn’t get the same treatment the others do. Before I started writing about my interest in this topic, I decided to do a little research. I figured the athletic director handles all sports-related issues, so I set up a meeting with Mr. Luciana.

As I sat and listened during the meeting, I couldn’t help but think he was being evasive. “I try so hard to keep the girls and boys team equal,” Mr. Luciana said when I asked him if any other teams had received new jerseys or equipment.

At the end of the day, I still don’t know if we will have enough jerseys for our team. I think it is just as important for every team to be equal as it is for boys and girls to be equal. And maybe this isn’t directly a boys versus girls situation. But it’s definitely a girls soccer team versus modified sports situation.