Harwood boys and girls soccer teams

I’m sure most athletes can agree that one of the best feelings in the world is getting on the field and hearing the crowd cheering and going crazy, but what if that all got taken away from you and turned against you? During this fall sports season, players from the Winooski boys soccer team, Burlington volleyball team and Hartford girls soccer team were targeted with racist and sexual comments made towards the players. 

After these unacceptable events took place, schools all around the state showed their support and took a stand against these acts and keeping sports a safe place. At Harwood the boys and girls soccer teams both read statements before their senior day games and wore armbands that said “Keep Sports Safe.” 

“With the racial and sexual harassment taking place in Vermont sports, we thought it was neccesary for us as student athletes to speak up and do our best to make a change,” said Louisa Thomsen, Harwood girls soccer player. “We made a banner, released a statement and created armbands to wear at our games. We realized that many acts like these go unnoticed, and even though we aren’t perfect, it is important that we have courage and are willing to stand up against a problem in our community,” said Thomsen.

It was moving to see Harwood take a stand against racism and to promote the message to keep sports safe and to try our hardest to put an end to it all so we can enjoy sports without athletes having to worry about actions like those that happened.

Harwood junior Louisa Thomsen