INVISIBILITYTheExperiencesofFemaleUltimateFrisbeePlayersina

CoedTeam

HarryPark05/16/16

AY421Culmination

PlayingUltimateFrisbeeatColbyforthepastfouryears,onecharacteristicof

thesportIhavecometolearnisthatitcrownsitselfasanegalitariansport.Despite

thevariouscoedcollegeteams,clubs,leagues,andevenpickupgames,sexismand

oppressiondoexistonthefield.Asoneoftheco-captainsoftheColbyUltimate

Frisbeeteamthisyear,oneissuethatI’veobservedwasthenaturalizationof

frustrationandinvisibilityamongwomenplayersonthecoedteam.Theconstant

needtoproveoneselfonthefieldinordertoplaywithmen,toreceivethrowsfrom

men,andtobeconsideredasoneofthesevenplayersonthefieldwasbeing

constructedasanaturalexperienceforwomenwhoplayedoncoedteams.This

projectquestionsthe“natural”aspectofthoseexperiencesandtobringintolight

thattheperpetualfrustrationthatispartofwomen’sexperienceisconstructedand

hasbecomeadefinedrealitybythedominantculture.

Thisprojectisagraphicethnography,amediumthatjuxtaposesimagesand

textsinordertonarratetheindividualandcommunalexperiencesoffemaleplayers

inacoedUltimateteam.Unlikeatraditionalethnography,graphicethnographyisan

alternativeapproachtoproducingastorythatisaccessibleandcomprehendible.

Imagesareabletocapturewhatwordssometimescannot.Whenappliedcarefully,

drawingscandepictemotions,forcesofoppression,andeventhesenseof

invisibility.AsPhilipBourgoisstates,“embeddingthephotographintextallowsan

appreciationoftheeffectsofsocialstructuralforcesonindividuals”(Bourgois2009,

9),theincorporationofthevisualelementinethnographytransformsforcesthat

areabstractwhendescribedthroughtextintoimagesintimateandrelatable.

Thecollectionofeightstoriesweredesignedandproducedthroughan

interviewwitheightwomenUltimateplayersthathaveplayedwithacoedteam.

Whilesomestoriesarenarrativesofspecificexperiences,therearealsostoriesthat

aremanifestationsofcommunal,sharedexperiences,takingformasatypeof

discomfortsharedbymost,ifnotall,ofthewomenIhaveinterviewed.Itiscrucialto

notethatthesestoriesarenotdirectcritiquesofthegenderclimateofUltimate

Frisbee,butsuggesttothereaders,andespeciallytofellowUltimateplayers,that

theeverydayscenariosinmixedFrisbeethatpeoplehavecometoacceptas

“ordinary”shouldperhapsbequestionedandobservedfromadifferentangle.

InspiredheavilybyKathleenStewart’sOrdinaryAffects,“eachscenebeginsanewthe

approachtotheordinaryfromananglesetoffbythescene’saffects.Andeachscene

isatangentthatperformsthesensationthatsomethingishappening–something

thatneedsattendingto”(2007,5).

Ivisualizeandnarratethestoriesandfeelingsthatweresharedtomebymy

interviewees.LikeStewart,Idonotoffersolutionsorclosures.Theabrupt,brief,

anddisassemblednatureofthesestoriesworktorevealhowephemeraland

everydaytheseformsofviolenceare.Itisalsotosuggestreconsiderationofthe

ordinaryandtorealizethatitisnotnaturalforfemaleplayerstofeelinvisibleandto

feelthattheyhaveto“provethemselves”toplayinacoedteam.

INTIMIDATIONComingfromseparate,women’ssportsinhighschool,itcanbeabit

intimidatingplayingonthesamefieldasguys,especiallyifyoudon’tknow

whatyou’redoingandtheyhaveplayedbefore.

Ihadfewfriendswhoplayed.Thefriendwhotookmetothefirstpractice

endedupdroppingoutcouplemonthsinandpartofitwasthatshegot

busywithschoolwork,butshedidn’tcomebacktoit[practice]because

shewasintimidatedbysomeoftheolderguys.

POSITIONALSEGREGATION

Partofplayingmixedislearningeveryone’sstrengthsandweaknessesnot

onlybasedontheirgender,butalsobasedonjustthemselvesasaplayer.I

thinkthatpeopleneedtobecomelesssurprised.Theycan’tjustassume

thatfemaleplayerisanywaylesseroranincompetentplayer.

Thewomenareplaceholders.“Ohweneedsevenpeopleonthelineandit’s

requiredthatweneedatleasttwowomen?Sowhatever,goonthewing.”

WhenIwasacaptain,Itriedtoexplaintothewomen,“whenyou’re

playingawing,you’renotjustaplaceholder,youareaveryvitalpartof

thefieldandyouneedtodemandtoberecognized”because…playinga

wingismyfavoritespotandIrememberbeingputthereasasophomore

justsothatpeoplecangetmeoutoftheway.Soyeahit’sdefinitely

frustratingasagirlsometimes.

1.FayeLindaWachsexplainsin“”IWasThere…”:GenderedLimitations,

Expectations,andStrategicAssumptionsintheWorldofCo-edSoftball”

thatgenderhasastrongimpactontheplacementofplayersintospecific

fieldposition.Byutilizingacoedsoftballteamasacasestudy,Wachs

definespositionalsegregationasoneofthestrategiesthatrestrictthe

participationofwomeninsports.Inpositionalsegregation,menare

commonlyplacedinkeypositions,regardlessofskillsortalent,while

womenareplacedinlessdesirableorlessinvolvedpositions(2003,

183).

HANDLINGIdefinitelyfeelliketherearetimeswhen,andIdon’tthinkit’saconscious

thing,butIwouldbeopenandnotgetthedisc.Ihaveexperiencedthaton

everyteamI’veplayed.Idon’tknowifit’scauseI’mnotopen,orifit’s

causeI’mawoman,butIdefinitelyhaveexperiencedthatintermsofmy

understandingofgenderontheteam.

2.Pressurestoperformwellinfearofexclusionarearesultofpower

fromtheoppressionthatfemaleplayersfeel.Theconstructednotionin

acompetitivesportsscenethatplayerswhodropthediscarebad

players,andbadplayersdonotgetthrowntohavebecomeanaccepted

formoftruthincoedFrisbee.AsMichaelFoucaultdescribesthatpower

isacreationfromacceptedformsofknowledge(1976,93-94),thefear

femaleplayersofdroppingadiscamongshouldtoberecognizedas

constructedratherthaninherent.

HUCKFESTAhuckiswhenaplayermakesabigthrowdownthefieldIwasappalledthattheboysthoughtitwasokaytonotincludethegirls,

andthattheydidn’tunderstandthatitwasn’taboutindividualskillasit

wasacomparisonbetweentwoskillsofthematchup.

Iwoulddefinitelygetfrustratedwhenitbecameahuckfest.Iwouldget

vocallyangrywiththeboys,sorryitwasusuallyboys,whowerehuckingit

backandforth.Like,thisisn’tultimate,thisisyoutryingtoshowoff,and

youactuallysuck,youdon’thavethesethrows.Andthepersonyou’re

throwingtocan’treadthedisc.Sowhyareyoumakingthisdecision?

Idefinitelywouldgouptoboysandbelikeyouneedtochange,youneed

tobeincludingthegirlsandit’snotokay,andIunderstandyou’retrying

topractice,butthisisn’tthetime.Thesepracticesaren’tthetimetobe

workingonyourhuckandthingslikethat.Thisisthetimeforourteamto

becohesiveandfigureouthowtoplaytogether.

JOKINGIthinkinsomeways,there’sbeenmoretensionintheteam,butinagood

way.Womenontheteamandtheirallieswhoaremenarespeakingup

moreaboutthewaywetreatwomenasacoedteam,whichcreates

tension,becauseIalwaysfeltandotherpeoplefeltthattheFrisbeeteamis

verymuchacommunityandafamilyandweareallverywelcomingand

welikeeachotherverymuch.Whenyoubringupsomethinglike,you’re

ignoringlikeaquarteroftheteam,thenpeopletakepersonaloffenseto

that,becausetheyseeitasthecommunitythey’repartof,andtheydon’t

thinktheydothattomembersoftheircommunityandthatthey’remean

andhurtfullikethat.

It’sthatthetensioncomeswhentheyfeellikethey’rebeingtoldthat

they’rebeingmeanandhurtfulto,asifthey’repurposefullyand

consciouslyattackingpeoplewhenthat’snotthecase.

THECASUALPLAYERS

TherearesomepeopleIcanthinkofwhodon’tcometopracticethatoften

andsowhentheydo,I’mnotanauthorityfiguretothem.AndsoI’lldo

things/saythingsandthey’lllaughitoffornottakemeseriouslyormake

rudecommentstowardsmewithoutrealizingthatmaybeIdon’treact

welltonegativecommentsorIdon’tdeservetobespokentolikethat.I’m

notanauthorityfigureifyoudon’tcometopracticecauseyoudon’tknow

thatIhelprunpracticeandhelpwiththewayitrunsorhaveknowledge

aboutFrisbee.

______________

Irememberoneinstance,Isaidsomethingtooneofthemaleplayersand

heturnedaroundandwenttothemalecaptainsandwaslike“DoIdo

this?”andthemalecaptainwaslike“Nonono,you’refine.”Iwasn’t

blamingthemalecaptain,becausehehadn’theardwhatIwastryingto

sayandexplaintothisplayer,butatthesametime,youareblatantly

circumnavigatingmyauthorityandgoingtothemalecaptainjustsoyou

canhearwhatyouwanttohear.

USINGWOMEN

Wewerebeinglike,“Lookhowgreatwewereguys.Weweretryingtobe

equal.Weshouldallgetanaward”andI’mjustlikeweshouldjustdothat

already.Weshouldgetananti-awardfornotdoingthatbefore.

CAMARADERIE

TheidentitiesoffemaleFrisbeeplayersarenotconstantlyassociatedto

theirexperiencesofmarginalizationonthefield.Rather,forallofthe

interviewees,beingpartoftheUltimateFrisbeeteamwasanintegral

componenttotheirfouryearsplayingincollege.Ashalfofouracademic

yearisacoedseason,theotherseasonissplit,andthefemaleplayersof

ourteamalsopossessexperiencesandmemoriesformedthrough

bondingamongwomen.

AsamaleFrisbeeplayer,Icannotnarratetheemotions,the

conversations,andthebondingthatforminspaceswherethewomen’s

teamsocializeandmeet.Mypresence,bothasamaleplayerandasa

researcher,couldalsoaffecttheconversationsamongwomeninsuch

scenes.Butinordertoilluminatethesenseofcamaraderiethatform

amongthefemaleplayersofourteam,Iaskedonespecificquestionto

alloftheinformantsduringourconversation:

BIBLIOGRAPHYBourgois,Philip,andJefferySchonberg.RighteousDopefiend.Berkeley,CA:UniversityofCaliforniaPress,2009.

Foucault,Michael.“TwoLectures”,inPower/Knowledge:SelectedInterviewsandOtherWritings1972-1977,ed.ColinGordon(NewYork:PantheonBooks,1980)79-108.

Henry, Jacques M. "Gender Egalitarianism in Coed Sport: A Case Study of American Soccer." International Review for the Sociology of Sport 34.3 (1999): 277 - 290. Sage Journals. Web. 22 Feb. 2016. <http://irs.sagepub.com/content/34/3/277.abstract>.

James, C.L.R.. Beyond a Boundary. London: Stanley Paul & Co, 1963. Duke University press. Web. 16 Apr. 2016. <http://reader.dukeupress.edu/beyond-a-boundary/9?ajax>. Rankine, Claudia. Citizen: An American Lyric. Minneapolis, MN: Graywolf Press, 2014. Print. Stewart,Kathleen.OrdinaryAffects.Durham:DukeUniversityPress,2007. Terese, Stratta M. "Cultural Expressions of African American Female Athletes in Intercollegiate Sport." Athletic Intruders: Ethnographic Research on Women, Culture, and Exercise. Ed. Anne Boline. Albany, NY: State University of New York Press, 2003. 79-105., . . Print. Wachs, Faye L. ""I Was There...":Gendered Limitations, Expectations, and Strategic Assumptions in the World of Co-ed Softball." Athletic Intruders: Ethnographic Research on Women, Culture, and Exercise. Ed. Anne Boline. Albany, NY: State University of New York Press, 2003. 177-199., . . Print.