The battle for athletic equality of the sexes is not over. Red Bluff High School in the Red Bluff Joint Union District 38 percent of athletic opportunities were offered to females.

Once this was discovered, Red Bluff High School was sued, losing the lawsuit. Attorneys in the case believe that most of the schools in California don’t comply to the rules and regulations that Title IX addresses.

We decided to test that standard at Rio Americano. After interviewing Athletic Director, Malaya Cabrera, we found that the same athletic opportunities were offered to both males and females.

“Sports boosters at Rio Americano have done an excellent job funding both female and male sports,” said Malaya. “For each coach on one team there is a coach for the other, unless there is a large disparity in players.”

Although Rio doesn’t offer a league football team for girls, females who want to play American Football are welcome to join if they are so inclined. This goes for male athletes who want to join the women’s cheerleading team; they are welcomed to join. After interviewing the athletic director, we asked female athletes if they have been excluded from any opportunity that their male peers have had in regard to athletics. Senior and varsity cross country runner Meghan Mahoney finds Title IX to be strictly enforced at Rio. “Considering they’re getting a softball field, I think they pleaded to Title IX and didn’t back down.”

Mahoney, who has ran for Rio’s cross country team for three years, finds the competition between the male and females athletes to be friendly. “If anything, the women’s team works a little harder than the boys,” said Mahoney. “The girls are really close on varsity so we push each other and the coaches really like that and give us a lot of attention.”

Senior Chyna Wright also finds Title IX to be strictly enforced at Rio.

Wright recently finished her fourth and final volleyball season as a raider during the first round of playoffs, which was held on Oct. 20.

Senior Marin Wright, who has played soccer at Rio for four years feels as though she has had the same opportunities as her male peers; thanks to title IX laws. “One great example of Title IX being enforced at Rio is the new softball field,” said Wright.

“I wouldn’t say Title nine is enforced for all sports,” said Wright. “Before the fields were built, softball players was not given equal opportunity or equal playing fields as the baseball players.”

Wright went on to talk about the advantages that male basketball players receive that female basketball players don’t. “Girls on the basketball team have to accommodate for the boys more often,” said Wright. “The girls don’t get travel buses, and the boys have a lot more money and don’t have to fund raise as much.”

Attention for each gender is another place of contention.

“Guys sports are more advertised,” said junior and water polo player Ben Baker. “You hear it over the intercom to attend men’s sports games, but other than that, I think it’s pretty equal.”

Senior and water polo player Aiden Jang thinks that the problem with Rio sports isn’t equality between male and females sports, but funding. “I think it’s pretty equal overall,” said Jang. “We definitely need to put more funding into sports though, since we use the same places to practice and its gets crowded.”