County officials said more athletic facilities are desperately needed for the growing numbers of female athletes and to provide recreation space for residents. However, residents of the gently sloping North Arlington neighborhood around Yorktown said they are incensed by the plans, which put them at bitter odds with a county and school they have long supported. We just don't want to leave. All over the nation, playing fields are in short supply, partly because of the soaring popularity of high school sports for girls. Not only has the federal Title IX act given young women more opportunities in high school and college sports, but the success of the U.S. women's soccer, softball and other teams has given women's sports unprecedented cachet.
Girls are feeling as much pressure as boys to play high school sports, athletic directors say.
At Yorktown, girls' hockey, lacrosse and soccer teams have been added in recent years. But as more girls play, they need places to run, kick, pitch and pass. And in neighborhoods inside the Capital Beltway, it's nearly impossible to make the room. I describe it as a high school in downtown Manhattan. It just breaks my heart.