As Riordan continues to expand, its sports programs are no exception. Though a majority of the sports has both boys and girls teams, some sports have been overlooked when it comes to creating new teams. 

Particularly, girls softball and boys volleyball have been suggested to be added to the list of sports, but unfortunately no progress has been made. 

“They’ve done a good job in including teams for sports that are set,” stated Chloe Leotta ’24. “But I think giving girls more sports, like dance and cheer, and giving girls equally as much attention and consideration as the guys would help a lot.” 

Leotta has been a trailblazer at Riordan school by being the first female player on the boys baseball team last year, and advocating for a girls softball team since her freshman year. 

“I think softball can be just as successful as baseball, and adds another sport that contributes to Riordan as a whole,” she said. “I chose to play baseball last year to prove a point to the athletic directors that girls can play ball, and they deserve a team that can showcase their talent and bring them to the college level.”

Not only has girls softball been overlooked, but boys volleyball as well. Mateo Lapuz ’23 has been playing volleyball since he was 7 years old, and has been trying to create a boys volleyball team at Riordan since his freshman year. 

“From what I have seen and heard there is definitely a lot of interest, maybe even more this year than the last. But we need people to actually show up to the open gyms rather than just say they went to play,” he said. 

The interest in playing is the main reason why both sports have yet to form a full team. However, if interest from the student body is what is holding back the administration from forming new sports teams, they should be the ones advertising the idea of new sports, rather than the students campaigning for themselves. 

Joshua Keeney, a religious studies instructor at Riordan, commented on the addition of new sports saying, “Not everyone has had their sport brought in and I can understand the frustration for those who haven’t gotten their sport included.”

“However, I think we have done a good job in inclusivity considering the space that we have, resources we have, and the paradigm shift we took on from going to all boys to co-ed.”

Regardless of whether it’s volleyball, softball, dance, or cheer, the administration should create more opportunities that attract a wider audience of students. Yes, the school has done a lot for sports and extracurriculars already, but with the addition of more activities, it would become another aspect of Riordan that incoming students look forward to. 

Hopefully, in the near future our sports programs will look to expand, however until then athletes will not stop pushing to improve the school’s sports program.