Tiana Merchan is an ASU Cronkite Journalism student assigned to cover Sunnyslope High School for AZPreps365.com

High school is widely known as the stepping stone that prepares teenagers for college, even at the athletic level. Providing female student-athletes with a positive and supportive environment allows them to remain in sports longer, and that’s what Mountain Ridge High School is working to do.

Mountain Ridge High school is addressing challenges head on. It has created a strong athletic environment for female student athletes across the board. Coaching tones for this year have emphasized positive mindset methods. They have created a sense of community across female athletics and they have even stepped it up when it comes to inclusivity.

This is an important approach for Mountain Ridge to take as the leading cause for young girls to leave athletics is due to lack of confidence and overall support.

Studies show that teenage girls often drop out of athletics during and after puberty due to lack of confidence and limited support. Providing athletes with proper resources and a positive support system in schools can help them stay engaged in athletics.

A survey conducted by Women In Sports, which included 4,000 boys and girls, found that teenage girls disengaged in sports during puberty at a higher rate than boys.

According to the study 68%of the girls dropped out of sports due to a lack of confidence. During puberty many teenage girls experience changes in their bodies and mental states. This comes at a time where they are entering high school and new sets of “insecurities” arise.  Women In Sports CEO Stephanie Hilborne talked in the article about the main things that contribute to the numbers mentioned above. 

In the article it read “Our research has found that 59% of teenage girls who used to be sporty like competitive sports but they’re being failed due to early years stereotyping, inadequate opportunities and a complete dearth of knowledge about managing female puberty,” Hilborne wrote.  

Hilborne follows this up and writes, “The transition from childhood to adulthood should be filled with happiness, opportunity and optimism for the future."

Another factor that has girls drop out of athletics is overall lack of opportunities/access.

The Nonprofit Women’s Sport Foundation wrote an article that says that once girls hit 14, they are “dropping out of sports at two times the rate of boys”.

“Girls have 1.3 million fewer opportunities to play high school sports than boys have,” the Women's Sports Foundation said.

The article says that some schools lack quality physical education programs as well as sports programs for girls. This leads to young girls having to look elsewhere for athletic opportunities. This makes it hard for girls to engage in sports.

Lacking access to opportunities can be seen in the high school and collegiate level. With fewer opportunities for girls ,there is a gap in visibility as a result. With women's sports having less visibility in mainstream media it makes it hard for young girls to feel inspired knowing there is a gap in coverage. It also creates a lack of positive role models.

“Today’s girls are bombarded with images of external beauty, not those of confident, strong female athletic role models,” the Women’s Sports Foundation said.

Many Girls feel forced to stay into the mold they see online. This can be due to peer pressure from friends, social media ect. When young girls don’t see examples of strong athletic role models it can lead to girls dropping out of athletics.

Flag football has been making an impact across the states and has even touched Mountain Ridge. Mountain Ridge has been active in the flag football community since the 2023-24 school year and it has created a new culture for female athletes at Mountain Ridge. 

"Female sports are definitely gaining more traction," senior flag football athlete Cameron Mailloux said.

Mailloux has set school records in receiving yards and touchdowns and said that the support she receives from Mountain Ridge does not go unnoticed. 

“I’ve been nominated an All-American, MVP, set school records in receiving yards and touchdowns- and Mountain Ridge has made sure to announce every accolade,” Mailloux said. “I’m proud to say my school brags about us because we deserve the same respect and recognition as the boys."

By giving athletics the same recognition, Mountain Ridge hopes to ensure that both sides are equally supported and have a positive environment for athletes to grow and develop.

Sophomore flag football/basketball athlete, Amiaya Tice believes that the staff at Mountain Ridge is supportive and really makes a community there.

“Mountain Ridge has been offering me a supportive program by having staff from all areas of Ridge support me in what I do,” Tice said.

Flag football athlete Allie Jensen agrees with Mailloux, saying that Mountain Ridge creates a positive environment specifically for females.

“Mountain Ridge creates a positive environment and support system by implementing specific power training classes different to the needs of female lifers,” Jensen said. “Mountain Ridge also provides a good mental support system that adequately supports and strives to understand the needs of the players individually as well as the overall team.'

While Jensen agrees Mountain Ridge is creating a positive environment for athletes and believes that female sports are gaining more traction when it comes to popularity, she still thinks Mountain Ridge still has growth to do when it comes to overall recognition and exposure.

“The female teams, like flag football, have rarely received any attention from the school on a wide scale,” Jensen said. “The boy teams are posted much more frequently and highlighted more, no matter their success or lack of it. I think that the teachers support the team well, the media side of the school does not."

Junior Flag football athlete Tahlia Hampen also has a similar tone to Jensen. 

“Boy tackles are constantly getting praised for games lost,” Hampen said.

Hampen notes that this leads to overall frustration for female athletes as it “downplays” their performances even though they may out perform tackle football at times.

 Jensen and Hempen highlighted the gap of exposure the female teams are experiencing. While they receive adequate support from coaching staff and teachers, the school falls short when it comes to recognition.