MaeveWharton

Between pep rallies, posters and PA announcements, Marian is no stranger to athletic excellence. Standing proudly as the only Class A all-girls school in Nebraska, Marian holds 70 Nebraska State Athletic Association (NSAA) State Titles, as well as time-honored traditions of perseverance, leadership and victory. However, below the surface of success, a subtle gender imbalance has taken root within the coaching staff. 

Of Marian’s 11 NSAA-sanctioned sports, only three head coaches are women. Besides soccer, wrestling, and tennis, the remaining eight sports teams are headed by men, prompting the question: where have all the female coaches gone?

While the gender of one’s coach does not necessarily determine success in sports, according to Athleteassesments.com, female coaches can become role models for the young women they coach, positively influencing their self-perceptions.

Paige Miller, a senior on both the basketball and soccer teams, has had different experiences with male and female coaches. While playing for a male basketball coach at Marian, she has been “pushed to work hard,” but feels she cannot relate to male coaches as easily. 

Miller appreciates the connection she is able to form with Teresa DeGeorge, Marian’s head soccer coach. DeGeorge “has played at Marian, had the same experiences as us, and knows how we feel,” Miller said. 

While she welcomes the different perspectives brought by different coaches, Miller compares DeGeorge’s coaching to “a breath of fresh air” after having only male basketball coaches for her entire club career.

Other all-girls schools display statistics similar to Marian’s. Marian sits at a 27 percent female head coaching staff, whereas Duchesne Academy and Mercy High School, both Class B schools, sit at 40 and 44 percent, as listed on their respective websites. According to the Women’s Sports Foundation, nationally, only about 20 percent of high school and collegiate coaches are women. 

Athletic Director Rochelle Rohlfs says that there are two main reasons for this disparity. 

Firstly, women have historically foregone coaching positions due to a lack of time and familial support, Rohlfs says. Coaching is “a huge time commitment,” and becomes difficult to manage alongside “family dynamics.” With other jobs and families to handle, many women simply do not have the capacity to add coaching to their list of responsibilities. 

Secondly, coaching as a career in general has seen a drastic decline. With poor pay, coupled with intense court-side coaches (i.e., parents), coaching as a profession is losing its luster for both women and men alike. Due to these factors, “some coaches cannot shoulder the pressure of head coaching,” Rohlfs said.

Additionally, women face higher expectations than men when it comes to coaching, Rohlfs says. While men may be labeled as “tough” and knowledgeable, women displaying the same behavior could be labeled as “harsh” or mean. 

While Rohlfs strives to have at least one female role model on every team, “there are some sports where I’ve never had a female apply,” she said. 

However, she has hope for the future. Marian holds the only all-female wrestling coach staff in the state of Nebraska. Head coaches Teresa DeGeorge (soccer), Lauren Barefoot (wrestling), and Trish Faust (tennis) serve as exemplary female leaders for Marian athletes. 

Rohlfs herself also serves as a positive female role model for Marian students, as less than ten percent of NSAA athletic directors are women. 

Rohlfs sees potential for great progress to be made with the right encouragement and emphasis on getting more women into the coaching field.

So, where have all the female coaches gone? They were never there in the first place – but they may be soon.