Photo by: Greg Wolf

A soft light filters in through the arching windows of the gym as teams in San Pedro's new women's league play ball.

A Play of Independence

When the sun goes down on the soccer field Sunday afternoon, a small group of inspired women head into San Pedro´s gymnasium. They dribble, pass and shoot. They play defense with passion but better yet with smiles on their faces.

The women´s basketball league in San Pedro was formed only a year ago. Participation is steadily growing, and as of now, there are seven teams. The league´s founders refuse to accept money from the town´s municipal government - a clear statement of their intentions to cultivate women´s independence and self-reliance. The drawback to this decision, however, is that each team must pay 5000 pesos (US$8) to play, which can cause players to drop-out. Forseeing such issues, the league has planned a fundraising campaign. Their most recent effort was a dance performance in which the players themselves put on quite a show.

All the women in the league agree that playing basketball has given them a much needed diversion from other aspects of life. Many of them are not only mothers but full-time workers as well. Playing has released built-up tensions, and being on a team has given them the opportunity to relate to women.

Eva Campillay

As director of the basketball league, Eva Campillay is the foremost spokesperson for what sports mean to the women of San Pedro.

"Playing basketball is an opportunity for women to meet each other. Men have always had something to do on Sunday afternoons. Now women do too," she says.

Campillay believes that the women of San Pedro use basketball to foster self-reliability and to ease some of the stress in their over-burdened lives.
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Ángela Rodríguez

Ever since Ángela Rodríguez was a child growing up in San Pedro, she has loved to play basketball.

"It´s marvelous, it´s a beautiful sport," she says.

Along with a group of women she works with in San Pedro´s downtown market, Rodríguez eagerly joined the women´s basketball league when it was formed a year ago. Ángela´s team is aptly named La Feria, meaning market in Spanish.
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Two little girls speak from San Pedro about their aspirations to play basketball.

Audio: kidsaudio.swf