2008 Woodie Awards
A Hail Mary to women
Beth Bloomfield
Issue date: 10/13/05 Section: Opinion
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I remember a time in grade school gym class when I stood along with my other female friends, waiting to be picked for a team.
I was a young, petite girl as were most of my friends. We took pleasure in games like house and pretend; creating little bedrooms out of the playground equipment and entrances to homes between two close trees.
I remember standing there and realizing why we weren't being chosen for teams - it wasn't just because we were girls but we were slower and physically weaker than the boys.
We were not as valuable to the team as those who were more athletic.
Some of that could be contributed to our female anatomy or to gender roles. Most females grow up learning less competitive sports like ballet, gymnastics and cheer leading.
Some of us even branched out to sports like volleyball, golf and track but the most aggressive sports have been reserved for men like wrestling and football.
Women in the past rarely had the opportunity to participate in this male sport.
It hasn't been until recently that we've seen females appearing on high school football teams and in wrestling matches.
By rewarding intramural football teams extra points if a woman scores a touchdown, you are increasing the value of the woman to that team. Plus, if a team knows they will receive extra points if a woman scores, they will make a conscious effort to ensure her participation.
The extra points give women a level playing field with the men. This will lead to more participation by women as well.
Having special provisions for women to account for our anatomical differences isn't a new concept. Sports, such as golf, give women a tee box closer to the green. This gives women approximately a one-stroke edge over their male counterparts.
The military also addresses this issue by having different standards for men and women in their Army Physical Fitness Test (APFT) Women aren't expected to do as many push-ups or to run as fast as males of the same age.
We need to accept that men and women are different in a lot of ways. There are some women out there who are bigger than men; those are exceptions, not the rule.
With that, I think it's wonderful the intramural program chose to address gender differences in a way that allows equal and fair participation from all.
I was a young, petite girl as were most of my friends. We took pleasure in games like house and pretend; creating little bedrooms out of the playground equipment and entrances to homes between two close trees.
I remember standing there and realizing why we weren't being chosen for teams - it wasn't just because we were girls but we were slower and physically weaker than the boys.
We were not as valuable to the team as those who were more athletic.
Some of that could be contributed to our female anatomy or to gender roles. Most females grow up learning less competitive sports like ballet, gymnastics and cheer leading.
Some of us even branched out to sports like volleyball, golf and track but the most aggressive sports have been reserved for men like wrestling and football.
Women in the past rarely had the opportunity to participate in this male sport.
It hasn't been until recently that we've seen females appearing on high school football teams and in wrestling matches.
By rewarding intramural football teams extra points if a woman scores a touchdown, you are increasing the value of the woman to that team. Plus, if a team knows they will receive extra points if a woman scores, they will make a conscious effort to ensure her participation.
The extra points give women a level playing field with the men. This will lead to more participation by women as well.
Having special provisions for women to account for our anatomical differences isn't a new concept. Sports, such as golf, give women a tee box closer to the green. This gives women approximately a one-stroke edge over their male counterparts.
The military also addresses this issue by having different standards for men and women in their Army Physical Fitness Test (APFT) Women aren't expected to do as many push-ups or to run as fast as males of the same age.
We need to accept that men and women are different in a lot of ways. There are some women out there who are bigger than men; those are exceptions, not the rule.
With that, I think it's wonderful the intramural program chose to address gender differences in a way that allows equal and fair participation from all.