Sports opportunities have grown ninefold for Hawai'i girls in the 33 years since the passing of the federal law known as Title IX, which mandates gender equity in school sports. Now, advocates say, the challenge is to ensure girls have equal access to fields and locker rooms.

From left, Natalie Chang, Rochelle Lee and Hillary Chun, of the Kaiser High School Girls Track Team, are beneficiaries of the 33 years Title IX has pushed gender equality. Some girls sports still lack facilities. Eugene Tanner • The Honolulu Advertiser

New sports have been added for girls every year in Hawai'i and the athletes have shined. Hawai'i is one of two states with a sanctioned girls high school wrestling state championship. It is the only state with outrigger canoe paddling and one of three states to have a sanctioned girls water polo championship.

The Hawai'i High School Athletic Association sponsors 33 sports championships, more than any other state. Sixteen of the championships are for girls, 16 for boys and one is mixed.

"Every school is in compliance now," said Raymond Fujino, state Department of Education Civil Rights Compliance Office athletic specialist.

"In the last three years we have come a long way. We're making gains in participation.

"We're still not equal. No one will dispute that."

But beyond participation, equality in terms of spending and facilities is important because girl athletes deserve the same treatment as boys, said Keith Amemiya, executive director of the Hawai'i High School Athletic Association.

Girls often have to use community parks for softball games and practice. If the school has field space, it's usually for boys baseball.

"Athletics is an integral component in a child's educational development," Amemiya said. "Athletics is a perfect complement to classroom learning. Girls and boys learn teamwork, discipline, sportsmanship and hard work.

"Sports teaches you what kind of person you are. It's important for girls to learn this just as much as boys."

In terms of facilities, there's a way to go, girls say. Often, they must use bathrooms to change because there's no locker facilities for girls, and softball games are played on neighborhood fields rather than at the school.

Fewer than half of the state's 42 high schools have softball fields for girls. The state is building or upgrading 13 more: Kaiser, Konawaena, King Kekaulike, Radford, Pahoa, Hana, Lahainaluna and Wai'anae high schools. Being upgraded are Maui, Kapolei, Castle, Waipahu and Pearl City.

When the work is done all the high schools with enough land will have softball fields.

Half the Hawai'i high schools do not have girls locker rooms.

Graduating senior and Kaiser High School softball player Cassidy Lum never got to play on the new field at Kaiser. Her team always played at a nearby neighborhood park.

"I won't get to play on this field," Lum said.

"We've always had to drive somewhere else to practice, but the boys don't."

State Rep. Bud Stonebraker, R-17th (Hawai'i Kai, Kalama Valley), recently asked the Legislature to approve $2 million for planning and design of a girls locker room at Kaiser. But the measure failed to make it into the budget, Stonebraker said.

"I'm disappointed that it didn't make it into the budget this year, but I am optimistic and hopeful for next year," Stonebraker said.

Equal facilities across the state would take millions of dollars and is not a requirement of Title IX, which does require steady improvement in reducing the gap in participation.

Hawai'i does that by offering new sports for girls at the varsity and junior varsity level. But the amount of money spent for boys and girls sports by the DOE is not equal. (See chart.)

To be equal in participation, the DOE needs to interest at least 2,500 more girls in sports, Fujino said. Before Title IX, there were 3,402 girls participating in sports in Hawai'i. Today, more than 12,000 take part.

Mid-Pacific Institute soccer player Mariko Strickland sees the issue not just as one of facilities vs. opportunities. To her, it's more a need to change the attitude of people who feel that sports are dominated by male baseball and football.

"People take boys sports more seriously than girls," said the 18-year-old Strickland, who will go to San Diego State on a soccer scholarship.

Kaylee Noborikawa, a Kaiser High School senior, has played volleyball for Kaiser for four years. Frankly, she said, she's never given the locker room situation much thought. It is what it is, she said.

"The boys have more perks," Noborikawa said. "Other than the locker room thing, the girls program at Kaiser is pretty good.

"I think the girls get treated as good as the boys except for the locker room and baseball field."

If Kaiser's Athletic Director Ricky Shimokawa had his way, he'd start remodeling the existing athletic locker room to accommodate girls and build a new two-story facility between the football field and the baseball fields. The top floor would be for boys football and other sports and the lower level would be two locker rooms for boys baseball teams and girls softball.

"I hope to see this in my lifetime," Shimokawa said.

Kaiser High's Principal Larry Kaliloa said most schools make do with what they have. "It's always an issue," Kaliloa said.

Reach Suzanne Roig at sroig@honoluluadvertiser.com or 395-8831.