Treat Girls The Same As Boys

To the Editor:

I have been playing in the Newtown Girls Softball League for six years. I have had a lot of fun and have met some really nice friends on the teams I have played on. When I first started to play, I was very excited because I would get a real uniform just like my older brothers did when they played baseball. What I got when I played was colored T-shirt with the team’s sponsor and a number on it. Some years we got hats, other years we did not. The boys got nice baseball shirts, pants, socks, and always a hat. Every year, the girls only get the same colored T-shirts we always have. That’s not fair that the boys are treated better than the girls are. We should get the same uniforms as the boys.

I also think that the boys’ baseball fields are in much better condition than the girls’ softball fields. This year my team played on two fields, Newtown High and Fairfield Hills. One of the fields has only one bench on it. The other team has to sit on the ground. You should look at the fields at Fairfield Hills to make the comparison for yourself. The girls’ softball field at Fairfield Hills has a backstop and a metal box to store equipment. My parents have to bring lawn chairs to sit and watch the game. The boys’ baseball field has a fence all around it with banners from businesses hanging all around the outfield fence. Some of those businesses might even have daughters that play softball in Newtown. There are dugouts for the boys to sit in behind the fence, which is safer. There are also metal bleachers for the parents to sit in instead of having to bring their own chairs.

If the town can’t afford all of it, then why afford any of it. In the Town of Bethel the girls and the boys have full softball and baseball uniforms. All I am asking for is a little fairness. The girls should get the same treatment as the boys. I love this sport very much and hope to continue to play softball until I am out of college. I don’t understand that in the year 2000 why in Newtown the girls do not have equal things the boys do.

Thank you,

Laura Hennessy

7A Possum Ridge Road                        July 19, 2000