Title IX Ruling: Girls’ Soccer at MHS will Move to the Fall

by Joan R. Simon

(June 10, 2004) The verdict is in: after nearly three years of debate and legal wrangling, girls’ soccer will be moving from spring to fall. A Title IX suit filed by Josef Geldwert, whose daughter Emily is a junior at Mamaroneck High School, along with another soccer family from Pelham, charged local school districts with unfairly discriminating against girls’ soccer by scheduling the sport in the spring. They argued that the girls’ soccer team was prevented from competing in the state championship which, along with boys’ soccer, is held only in the fall.

In July 2003, the court ruled in favor of switching the girls’ soccer season to the fall. Mamaroneck and Pelham school districts appealed; on June 3, the court upheld the earlier decision. (Read the decision.) Commenting on the verdict, Mr. Geldwert’s wife, Janice, said, “We’re thrilled. It’s been a long haul and I’m just glad that the courts finally decided to make our schools do what is right.”

What does this mean for Mamaroneck sports?

Interim Athletic Director Pat Amendola noted, “We’re going to attempt to move all four of the girls’ teams to the fall.” Field availability is a major concern, as girls’ soccer will be vying for playing space with not only boys’ soccer, but also football and field hockey. “We’re getting ready to approach the towns on extending the hours they give us beyond 6 pm, which will affect the youth league teams.” Mr. Amendola added, “Our teams will not be happy with staggered practices, but it will just have to work.” Most of the boys’ soccer coaches also coach the girls’ teams, according to Mr. Amendola. He added, “We have to find enough coaches to move the teams all at once.”

What does this mean for the other fall girls’ teams?

Coaches will be vying for players, as girls’ soccer competes with five other fall sports: notably field hockey, but also cross-country, tennis, volley ball and swimming. Unless changes are made, there will be only three spring sports for girls: lacrosse, softball and track. Mr. Amendola said that New York State has been talking about switching girls’ tennis to the spring and boys’ tennis to the fall.

What does this mean for soccer players?

For the serious soccer player, the pressure will be off to play both club soccer and school soccer in the same season. “I’m personally happy with the change,” remarked Andrea Mancino, one of four juniors, including Emily Geldwert, who were unable to play for the high school team this spring because of conflicts with their club teams. While Emily will be coming back to the team in the fall, another club team player, Charlotte Cooke, expects to continue with tennis, according to her father.

What does this mean for field hockey players?

9th grader KJ Warren (in blue) in a hard spot. Next year she must choose: soccer or field hockey.

Andrea Mancino cautioned, “It’s going to be a big loss to our team with all the people who play field hockey.” Ninth grader KJ Warren, one of the soccer team stars as well as an avid field hockey player, agreed. “I’m not thrilled about the change,” she said. “I’ve been going over that dilemma for awhile. I haven’t decided yet what I’m going to do.” Junior Alexa Cotugno is struggling with the same problem. “I’m really still up in the air. It depends on what some of the girls on the soccer team are going to do. If a lot of them are going to play field hockey, it will be a waste of time to play soccer.” She added, “We have a really good chance of going far in field hockey next year.” Her twin sister Jillian, also a soccer player, has already decided to stay with field hockey.