In 1972, a federal civil rights law was enacted as part of the American Education Amendments. Most commonly known as Title IX, it prohibits discrimination based on sex in an education program or activity, including high school sports.
So, on Wednesday night, January 25th, Ballard girls varsity suited up to play a highly anticipated game against the Bishop Blanchet Bears on the home court at BHS in order to recognize the significance of this amendment for high school athletes while also celebrating female participation in sports.

“I thought it was really cool seeing that people actually cared and took the time to come out and watch,” senior captain Nevaeh Harman said. The game had a large audience; the student section was completely filled (predominantly by females), parents of players on both teams cheered for their daughters, the Ballard band and cheerleaders were lined up to show support to the lady Beavers.

During halftime, the Ballard youths girls basketball team also played a quick match. Bucky the Beaver was throwing Ballard merchandise into the national anthem to honor senior Laura Grande, currently attending Ballard during an exchange year from Italy.

“It’s been amazing seeing the change that has happened within women’s sports over the years, so it was pretty emotional,” Harman added about the celebration of Title IX. The game was intense and the Beavers had some killer shots, including 2 3 pointers in a row by senior team Capitan Diyanka Laemmle in the first quarter.

Unfortunately, the game ended with a win for Blanchet, but the Beavers played hard. The 2022-2023 season has been a challenge for the girls Varsity team, as they were placed in the higher Metros division this year, setting them up for some tough competition. “It’s been a rocky start…but we’re improving a lot, this is just preparing us for playoffs,” Harman said about the Beaver’s competition this season, which included last year’s Metro champions.

In the playoffs, the Beavs expect to get some wins against the teams in the lower Metros bracket, hopefully ending the 2022-2023 girls Varsity basketball season with a bang.