On Thursday, January 26, Athletic Director Christina Okubo sent out a survey revealing the possibility of new sports for the fall and winter seasons of 2023. These two new athletic programs include 8-girl flag football for the fall and girls wrestling for the winter. Depending on the levels of interest in these sports, it is hoped that they will be implemented in the coming school year.

As an all-girls school, NDB has been lacking a football program for many years. After Powderpuff temporarily filled this, the Athletic Department has been looking for a more permanent solution. Many students have expressed that they would like to have played in Powderpuff, but did not get selected. A more long-lasting program could allow students to improve their skills and might be an advantage for the school-wide game.

However, the issue is the absence of this program in surrounding schools. Without an adequate number of teams to play against, problems begin to arise surrounding scheduling and game times. Perhaps adding this program to NDB will encourage other schools to have a girl’s flag football team as well as promote women’s representation in a predominantly male sport.

Girl’s wrestling, on the other hand, is a more popular sport among Bay Area schools. Carlmont HS, Woodside HS, Sacred Heart Prep HS and more have a varsity wrestling program that includes girls’ and coed options. Offering a girls’ wrestling team at NDB can open up the sport to a whole new population of strong women. With only basketball and soccer currently offered in the winter season, wrestling also could make up for the smaller number of winter athletes.

Wrestling can be a great option for those wanting to stay active during their off-season. Independence, tenacity, perseverance, mental strength and discipline can all be developed through wrestling. Additionally, wrestling promotes athletic ability and teaches fundamental self-defense. Especially in an all-girl school, pushing for self-defense and empowering women to be strong and able to fend for themselves is of the utmost importance. It is also not a very difficult sport to pick up as there are not as many rules or nuances as in a field or team sport; a base level of strength, hard work and determination are all that is needed for success.

A difficulty that might present itself when introducing these new sports to NDB is finding coaches to teach girls a whole new sport that requires a high level of patience and skill. Many times it has been an NDB parent that is willing to take this opportunity and allows the school to broaden its horizons on the sports front.

Nonetheless, a fresh set of athletic opportunities might bring in a whole new demographic of students who want to play these sports in high school to get better for a collegiate or professional level.