By Samantha Norwood, staff writer.

Being on a sports team is something athletes cherish throughout their lives. Teams are often more like families, with your brothers by your side as you run to the end zone, and your sisters cheering you on as you put a perfect shot into the net for the winning goal. However, in Raven Nation, this family dynamic extends beyond the male and female sports teams. Several Athletics programs on campus are coed in many of their operations, where the men’s and women’s teams frequently practice and interact together, making the family bigger. While it may be intimidating working with the other gender, many Ravens we talked to enjoy the challenges and the rewards of doing so. 

“You are exposed to so many different people with different abilities. Everyone is there to push one another to be better,” says sophomore track & field thrower Connor Everidge. “It creates a very competitive environment and makes competing that much more fun.” Everidge later explained that the track & field team’s coaches do an amazing job at dividing up time and supporting both teams no matter which gender they are or discipline they compete in. Especially as thrower, Everidge works closely with the females on the team. The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has forced many groups to split up the genders for practices to reduce size, but Everidge is thankful his group is still coed. “Working with another gender is not much of a challenge at all. The challenge is competing against each other, which only makes us closer and stronger.”

The same goes for the tennis teams, whose practice times often overlap. Sophomore Jillian Pagliuca thinks highly of the teams working cohesively at times. “In my opinion, playing with the men’s team, although intimidating, raises my level of performance,” she states. “At this level of competition, everyone wants to win and play their best.” Competition between genders is something that happens among athletes on teams across Raven Nation. The playful banter and competitive spirit allows our athletes to improve their abilities, while enjoying their shared passions. Pagliuca explains: “Since we all share the same love of the sport, men and women often help each other and push one another to play at their best level possible.”

Even on the golf team, where the men and women practice and compete separately, the closeness of the two teams is evident as they push each other to improve. Head coach Tyler Bishop explains: “They are always cheering for each other to succeed and play well in tournaments, but if given the chance to compete against each other they would want to win and be the better team.” He enjoys his athletes pushing each other and working together, saying, “As coach, I love that. I want the mutually respect and camaraderie, but I also want the most completive players that want to be the best team. They push each other and because of that both teams have helped each other improve.” This is a special relationship that allows Franklin Pierce student-athletes to grow stronger, something that coaches at the University support.

Regardless, working closely with the opposing gender may seem scary at times. One would think being the only woman on the football team would be intimidating, right? Not for junior Morgan Smith. Her coaches made it clear from day one that she belonged on the team just as much as everyone else did. “Gender has never been an issue. I compete with the guys on the team just like everyone else,” explains Smith. “My gender plays no role on the team. When I'm practicing, I am not a girl, I'm a football player.” Smith has always felt welcomed when taking the field for the Ravens. 

She has faced challenges, however, not from her own team, but from their competitors. A lack of accommodations and negative comments about the ability to play football given one’s gender would shake anyone. Despite negativity, Smith remains strong: “I told a few guys about some of things that were said during high fives and from then on, I always had someone right by my side to look out for me. The guys on my team have always been supportive and make sure I'm safe both on and off the field. These comments and negativity never bother me because I know I have the best support group.”  

It's a general consensus among Raven Nation that the line between teammate and family is not stopped by gender. These athletes work together, push each other, and ultimately stand together as one. In the words of Everidge: “Having the other gender there provides more people who will always have your back.”