Female Basketball

With the WNBA championships recently over, it made me think about women'sbasketball and the perceptions around it. In my experiences with my friends, many people view women basketball as inferior. When I would ask my friends if they saw any recent WNBA games, they would look at me funny and then proceed to say something along the lines that women basketball is boring.

It also made me think: what if a woman could break into the NBA? Being a positive person, I changed that to when will a woman break into the NBA?

Personally I believe it will happen within my lifetime. While it is true that from an anatomy perspective that men will be stronger on average, I still believe there will be a woman with just the right skill set and enough athleticism to break the barrier. I can see a super fast point guard with superior abilities to make open lanes with her dribbling and her passing ability. She would have to be able to hit the three pointer on a consistent basis. She would need to be aggressive, unrelenting, and strong. She would also need great mental fortitude to block out the fact that she will be the only female and to also block out society telling her no.

People think I'm crazy for this thinking this but in the past we almost had a woman actually make it. Ann Meyers was a superstar in her time. In 1980, she signed a 50,000 dollar contract with the Indiana Pacers but eventually was not chosen for the final team. We've already had a woman sign a contract with a team; now all we need is a woman to actually play.

Call me crazy but I do see a woman making it in this century. She would need to break many barriers and have a specific skillset but she can make it. Maybe one day we could also get a woman to play in the frontcourt too. Now that would be really crazy.

Inspiration from the Forgotten

One reading that I found particularly noteworthy was “Disability Management Among Women with Physical Impairments”. I was lucky enough to be born able-bodied; never had any sort of serious illness or physical disability that prohibited me from participating in a sport or activity, so I had never really put much thought into how people with disabilities cope with this issue and their own bodies. After surveying a number of women with disabilities, the authors of this study found that one group used exercise purely for the health benefits and because their doctor told them they needed to. They put more of an emphasis on the value of their mind and religious beliefs to help cope with their disabilities. Another group only wanted to “normalize” their bodies and used physical activity to keep themselves in shape so they didn’t stray too far away from what the “ideal” women should look like in America. The third group, whom I found truly inspiring, formed a perfect balance of mind and body. Rather than trying to beautify themselves and fit into TAB (temporarily able-bodied) standards, these women created their own criteria and used physical activity as a tool to strengthen and optimize the functioning of their bodies and minds. They accepted the fact that they would have limitations in life, but that they would make the absolute best of what they did have. Not only did this reading make me realize how often I have taken for granted that fact that I can enjoy a run, play soccer with my friends, or lift weights at the gym, but it also made me reevaluate how I live my life and the way I see myself. The women in the third group were able to create their own standards of what was beautiful and what was normal and just ignore what the rest of society thought to be the “perfect” woman’s body. I think if we were all able to do that, to see ourselves as individuals with individual shapes, sizes, and styles, then many women and even men in this society would be saved from the torment and obsessing over looks and what others think of you. We would be able to focus on our physical and mental strengths rather than just aesthetics. I just hope it doesn’t take a terrible accident and the loss of the use of our legs for everyone to be able to lead their lives in the same way these amazing women have.

Katie Sexton

KIN 338I 

Section 6 

Honestly, my purpose for taking this class was just to take care of the last capstone I needed, so I was not really excited about it, but now I am very glad I chose it. This class covers from the history in sports to the problems athletes face emotionally and physically. The topics we covered in class are really intense and made me realize what athletes; (especially women) go through on a daily basis. Out of all the topics we covered in class, there was one that really opened my eyes and stood out to me. This topic was eating disorders. Even though I knew they existed, I never thought it was to that extreme. Children are becoming more aware of their body as young as 9 years old and are unhappy of their weight. They feel that physical education classes harm them more than actually help them. Instead of feeling healthier, they feel ashamed and soon learn to hate themselves even more. All of this ties down to the fact that the media and society have created this perfect image, in which in reality does not exist. This class made me realize that we should all stop with this “fat talk” and learn to love ourselves the way we are.

White Privilege

Tim Wise is a very compelling speaker, and some would say very knowledgable on the ideas of black oppression and white privilege. Throughout the duration of the video in class, I constantly was waiting for him to begin suggesting solutions, or even some drastic advice that could spark some form of movement. While we did not watch the entirety of the film, I don't remember him once giving us some hope for change or even a deadline to end these oppressive attitudes. Wise also never mentioned the feelings of people raised not to believe in this “White Privilege.” While the main argument is that white people are unaware of their overbearing power over minorities, it is unfair to assume that all white people act or feel like that. In this generation of college students, I feel there has been constant bombardment of information about oppression of minorities and the past ways of white people, and yet whites get no credit for the possibility of figuring out that what was done in the past was horrific. We simply must live and exist as equals regardless of what people tell you.

Joe P.

Kin 338i S6

Unrealistic Roles

This class, thus far, has opened my eyes to so many different perspectives on so many different topics. We have learned about the importance of resources for women, we have learned about the “gender roles” that society has created for us, we have learned about how our culture differs from that of many other cultures around the world, etc. The most intriguing topic to me so far, however, has come from an activity we did in class the other day. We wrote down all of qualities of men and of women that we are “expected” to posses in our society today. I found it very interesting because most of the qualities we came up with for women contradicted one another. Women are supposed to be good, caring mothers, and at the same time we are expected to be walking around looking like sex kittens all the time. We are expected to keep everything organized and together and yet we have to be ultra caring and emotional and understanding. I’ve recognized all of these dichotomies before, but to see them laid out in such a simple way really helped me to understand how our society really works. There are also a lot of contradictions with the way men are supposed to act and portray themselves. The most interesting aspect of the male ideal I found is the difference between how men want other men to act, and how women want men to act. Men want men to be strong, dominant, and without weakness all the time, while most women would prefer that men be a little more sensitive, caring, and supportive. To be fair however, there can be contradictions in the way women want men to act as well. Some women want their man to act strong and dominant and demanding and at the same time still maintain a glimmer of compassion and sensitivity. This “ideal” male and female persona can be very confusing and hard to comprehend because there are very few males and females that actually possess all these qualities, and why should it be any different? They are completely unrealistic. The good news is I believe we are moving away from these more traditional outlooks, however slow the process might be, and we are moving towards a more accepting society. Women aren’t afraid to work hard and be the top dogs of their communities or companies and at the same time men are adjusting and ridding themselves of their built up stoic layers that society has forced upon them. Overall, I think this gradual change can be very beneficial to both sexes as well as to our society.

-Erin O.

KIN 338I S6

ESPN The Body Issue

ESPN magazine came out with a new magazine called “The Body Issue” which encompasses top athletes like Blake Griffin, Hope Solo, and many more. The athletes are nude in these pictures celebrating there bodies, and taking pride in their hard work . Hope Solo comments on the article and says that she “feels honored to have the opportunity to celebrate not just the athletes but the female athletes body.” I think that this article is changing the medias perspective about being perfectly skinny and that its good to have muscle and be athletic. Many say that the article is too revealing, but this magazine promotes their athletes as athletes not sex symbols. Solo says, “ I don’t take it serious being a sex symbol at all. I’m an athlete and that’s all I am. If a sex symbol is now a top female athlete I think that’s pretty amazing, and it shows how far our country has come from the stick thin model from what you see in most magazines.” This article is one of many that can start to change the trend in American media, where the only desirable way to look is to be one of unrealistic models in the magazines. People can read these articles and be inspired to achieve bodies like this. I absolutely loved this issue!!

Christine Thiebert

(e.g. kin 338I.S6)

A Curse of Privilege

I recently found this image on another persons facebook page and was inspired by the beauty of this full figured woman and the story that went with it. The caption was as follows:

A while back, at the entrance of a gym, there was a picture of a very thin and beautiful woman. The caption was "This summer, do you want to be a mermaid or a whale?" The story goes, a woman (of clothing size unknown) answered the following way: "Dear people, whales are always surrounded by friends (dolphins, seals, curious humans), they are sexually active and raise their children with great tenderness. They entertain like crazy with dolphins and eat lots of prawns. They swim all day and travel to fantastic places like Patagonia, the Barents Sea or the coral reefs of Polynesia. They sing incredibly well and sometimes even are on cds. They are impressive and dearly loved animals, which everyone defend and admires. Mermaids do not exist. But if they existed, they would line up to see a psychologist because of a problem of split personality: woman or fish? They would have no sex life and could not bear children. Yes, they would be lovely, but lonely and sad. And, who wants a girl that smells like fish by his side? Without a doubt, I'd rather be a whale. At a time when the media tells us that only thin is beautiful, I prefer to eat ice cream with my kids, to have dinner with my husband, to eat and drink and have fun with my friends. We women, we gain weight because we accumulate so much wisdom and knowledge that there isn't enough space in our heads, and it spreads all over our bodies. We are not fat, we are greatly cultivated. Every time I see my curves in the mirror, I tell myself: "How amazing am I ?! "

With this post, I expected the typical response...but instead, the topic took an unforeseen turn with this response:

I have an issue with this kind of argument. Not with the content itself, but the associations one makes because of it. Men are often pressured by women to view women who are larger than model-thin as beautiful. Yes, fine, whatever. I have no problem with this. I prefer women who are human sized anyway. My issue is that while men are essentially required by the feminist movement to view beauty *in women* more broadly, the same standard does not apply to men in any aspect. There is no push-back to encourage other men or women (especially the feminists) to think of larger men as attractive. And believe me, there is A TON of negative body image reinforcement out there for men.

This was a view point I had never encountered before. My entire life I knew that women struggled with their weight and body image, but for the most part, we don't hear about men's eating disorders and body image issues. These are thought of as to be "women's issues" and so men don't discuss it. Men compare their bodies to other men all the time. This can be seen in a wide range of men, spanning from your average Joe, to the top athletes. Here is a link to a video of one of our own male olympic athletes, Apolo Ahno.

http://gma.yahoo.com/video/celebs-26594247/apolo-ohno-in-the-buff-26833097.html

The fact that even an athlete of his caliber could express insecurities about his body shows just how bad this problem may actually be. We ignore the overweight male. It is emasculating to have issues with food or weight. As well, because of societies view point on this issue, men with eating disorders tend to go untreated and unnoticed by their peers.

Long story short (too late...I know!), we need to realize that everyone has their weaknesses and that no one socio-ecomonic, racial, gendered, or spiritual group goes without their problems and that in a way, being of a privileged group may in fact be a disadvantage in the long run.

~Miranda LeBrun~

(aka Randi)

Fat Phobia

Watching the video about fat phobia, and then our subsequent class discussion got me thinking about the subject. Fat phobia affects more people than just the overweight and obese people we instantly associate it with. Yes these individuals receive undue mental stress and social humiliation because of this phobia, but they are not the only ones. There are children who grow up constantly fearful that they will be fat, so they turn to dangerous avenues such as eating disorders and excessive exercise to qualm these fears. This is especially true among young women. Our society has hundreds of magazines and television shows depicting models, who are very often underweight and have eating disorders themselves, as the ideal woman that these young girls should strive to be. This idea is extremely harmful and in itself is a fat phobia, because it gives the impression that if you don't look like these women you are overweight. Our culture has become obsessed with this idea that being overweight causes health problems, and uses this as a justification for the fat phobia it employs. This is damaging to our culture because, as the video states, 54% of women would rather be hit by a truck, than be fat. If that isn't eye opening, I'm not sure what is.

B.R. kin338i.sec6

Be a Woman With Confidence

I never used to think of myself as a feminist or how much women are underrepresented in our country. I know that probably sounds bad, being a woman myself and all, but I guess I never really looked women as unequal to men to begin with. I always knew that physiologically, there are some things women cannot do that men can, but that didn’t stop them from trying. When my sister first started college she took a women’s studies course and used to parade around the house about how horrible women are portrayed and how we are just as equal as men. I was still in high school and unaware of the struggles women face. I always used to argue with her that if you take the strongest and fastest man and put him up against the strongest and fastest woman in a race, that the man would win because it’s not physiologically possible for a woman to beat a man. Since then I’ve learned so much about what women can accomplish regardless of what our biological makeup says. I understand why my sister used to be so upset about comments like that I would make. I grew up with 4 sisters and no brothers, and after thinking about the way we were treated; my dad always did a good job of allowing my sisters and I to do what we wanted. He never told us “girl’s don’t do that” or comments of that nature. I never used to think girls were less than boys with the help of my dad. If we wanted to go outside and play catch, he wouldn’t question it, he would allow it and join us. Looking back, I’m glad my dad treated me the way he did because it allowed me to have confidence about being a woman even though there are constant struggles for women to this day. Women have accomplished so much and I can’t wait to see what will happen in the years to come.

Nylene H.
Kin 338I Sec 01

Consequences of Fat Phobia

KIN 338 is the first kinesiology class I have ever taken in my life. I feel pretty interested in this class that I can learn many histories about women in sport related to how women are struggling for their rights. I also learn many backgrounds that women are treated unequally before in the United States history.

After reading the article “Unbearable Lessons: Contesting Fat Phobia in Physical Education” and the after watching the video in class, I think fat phobia is a very serious problem in our modern society. Fat people are discriminated by others just because of their out looking. Fat people usually do not have great self confident. They are not accepted by the major society. As the article says, fat phobia is a mental illness, not obesity itself. People who are fat do not have serious health problem. The only problem is the mental illness people with obesity create themselves. Many girls are willing to lose weight even though they are not obesity at all. Losing weight has become a popular trend. People see themselves as “fat” even that is not truth.

People who has fat phobia care about their out looking more. The pressure from the peers and the society are also pressing people to think they are overweight. We should stop falling in the stereotype of fat phobia. We should protect ourselves from fat phobia and have a healthy body and mind.

Jie Zhong
KIN 338I Sec #1

What I've Learned So Far...

There are so many new things that I have learned in this classroom. I thought i wasn't going to fit in the class very well because I am not very involved in sports, but I was very wrong. Watching the past few videos, I have noticed that the issues we have covered do not just pertain to sports, they pertain to our every day lives. Specifically the video on white privilege. I mean, I knew there was such a thing as being privileged and how far it got you, and I honestly thought I was pretty privileged, but honestly I guess I am not as much as I thought. I mean, when we did the exercise in the circle I kind of felt weird. Like, my parents work so hard to help me get through school and everything but I didn't realize that that was exactly it. They had to work for what they gave me and work damn hard at it. I'm not saying that the people who are privileged don't work as hard as others, it just gives them a larger opportunity to make something more of themselves. I feel like this doesn't just have to do with being white either. I mean, I was absent for the last class but I know it had to do with body issues. I feel that even what you look like gives you some sort of privilege as well. I am not the thinnest or the prettiest girl in the world and I feel like even that holds me back at doing things as well. Whether it is getting a job at a clothing store or even a nice restaurant. It also doesn't help that my last name is Hernandez. And I'm not looking for a pity party or anything but it just makes me realize how messed up our world really is. I have always worked hard at everything and I feel like that is how we should all be. I feel that whether we have this privilege or not, we need to take advantage of what we do have.

D. Hernandez

Kin 338I S6

Let end Fat-phobia

After watching the Fat Free Talk video, and reading Ngan's blog, I'm thinking about my sister. She's not fat, but she's not skinny like some female in the media. However, my family always thinks that she is overweight. They used to ask her to lose some weight to get perfect body. At that time, I felt the same way as my family because of many women I see in the media. They look so great, so healthy. But I totally wrong because most fashion models are thinner than 98% of most America woman and some of them are not healthy. They force themselves to diet. Some of them even do not eat anything. They just drink water and some kinds of food to keep their lives. Day by day, they get anorexia. Ana Carolina Reston Marcan was one of them. She was a supermodel since she was thirteen. She would be fine if she didn’t heard some guys said that she was fat. Yet she took that very personally, and she died in 2007 because of her anorexia.

For my opinion, the message of Fat Free Talk video is right. “It’s time to focus on healthy ideal which look different for every woman and focus on health, not weight or size.” That is what I’m thinking now. How about you?

Duy Phan

KIN 338I Sec 01

White Privilege: They're not the only oblivious ones

The video in class with Tim Wise about white privilege got me thinking. I'm sure many people know that White people have things a bit easier in this country just because of the color of their skin. But the thing is do people actually think about this fact? Do white people think, "Wow I really have an advantage here"? Do people of color think "I'm at such a disadvantage because of my color"? The latter might be true, for some, but it never occurred to me that being a person of color was going to slow me down. I have hopes for my generation, a hope that we will get closer to true equality than any other generation has ever been. After watching this video I have noticed that I have been treated differently than my light skinned friends. I suppose I always ignored the unfairness and unequal opportunities that have faced me. I believe that my hope for my generation has made me oblivious to this "white privilege". I in no way believe that we are unequal but I am now aware that this could be slowing down all people of color. I hope that video made everyone aware. Although, this phenomenon could be altering colored people's opportunities and lives, I am not going to let it slow me down. I'm a fighter. I have hope.
N.A. Coleman
kin 338I.S6

Women in Sport and Beauty

For decades women in sports have always been judged on two things, her ability and her looks. No matter how accomplished or talented a woman is at her respected sport if her looks aren't up to our standards of what a beautiful women should look like, she will not receive the amount of publicity or fame that the prettier ones would get.
The women's world cup this last year is a perfect example of how this still goes on today in the media. If you watched the world cup this summer you probably noticed Abby Wambach flying through the air and scoring four goals all of them headers making her the USA's leading goal scorer and earning her the bronze boot (which goes to the player with the 3rd most goals in the tournament). But when the team came home from Germany the two women who got all the media attention and ESPN interviews were Alex Morgan and Hope Solo, coincidentally they both matched the standard of what a beautiful should look like and then some. Now admit I am an Alex Morgan fan, but she was just a "super-sub" she never played a full game and only scored 2 goals in the entire tournament, but somehow when she got home her and Hope Solo suddenly became the face of women's soccer in the US and arguably the best player Abby Wambach was nothing but an after thought.
This is due in large part by the media and how they continue to glorify beautiful female athletes, while scrutinising female athletes that appear "too masculine" or don't meet the standards of what our culture views beauty as. The journalist that cover sports are majority men and because of this, women's sports in the media is still just an after thought, and they are not receiving the attention that these athletes deserve. You can't just be talented or accomplished you have to be "pretty".

Fat-phobia in the context of Asian Culture

After watching the Fat Free Talk video, it struck me how deeply we were affected by our fat-phobic culture, and as an Asian female, I realized that my Asian culture make the effect even more fatal. Asians has lower obesity rate compared to other ethnic groups. However, in Asian culture, parents and elders are given the right to criticize children without considering their children’s feeling. I can’t remember how many time my mother, aunts, and grandmother told me I need to lose weight. In fact, it has become a daily topic that I said I no longer care, but deep inside I do care. Women are really sensitive about their body image. A simple comment like: “Honey, you need to lose some weight”, will surely stay in their mind for a long time.

To me, that criticized comments make me feel embarrassed and unworthy. Not only I myself that being criticized by family, but also my friend who unfortunately falling into this category. Her mother literally criticizes her appearance and compare with her cousins. We women are our worst enemy because we are insecure and lack of confident to approach the problem. We need to stop falling into the fat-phobic stereotype which we criticize others by their appearance without caring about their feelings

Ngan Bui

The Golden Stick

I found it interesting that when we did this activity in class that most color people were so far away from the stick compared to the non color people, who were really close to that "golden stick". This activity opened my eyes to how in this country there is white privilege. Me, personally, kept moving backward and backward after every question instead of forward and I really did not move forward throughout the activity, which in a way I feel that society is the same way in that colored people are not moving forward. I am finding it interesting that instead of the gap narrowing, it is instead increasing more and more in this day and age. At the end of the activity when it came to reaching for the "golden stick", the people in the back mostly thought, “What is the point in trying” including myself. It is the same in the society we live, in that many colored people or "under privileged" people have the mentality of why try if the big prize is so far away or impossible to reach and most likely will be handed to a white person. This is a big issue in our society, but it is not viewed as a problem and maybe it will never be viewed as a problem. Of course, there is hope, but with how society is now a days with white privilege, that the hope is shrinking for colored people.

Daniel B. Kin.338i Sec.6

Just keep swimming, swimming, swimming...

I found it surprising how one woman, Gertrude Ederle also known as Trudy, became the first woman to finish the 35 miles English channel swim in the 1920's and beat the old record by almost two hours. Not to mention, she did it in freestyle which is more excruciating and tiring while the 5 men who also finished the English channel did it by breaststroke. Trudy was 19 years of age at the time she swam the channel. She was famously known for saying the phrase, "what for". Her coach, who was in a small boat by her side throughout the whole swim asked her if she wanted to quit and just get on the boat because she looked tired and ready to stop, Trudy responded saying, "what for"?

It amazes me how women weren't allow to play sports or even sweat because it was seen as inappropriate and not "lady-like". Today, we see women doing what men do and sometimes even better. Women are now dunking the basketball, playing tackle football, wrestling, running the 800-meter once again, and they just keep going and going. Women have come a long way since the late 1800's in the sports industry and yet, they have more to accomplish and prove to the world in order for everyone to take them seriously.

Freddy F.

Kin. 338i Sec. 1

Title IX

I really found it interesting in how Title IX really works, because there was many times when I asked some of my friends the reason we didn't have a football team and they would always tell me it was because of Title IX. They would tell me that since there are more girls in our school that we cannot have a football team, which I now see is not true. That is just one of the myths about Title IX and I think it should be important if more people knew what Title IX is really about, because like in my case I was lead to believe that we did not have a football team because of that. I now see that there are other reasons why we do not have a football team and it was interesting to see how some of our tuition money is being used. I just think that it’s more important for more people to see the myths about Title IX. People just try to take the easy way out and blame this law. I also found interesting in how many people that try to stand up to the ongoing injustice in women sports get fired or get harassed because they try and speak up. I did not know that occurred in our college athletics and I believe that should not keep going on.

Hector B.

KIN3381 S6

A Woman Can Sometimes Do It Better

I just happened to be on Yahoo! today and came across an article stating that a London man was disqualified from a marathon due to the fact that he was caught cheating catching a bus to complete the last five miles of the race, stripping him of his third place placement. And to think just two days before this, there was an article of a 39 weeks pregnant woman from Chicago who not only participated, but also completed the Chicago Marathon right before giving birth to a healthy baby girl. Having come across these two stories it brings me back to the film we watched in class 'Dare to Compete,' when women were prohibited to do any form of sports that required strenuous work such as running, for their uterus were probably going to "fall out."

The articles just go to show that women have overcome a lot over the time since they were not able to participate in any form of activity that required them to do more than lift their hands while doing household work. Running was thought to be a men only sport, but seeing how a healthy man in his early 30's had to cheat to complete a marathon, while a fully pregnant Amber Miller was able to run half of it and walk the rest to complete it, is totally baffling if you think back on what was expected at the time. Something that Rob Sioan the London man should be ashamed and humiliated by right now.

Having come across these articles and looking back on the video, it is unthinkable to think that women would have been able to come this far from not even being able to run and now having a fully pregnant woman be able to complete a full marathon and a man, the sex to believe that they were the almighty beings to only participate in running, have to take the easy way out and cheat his way into completing a marathon. This just shows that sometimes a woman can do it better.

These are the links to the two articles if you are interested in taking a look:
London Man Disqualified for Cheating in Marathon
Woman Gives Birth After Completing Chicago Marathon

Malisa Ma
KIN 338I Sec 01

How Do We Really Reach Equality??

A couple years ago, I went on a family vacation to Maui. The hotel that we were staying at, coincidently, had an "African American Medical Association" staying there for a conference. Now I vividly remember thinking to myself, "It doesn't really make sense that there are organizations like that for all kinds of ethnicities, but you never see a Caucasian Medical Association.". I am not saying that there should be white groups that exclude other races from participation, but I am asking, why do I (as well as I'm sure you probably do as well) associate a Caucasian group with the KKK. If there is a white only group, we instantly draw a conclusion of a white supremecy group. That is probably why there are no groups of the sort around in the professional world.

That being said, does this help us achieve equality, or does it pull us farther and farther from our goal of reaching an unbiased, unprejudiced society? I feel we should be able to reach equality in day and age, knowing what we know. I am not saying that white people were not the major cause of inequality or trying to justify any kind of historical evidence. I am simply talking about the here and now. On our campus alone, there are cultural sororities and fraternities, and all kinds of cultural groups; yet there is not a single "Caucasian Fraternity/Sorority/Group". Why is that? What does this tell us about equality? Some might argue that all the other fraternities or sororities on campus are the "White" ones. That however is very much so not the case. I am in a fraternity myself, and I am literally the only 100% white male involved in it. This may not be the case across the entire greek system, but it has to show something.

When it comes to organizations and equality, what is really equal? Do these groups of people who share the same ethnic background help us to reach equality? Or do these very groups that strive for a voice suppress themselves by doing so?...

Austin F

Kin 338I Section 06

NO direct correlation between weight loss and performance....

KThe topic of women and body image really hit close to home for me. I mentioned in class that I was on the Women's Water Polo team at CSULB for the past three years. I love and care for the girls on the team as if they were blood relatives. It's a group of loving girls and AMAZING athletes, in and out of the water. On the team we did all sorts of cross training, in the weight room, on the track, drills in the pool, and we even did a day of working out in Coronado with the Navy Seals. (YES, thats right!) Working out together is something we all have/had a passion for, however love for the sport was lost by many of us because of they way we were treated.

I have always been confident with the way my body looks because I have never had a reason to doubt myself. One thing that I liked about this particular group of girls is that they all felt the same. It's not fun listening to our friends insecurities when we know that they have nothing to be insecure about. Every girl on my team (X-team) had a beautiful body, some bigger than others, but when you work out on average 6 hours a day it's IMPOSSIBLE to be "UNHEALTHY??"

The atmosphere of the team changed about a year ago when we were told that we all needed to loose weight. Our coach told us "You all are overweight and need to be eating lettuce for dinner and grain for dessert." This is also when we were told we would be doing regular weigh-in's in front out our teammates and coaches that would be recorded. It was almost overnight that I noticed specific girls on our team centering their life's around loosing weight and dieting. As a team we talked about diet tips, complimented each other on looks rather than skill and almost all conversations were centered on body image.

It was no longer a "healthy" atmosphere to be around. Like I said I have never been the girl to question my body or be insecure but in the past year I have become aware of my body image and now have trouble enjoying treats the way i used to. I also know of many girls on my team that have admitted to having newly discovered eating disorders. It's sad to see girls that i love and care about feel insecure about their body, and i would do anything to get rid of my own insecurities. I am writing so openly because i feel this existing issue needs to be brought to the attention of someone who WILL make a change. I have had first hand experience with abuse by coaches at this school and I do not want any more young girls to be affected by this unrelated correlation between weight loss and performance.

In class on tuesday it became very aware that this is a bigger issue than is being expressed. I found an article that i feel would be interesting to any other female athlete who is questioning weigh loss to enhance their performance in the pool or on the court.

http://www.sportsmd.com/SportsMD_Articles/id/407.aspx

Katie R.

Kinn338i

Is It Sexist?

One of the topics that have come up in a discussion that I found most interesting was that it is sexist when a male holds the door open for a female. This statement really caught me off guard because I do not agree with it. Maybe in the past when women were seen as frail and incapable of doing things for themselves was when the tradition of a man opening the door for a woman began, but even though it may have begun with false reasoning I don't think it's done for the same reasons today. I do see it as a gentlemanly thing to do, and I do not think it is done because a man believes if they do not open the door then the woman won't be capable of doing it themselves. I do believe there are certain things a man should do to treat a lady right, not because a woman is incapable of certain actions, but as a sign of respect. Especially when it comes to holding the door open, when someone, male or female, is walking behind me when I open the door I will hold it for them because it is the right thing to do. I do not think it is sexist in any way for a man too open a door for a woman.
Jen B
Kin 338I Sec 06

on the remnants of racism

as we discussed racism and white privilege in class, i began to analyze my experience as a minority student in college and highschool.the schools i went to didn't have the best teachers, or resouces, or even the best funding. i however, feel that i have experienced racism or prejudice differently because of my appearance; most people i encounter ask me if i am indian, arabic, persian, or even jewish. my biggest issue is that i some feel people put more emphasis on figuring out my race or ethnicity instead of trying to get to know me. alot of times people treat me like a novelty because i resemble a race that i don't belong to. alot of times people will say "you look hindu"- which is a religion; my friend's gilfreind actually told me i look like a "terrorist" a highschool teacher once told me i reminded him of Sadam Hussien. so when i hear people say racism is a thing of the past, i can't help but wonder whose past in particular they are referring to. i am aware that our society as a whole has become more accepting of others, yet some of us are forced to face "those remnants of racism"- racial stereotyping, on a regular basis.

K. Cortez

kin 3381 s6

NCAA Transgender Policy

Recently, the NCAA passed a policy clarifying the opportunities given to transgendered athletes. Previously, opportunities for those going through treatment were unclear. For a transgender male (female to male) who is receiving testosterone treatment may participate on a men’s or mixed team. (A mixed team is only allowed to compete in men’s championships.) A transgender female (male to female) may continue to play on a men’s team and after one year of testosterone suppression may compete on a women’s team.
This does clarify how and when a transgendered athlete can continue to play sports in the NCAA during and after their treatment. However, the male/female binary in NCAA sports is still defined. By only allowing “mixed” teams to compete for a men’s title, this gender segregation continues to pinpoint female athletes as less competitive and less able in their chosen sport.

A. Page
kin 338I.S6

Women gender equality and sports

Women gender equality and sports, shows a good brief to my little sister who played in an all male flag football team, where she was stereotype by her gender, where males call her names and made fun of her. Her talent participation in flag foot ball surprised many males, for how good she played the game, where her equality of in being the only female and being the fastest in the team empowers male discrimination where they have to compete against her. My sister courage in playing in all boys flag football team gave her a sense of capability as leadership to her team. As the only female it shaped her attitude in confidence in women significant contribution to public life, where being discriminated and not taking seriously as the only female gave her audacity to take control over an all males team.

My sisters’ positivity as the only female in an all boys team, taught me that being a female is very empowering through the male society, but working hard and having dedication can give women courage to play any kind of sport

Fernando Ayala

Media Coverage

I remember sitting in the car listening to the radio back in 2002, when the radio announcers began to talk about how the previous night Lisa Leslie became the first women to dunk in a WNBA game. I remember thinking to myself that was neat but did not think about it too much. As, they continued to talk about it; the radio announcers began to make light of the event. That is when I began to pay attention. As the radio announcers began to make fun of the situation, making comments like it was about time, she was 6 ‘5 and with her arms up she was almost at the rim; they continue to mention a few other jokes about it. Then when they finished joking around, they congratulated her and even at that young age I remember thinking to myself that was an extremely strange way of congratulating her. Looking back on this event almost ten years later, I cannot believe the radio station allowed that portion of the show to be aired, showing that even though the coverage of female athletes has increased, they still are not anywhere near the coverage that male athletes experience. Over the last twelve years that I’ve followed sports, I have never heard the media make fun of a male athlete after he accomplished such a historical event in his sport event, showing that treatment of women sports still has a long way to improve.

Luis Carlos kin 338I.S6