Quote:
Originally Posted by BillyMac
For several years now many of our high schools had problems offering girls freshman and girls junior varsity basketball programs.
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In my (non-Iowa) area, the number of girls trying out for freshman basketball teams has dropped to the point some schools have eliminated that level altogether or have rebranded the teams as "JV B" so that lesser-experienced sophomores can be included on the roster just to have enough players to field a viable team. I'm also seeing schools with a low numbers on both their freshman and JV teams take advantage of the state's 5 quarter rule to have a few players play on both squads each night.
Even at the middle school level, there are fewer girls participating in basketball. In the 13 years I've been officiating basketball, some of the area middle schools that once had enough girls to field separate 7th and 8th grade teams are now fielding a single 7th/8th grade combined team that is lucky to have 10-12 on the roster in recent years.
Between decreasing population trends, more sports to choose from, and teens choosing non-athletic activities, this isn't overly surprising from my perspective and we may see more of it in smaller schools or schools with relatively low athletic participation.