Volleyball for Boys

The wonderful world of sports at Lakeside Middle School is largely inclusive of all genders. We offer soccer, basketball, crew, and many other sports for everyone. In fact, nearly every Middle School sport is open to all genders. There is one sport that is offered for girls and not for boys, and that is volleyball. 

Before we dive into the lack of volleyball for boys, we should first recognize the reasons why volleyball is a good sport to learn and play in general.

First, volleyball hugely promotes teamwork skills and communication. On a volleyball team,  it’s essential to rely on teammates and be accountable to one’s own job -- even more than in other sports. These skills build trust and responsibility, which is great for bonding with your teammates. Additionally, volleyball trains hand-eye coordination and arm/shoulder strength, making it generally easier to complete certain tasks as our bodies age. Besides, who wouldn’t want an extra sport to get some exercise?

On that note, Lakesiders broadly support offering boys’ volleyball. A survey in the Daily asked students to rank their support on a scale of 1-10. Male-identifying students rated the idea a 7.8 on average. The average for every other gender group was not much different at 7.2.

Most respondents detailed how they thought boys’ volleyball would be just as fun as another sport option, noting how it would make Lakeside sports just a little more gender-inclusive. After all, equity is a very important value in our community. However, some people expressed concerns about whether there was enough interest for a boys’ volleyball team to be formed. 

This turns out to be a main requirement for introducing a new sport, according to Chris Hartley, Lakeside’s director of athletics. He said that the school must consider equipment, cost, facilities, and student interest when weighing a new sport. 

More importantly, he explained the real reason why boys’ volleyball does not exist at Lakeside. “At the Upper School, Lakeside participates in the Metro League. Boys’ volleyball is not offered in the Metro League or the state,” Hartley said. “With the resources we have, it makes the most sense to offer sports at the Middle School that students can play when they get to the Upper School.” 

All in all, it turns out that while volleyball is a wonderful sport with many benefits and most Lakesiders enjoy it, the chances of it being offered for boys at Lakeside are pretty slim, unless we can advocate for it to be offered at other schools as well. However, there are many ways that boys can still enjoy volleyball: playing with friends in leisure time like lunch periods; searching for clubs or teams outside of school; finding centers that offer intramural leagues, and so much more.