From andria Thu Dec 18 18:13:20 1997
To: leen@worldchat.com
Subject: Re: Interview

Hi Aileen,

>Just wanted to verify that you received my list of questions
>for my assignment due on Jan 6.  I hope that you will be able to answer some
>of them.  Could you please mail me back and let me know if you got them?
>Thanx :)

Sorry for the delay.  Here are the answers to your questions.

>1.  What are the benefits of playing a traditionally male dominated sport as
>opposed to a more female dominated one?  The drawbacks?

I think all sports have their benefits.  For example, exercise, competition,
making friends, and challenging yourself.  I don't think it really matters
if you choose a sport that is dominated by males or females.  The important
thing is that you enjoy your sport, and choose it for that reason.  I can't
think of a particular benefit for the traditionally male dominated sports.
Male dominated sports might tend to be more physical, which could be what
attracts the individual to the sport (thus a benefit).  Basically, I think
it depends on the individual, and their particular view of the benefits
of the sport.

>2.  Did you find that you gained more or less respect and recognition due to
>your participation in hockey as opposed to something like dance or gymnastics?

For me personally, I definitely gained more respect because of my
participation in hockey as opposed to dance/gymnastics, but this was
primarily because I was much better at hockey than those other sports! :-)

I would say that 10 years ago, an elite gymnast who represented Canada
might be more well known, but now that women's hockey has World Championships
and Olympics, I think the female hockey athletes are starting to get a lot of
recognition.  They might even be recognized more than the dancers/gymnasts.
This is especially true here in Canada.  This might not be true in other
countries though.  I played in Switzerland one season, and I sensed that
a lot of people weren't quite as accepting of women in hockey as they
are here in Canada.

>3.  How did males around you react to your participation? Other females?
>Did their reaction to your playing hockey differ if the individuals were
>athletes themselves?

It is becoming more and more acceptable for females to participate in
hockey.  The majority of people that I meet these days (both men and
women) don't let on to be surprised to hear that I play hockey.
Most are very excited and accepting of it.  I think it is because
the media is finally giving it more exposure.

I found that when I went to school in the U.S. from 1986-1990, the
people were a little more surprised to hear that women play hockey.  I
would say that the guys were more surprised that the women.  (I was at
the University of New Hampshire.)

>4.  Do you feel that playing hockey has better prepared you for functioning
>in the male dominated society that still exists today?

I don't really think so.  I think sports in general are good for making
you more competitive, and thus more prepared for our male dominated society.
I don't think there is anything specific about hockey that helps with
this, but I would say that most sports in general help to some degree to
develop the competitive edge and the self-confidence that may be needed
to do well in today's male dominated society.

>5.  Did you ever fear for your physical wellbeing due to the nature of your
>sport?  If so would this fear be present in a more traditionally female
>sport and should male athletes have the same fear?

After having a few injuries, I guess I have been more aware of my
physical wellbeing, but never ever enough to consider giving up the
sport.  A lot of the traditionally male sports have quite a bit of
contact, and I think this does contribute to the risk of injury for a
sport.  There are still some traditionally female sports in which a
person's physical wellbeing can be at risk.  My guess is that the
traditionally male sports, such as hockey, football, and boxing, have a
higher injury risk than the traditionally female sports (dancing,
gymnastics, ballet).

>6.  Did you ever feel that your femininity was threatened from playing
>hockey?  Did others?

This isn't something that I generally think about, but the answer would
be no.  It's not something that I would worry about, and it's not
something that I think hockey threatens.  When you're playing hockey,
you're an athlete, and it's out of the context of gender.  Afterwards
it's still possible to be feminine if one chooses.  I think others
would say the same thing.  Just because you play hockey does not mean
that you can't be feminine.  Whether or not one chooses to be feminine
depends on the individual.

>7.  Would you encourage females to play hockey?  To play on boys teams?  Why
>or why not?

I would most definitely encourage other females to play hockey.  If
they prefer to play on boys' teams, that's fine too.  I think I would
encourage them to play on girls' teams because there are lots of teams
out there, and I think playing on a boys' team they might miss out on
some of the fun that goes along with socializing with the team in the
dressing room.  The caliber of the women's game is getting better all
the time, so the excuse of playing boys' hockey to improve your game,
no longer applies.

>8.  Would you encourage your own daughter in the sport or would you prefer
>her to play something else?  To what level would you ideally want her to
>pursue it?  Would this differ for your son?

I would definitely encourage either my daughter or son to play ice
hockey.  It would be up to my child to what level they pursue the
sport.  Ideally, I would try to teach them the ideals of good
sportsmanship and to play the game for fun.  If they chose to take
the sport to the highest level, that would be awesome, but I
wouldn't force her/him.  This would not differ for a son or
a daughter.

>9.  In playing hockey from the beginning stages to the elite level, would
>you say there is a difference of opinion about females in hockey according
>to the level of participation?  

I don't think there is a significant difference of opinion.  If people
are accepting of females playing at the earlier stages, then I think
they will also be accepting of those who play at the elite levels.

>How were you treated by the media?

I was treated very well by the media.  The only complaint that I have
is that sometimes they tend to ask questions that indicate that they
are a little surprised that women are playing the sport (focusing on
brothers of the women's players, or how the women got started, or the
obstacles facing female players), instead of focusing on the game or
competition at hand, like is the norm when they interview male
players.

I would say that in general, women's hockey does not get nearly the
media coverage that it deserves.  Since there is no professional league
the media tends to ignore it.  And I think that because the sport is
not exposed much in the media, this hinders its acceptance.  It's a
vicious cycle!  Hopefully the Olympics will help to change this trend.

Good luck with your paper!  And have a nice Christmas!
(http://www.cs.toronto.edu/~andria/xmas_97_form.html)

Andria

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