I went to watch my little sister play hockey last night… and to my delight (and my dad's as well - who is coach), a fight broke out after the buzzer. The only issue was that my sister got hammered a few times, so needless to say I was up out of my seat, and might have been on the ice if it weren't for the fact that we were in stands, far out of reach of the boards.
Needless to say, because it was after the buzzer (and in my opinion, probably more so because the refs were not paying attention to who said or did or started what), no penalties were called. Their response? "Relax - it's just girls hockey."
Really?
Is that really your response?
I can't say much for hockey, other than their punches probably hit a lot harder with gloves on, but I can say that when fights broke out on the basketball court when I played in high school, the guys would watch in awe. Girls are MEAN. There are no holds barred - and since they've not been taught to fight properly (unlike boys/men who contribute portions of their practices to protecting themselves, and throwing clean punches), girls are not aware of how to protect themselves when in the midst of a fight.
My dad - who truly sees his girls on the team as being equal (if not more competant, and much more challenging to coach) - pulled the girls aside once they were out of the dressing room, and gave them all a lesson on the stance, and the way to put your arms, as a reminder in the event that a team-wide fight comes up again. My sister was shaking her head, "I know! I know!" but the pure fact that these girls have ever been taught to protect themselves in a game is a wonder.
Growing up in a house where sports were pressured onto us from the moment we could walk (I never walked… I just ran kicking a soccer ball), I was not exposed to sportless females until quite late in life. When I got to grade 8, and I realized that some of my friends had never played an organized sport in their life, I was baffled. As I started to get older, and realized I was the one who was more comfortable leading a meeting, or announcing my opinion out loud, I realized that there was a connection - maybe not directly to my involvement in sports, but certainly a connection between my confidence (not that I had much in other areas of life!) in my opinions and individuality, and having been surrounded by parents and coaches who thought that I was able to play hardball until age 15 with the boys, and competant enough to coach the boys teams all through high school.
I was involved in the athletic association all through my 5 years in high school, and we invested a significant amount of time and energy on promoting the female athletic side of our school. It was through this, that I had the revelation that there has been a proven correlation between girls who play sports, and positive aspects of a female's self worth.
According to the Women's Sports Foundation, studies show:
1. Sports are FUN.
2. Girls and women who play sports have a more positive body image than girls and women who don't participate.
3. Girls who participate in sports have higher self-esteem and pride in themselves.
4. Research suggests that physical activity is an effective tool for reducing the symptoms of stress and depression among girls.
5. Playing sports teaches girls how to take risks and be aggressive.
6. Sport is where girls can learn goal-setting, strategic thinking and the pursuit of excellence in performance and other achievement-oriented behaviors—critical skills necessary for success in the workplace.
7. Playing sports teaches math skills.
8. Sports help girls develop leadership skills.
9. Sports teach girls teamwork.
10. Regular physical activity in adolescence can reduce girls' risk for obesity.
11. Physical activity appears to decrease the initiation of cigarette smoking in adolescent girls.
12. Research suggests that girls who participate in sports are more likely to experience academic success and graduate from high school than those who do not play sports.
13. Teenage female athletes are less than half as likely to get pregnant as female non-athletes (5% and 11%, respectively).
14. Teenage female athletes are more likely to report that they had never had sexual intercourse than non-athletes (54% and 41%).
15. Teenage female athletes are more likely to experience their first sexual intercourse later in adolescence than female non-athletes.
16. High school sports participation may help prevent osteoporosis.
17. Women who exercise report being happier than those who do not exercise.
18. Women who exercise believe they have more energy and felt they were in excellent health more often than non-exercising women.
19. Women who are active in sports and recreational activities as girls feel greater confidence in their physical and social selves than those who were sedentary as kids.
20. Women who exercise miss fewer days of work.
21. Research supports that regular physical activity can reduce hyperlipidemia (high levels of fat in blood).
22. Recreational physical activity may decrease a woman's chance of developing breast cancer.
23. Women who exercise weigh less than non-exercising women.
24. Women who exercise have lower levels of blood sugar, cholesterol, triglycerides and have lower blood pressure than non-exercising women
25. Regular exercise improves the overall quality of life.
Compiled by the Women's Sports Foundation 1999. http://www.womenssportsfoundation.org/Content/Articles/Sports%20And%20Fitness/123/25%20Benefits%20of%20Girls%20Playing%20Sports.aspxFor full citations, please contact the Women's Sports Foundation at 800.227.3988.Copyright (c)Women's Sports Foundation
Nike also created an ad campaign that made me cry every time I saw it on TV. I only cry at two things - social injustice, and sports. Pathetic, I know. Needless to say, female social injustice, combined with sports? Yikes. Bad news for all involved.
Watch here (my embedded videos aren't working for some reason!)
Don't tell me it's 'just girl's hockey' - first of all, I'll kick your ass. Second of all, girl's hockey could keep your daughter from getting pregnant, dating an abusive man, and failing out of high school.
At least we don't play boys sports - now THOSE are a joke. :)
Needless to say, because it was after the buzzer (and in my opinion, probably more so because the refs were not paying attention to who said or did or started what), no penalties were called. Their response? "Relax - it's just girls hockey."
Really?
Is that really your response?
I can't say much for hockey, other than their punches probably hit a lot harder with gloves on, but I can say that when fights broke out on the basketball court when I played in high school, the guys would watch in awe. Girls are MEAN. There are no holds barred - and since they've not been taught to fight properly (unlike boys/men who contribute portions of their practices to protecting themselves, and throwing clean punches), girls are not aware of how to protect themselves when in the midst of a fight.
My dad - who truly sees his girls on the team as being equal (if not more competant, and much more challenging to coach) - pulled the girls aside once they were out of the dressing room, and gave them all a lesson on the stance, and the way to put your arms, as a reminder in the event that a team-wide fight comes up again. My sister was shaking her head, "I know! I know!" but the pure fact that these girls have ever been taught to protect themselves in a game is a wonder.
Growing up in a house where sports were pressured onto us from the moment we could walk (I never walked… I just ran kicking a soccer ball), I was not exposed to sportless females until quite late in life. When I got to grade 8, and I realized that some of my friends had never played an organized sport in their life, I was baffled. As I started to get older, and realized I was the one who was more comfortable leading a meeting, or announcing my opinion out loud, I realized that there was a connection - maybe not directly to my involvement in sports, but certainly a connection between my confidence (not that I had much in other areas of life!) in my opinions and individuality, and having been surrounded by parents and coaches who thought that I was able to play hardball until age 15 with the boys, and competant enough to coach the boys teams all through high school.
I was involved in the athletic association all through my 5 years in high school, and we invested a significant amount of time and energy on promoting the female athletic side of our school. It was through this, that I had the revelation that there has been a proven correlation between girls who play sports, and positive aspects of a female's self worth.
According to the Women's Sports Foundation, studies show:
1. Sports are FUN.
2. Girls and women who play sports have a more positive body image than girls and women who don't participate.
3. Girls who participate in sports have higher self-esteem and pride in themselves.
4. Research suggests that physical activity is an effective tool for reducing the symptoms of stress and depression among girls.
5. Playing sports teaches girls how to take risks and be aggressive.
6. Sport is where girls can learn goal-setting, strategic thinking and the pursuit of excellence in performance and other achievement-oriented behaviors—critical skills necessary for success in the workplace.
7. Playing sports teaches math skills.
8. Sports help girls develop leadership skills.
9. Sports teach girls teamwork.
10. Regular physical activity in adolescence can reduce girls' risk for obesity.
11. Physical activity appears to decrease the initiation of cigarette smoking in adolescent girls.
12. Research suggests that girls who participate in sports are more likely to experience academic success and graduate from high school than those who do not play sports.
13. Teenage female athletes are less than half as likely to get pregnant as female non-athletes (5% and 11%, respectively).
14. Teenage female athletes are more likely to report that they had never had sexual intercourse than non-athletes (54% and 41%).
15. Teenage female athletes are more likely to experience their first sexual intercourse later in adolescence than female non-athletes.
16. High school sports participation may help prevent osteoporosis.
17. Women who exercise report being happier than those who do not exercise.
18. Women who exercise believe they have more energy and felt they were in excellent health more often than non-exercising women.
19. Women who are active in sports and recreational activities as girls feel greater confidence in their physical and social selves than those who were sedentary as kids.
20. Women who exercise miss fewer days of work.
21. Research supports that regular physical activity can reduce hyperlipidemia (high levels of fat in blood).
22. Recreational physical activity may decrease a woman's chance of developing breast cancer.
23. Women who exercise weigh less than non-exercising women.
24. Women who exercise have lower levels of blood sugar, cholesterol, triglycerides and have lower blood pressure than non-exercising women
25. Regular exercise improves the overall quality of life.
Compiled by the Women's Sports Foundation 1999. http://www.womenssportsfoundation.org/Content/Articles/Sports%20And%20Fitness/123/25%20Benefits%20of%20Girls%20Playing%20Sports.aspxFor full citations, please contact the Women's Sports Foundation at 800.227.3988.Copyright (c)Women's Sports Foundation
Nike also created an ad campaign that made me cry every time I saw it on TV. I only cry at two things - social injustice, and sports. Pathetic, I know. Needless to say, female social injustice, combined with sports? Yikes. Bad news for all involved.
Watch here (my embedded videos aren't working for some reason!)
Don't tell me it's 'just girl's hockey' - first of all, I'll kick your ass. Second of all, girl's hockey could keep your daughter from getting pregnant, dating an abusive man, and failing out of high school.
At least we don't play boys sports - now THOSE are a joke. :)