Vanessa Centeno
Crimson Chronicle Reporter
Mireya Carrera, SAS sophomore, has recently joined the junior varsity football team making her the only Lady Sheik on the team this fall season.
Football has been regarded as the sport that boys will continue to join in the hopes of becoming a part of the macho clan that defines their manly ego. And although society’s mindset is accustomed to the boys on the field and girls to cheer, Mireya took it through one ear and let it out through the other. No man can stop Lady Sheik Mireya from bringing Sheik pride.
Mireya declined to be interviewed, but after interviewing a few of the JV players, they all agreed that Mireya was either just as, or better than, the boys on the team. “I don’t like to pick favorites, but she is better,” said Alex Jimenez, SAS sophomore.
“She is just as good as the boys; she can actually do more bench presses than most of them,” said JV Coach Michael Fernandez.
As Mireya proves to be just as or even more diligent in the game, the common question is raised: Does Mireya receive different treatment because she is a girl?
Being taught to respect women and treating them with delicacy was always the common courtesy. Though the respect and kindness should still stand, all is put away when playing the game. Being a girl or a boy is not what labels one as an athlete. Mireya continues to be treated as a team player and not as a delicate flower.
“It doesn’t matter who you are as long as you have commitment and work for the victory. Our entire team respects her on and off the field,” said Levi Velasquez, NMA sophomore.
“Football is a universal sport and nobody is treated any different, no matter what,” said JV Coach Fernandez.
Although Mireya is the only current female football Sheik, all hopes are that she won’t be the only one. Girls all around campus are always encouraged to test their strengths and join the team. “The doors are always open, even if you missed out this season,the next one is still coming,” said JV Coach Fernandez. There is no male chauvinism on this block and the limits are endless, as Mireya continues to prove while playing the game she loves.