Freeskiing Related Sociology Paper! (+k for answers)

lizwizHi! I am a sociology major who is interested in skiing and the progression of women in the sport. I'm looking for some direct quotes and ideas from ladies who are free skiers to help me out with a research paper. If anyone could answer some questions for me that'd be great!

Do you believe there is gender inequity or a lag in progression of women’s involvement in your chosen sport? (If yes, please explain)

Do you feel like an “other” in comparison to men involved in your chosen sport?

Has there been a time when you felt great support from all genders involved in your sport?

Do you know of any specific movements to help females progress faster or at the same rate as males in your chosen sport?

Thanks!

1. There is definitely a lag in progression but I think with time the girls will get there. I have reason to believe there are areas of inequality and also areas of fairness/equality. Prize money i believe is fair. Less competitors, higher chances of getting on the podium so that makes sense to me even though others will say differently. There are definitely a different set of standards in terms of scoring. A man's run that scores a 90 is very different than a women's score of a 90. I believe that just comes from the slower progression. What to do about these things? I don't really know but I think things will eventually balance out and this "gap" will not be so prevalent.

2. Hell yes! I'm not a comp rider or a filmer or really anything other than a girl who loves to ski. I got to know a lot of new people this season and rode park more than I ever have. So many people have been supportive in helping me learn new things, trying new tricks, and really pushing myself. My best friend is a girl snowboarder so she understands and is an awesome shred buddy. All the other people I ride with are guys and they have helped me so much. There are some who treat me like a girl(which I'm completely okay with) and others are much more bro-like and push me way harder than I could push myself. I love riding with both types of dudes and they are all supportive and I love it!

3. I actually met a lady at Loon this year who was telling me about this girl's only day/weekend camp to teach girls park. It was really, really awesome however I don't really know much more than that. I know that there are a lot of girls on here really pushing content and edits but I don't know of any specific movements. Erica(nsfairy), Maddie(NSwidow), errrka, Katrina, Brooke and a bunch of other girls have really been involved on NS and I think that is definitely pushing the content side of things.

Gender inequality? Yes. I think are a whole host of reasons why, but women are not fairly represented in this sport at all. Not by a long shot. Some days the ratios can be as bad as 20 guys for every 1 woman, but that's just my own anecdotal evidence. A "lag in progression" is all but assured until we can get more women into the sport, especially young girls. Since the few women we do see in the sport seem to start at a much later age then their male counterparts.

Do I feel like an other? At times. Sometimes people are supportive and have the positive attitude of we're all shredding snow. Other times guys will go out of their way to prove they are better or show off right next to you. Even compliments can feel a little back handed, something as innocent as "yo Fred that girl totally ripped that line twice as fast as you, ha, ha!" The fact that I was better than a guy is actually being used as an insult here. On the one hand I want to feel good because hey I did rip that line, but on the other hand the implication is that "Fred" sucked, and should've been better then some "girl" because girls aren't good at skiing.

There are several organizations that are trying to get more girls involved in skiing and snow sports and progressing in park and freestyle. The ones I can think of off the top of my head are;

http://www.shejumps.org/

http://girlsriders.org/

http://www.oakleyprogressionsessions.com/

http://momentumskicamps.com/m/programs/girls-week/

Lady Gabber definitely counts here.