May 21, 2014 by Sean Childers in Livewire, News with 0 comments
Seattle Riot’s Nora Carr posted a story in honor of Mother’s Day on the Seattle Riot website, drawing attention to The entire thing piece is thought-provoking and hits on a number of different points, but is thematically based on how opportunities for women have changed since Carr’s mother was young:
A month ago I was over at my parents’ house visiting, probably talking about the Riot season starting, and my mom brought up a flight we took over ten years ago, when I was in high school. It was just the two of us traveling together, she couldn’t remember where to, and when we got to our row I took the middle seat. In the window seat was a “young man” (mom’s words) about my age. My mother remembered thinking to herself, “how’s the conversation going to start?” A few minutes later, this “young man” turned to me and asked, “What sport do you play?”, and our conversation took off from there.
As my mom explained, this simple question was a very special and emotional event for her: “That would never have happened when I was your age…out of the realm of possibility.” A young man would never have assumed that a young woman played sports, and a conversation like this would never have taken place.
Carr goes on to list eight simple ways to increase opportunities for girls, which has spun-off into a Facebook group called “Simple Pledge for Women in Ultimate”. A number of players and important figures in the Ultimate community have already joined the group and issued a pledge, including WFDF President Nob Rauch:
I, Nob, promise to support Women’s Ultimate by promoting women’s global competition and development programs through WFDF, by showcasing Women’s Ultimate and awareness of women’s issues through WFDF’s social media, and by supporting and encouraging my daughter who is currently playing with the University of Delaware’s Sideshow.
