December 22, 2013 by Charlie Eisenhood in Interview, News with 76 comments
Boston Brute Squad star Emily Baecher was the lone female tryout at the MLU’s Boston Whitecaps combine last night. Ultiworld emailed her about her experience and why she went to the tryout.
Baecher wrote:
[quote]The tryouts were great! I had a blast. I was definitely on the lower end of many of the combine activities, which included a vertical, 40 yd dash and shuttle runs, but felt like I performed well in the scrimmages. I was surprised how much I enjoyed playing with refs; I felt like I could focus more on the game and less on what calls I might have to make. I also liked playing offense on the larger field, there was just so much space to throw to. The Whitecaps staff and other players trying out for the team were super welcoming and supportive, while not offering me any special treatment. Overall, tryouts were an excellent experience.[/quote]
[quote]You could say it was a spur of the moment decision to attend tryouts. All four of my housemates were on the Whitecaps last year, so I would probably be hanging out at my house alone for a Saturday night otherwise… But honestly, I wanted to take advantage of the fact that the MLU allows women to tryout and couldn’t pass up an opportunity to play some high-level ultimate in the winter. [/quote]
[quote]While it was not my intent to make a statement by attending tryouts, I think the conversation of gender in professional ultimate is one worth having. Personally, I think there is a lot of potential in a mixed-gender professional ultimate scene. This both opens up the fan base and gives elite open and women’s club players the opportunity to play some mixed without sacrificing a season with their club teams. By making the teams mixed, tryouts would be much more competitive for limited roster spots and the teams would have a higher level of talent across their rosters. I bet this thought has already occurred to the DC Current…[/quote]
