What I don't like about junior derby:
Junior Derby is one of the only places it is still "ok" to actively discriminate against players based on sex.
"We would love to schedule with you, but... we WONT PLAY YOUR BOYS." Oh, I understand; so shall I sit the team down and tell the boys, well your team can't play because of you and not because you are a dirty skater or a horrible person but because you were born a boy. Or Should I tell the girls we are going to play this team but we cant use our boys because well, they are boys. This ridiculous form of discrimination is the thing I hate the most. Roller Derby in itself is supposed to be a place where these kinds of things don't matter, and yet here we are teaching boys that they are no good, they have no place here, and you should not get to play. In my whole area I can't even think of 14 boys that even play roller derby. This is not your average boys sport and it is definitely female dominated. So when these boys are at school wearing your logos out there supporting roller derby; despite the teasing they may already receive from the outside world for being different. They then have the very place they go to feel accomplished, part of a team, and family and we say YOU CANT SKATE BECAUSE YOU ARE A BOY!!!!!!!! this is unacceptable!!!!!! This literally hurts my heart, these kids just want to skate and if you force a team to choose to not play their whole team or else then maybe it is time to re-examine your policy.
I know there are some big boys out there, but guess what there are some big girls out there too! I have seen some girls do some serious damage on the track, and I have to honestly say I see less of that from boys. I am really not sure when it became an ok practice but it is really not ok.
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| What people think the male junior skater looks like |
What male junior skaters really look like
Amen sister. I'm glad this dark little corner of derby is getting some light.
ReplyDeleteI know plenty of adult women who don't feel comfortable playing coed derby but that doesn't mean they don't support men's derby. Can't there be all 3(girl, boy and co-ed) in juniors as well without someone feeling discriminated against?
ReplyDeleteWell, considering I have never seen a junior team with more than 2 boys on it, and the fact that just building a junior league is incredibly hard, I dont see that as a viable option yet. Please remember this is specifically relating to juniors; not adults and if they play co-ed or not. Also this is plain discrimination not "feeling" discriminated aginst. Men's derby is also no where near being able to play as often as women due to the logistics of few men, far apart, few teams. Roller Derby should be for everyone.
DeleteYeah, my wife runs a junior team and another all girl team refused to play them, a coed team, because they were concerned about the sexualization of their female skaters. OK, sorry we WON'T see you at nationals... Also, good luck finding enough all girl teams to play or you will have maybe 2 games this year while my wife's team will have 5-7 games. As for nationals, tickets are still available get one while you can.
ReplyDeleteAMEN. We told our skaters about this; the team decided that if we ALL were not welcome to play, then none of us would participate. It's good to see that even in the face of active discrimination, the kids take a stand to oppose it.
ReplyDeleteToo true. Junior derby is a chance teach by example. To ingrain the idea of EQUALITY at a young age, not a chance take revenge by reversing the discrimination. What message does that send?
ReplyDeleteI think alot of people discriminate against boys in Junior Roller Derby out of ignorance. As a parent, I initially did want my daughter participating in co-ed bouts. I was extremely concerned about the increased physicality on the track when adding boys. After going to several bouts and observing the sport played in a co-ed environment, I changed my mind. Footwork, agility, speed, and tactics are critical to the sport and a good skater versed in these skills can out perform an opponent regardless of size or gender. I have seen both boys and girls display great athletism and sportsmanship in these bouts. I have also seen these same players work together to progress younger skaters into the next level. Boys and girls helping each other. HOLY COW how great is that! I am very happy my daughter skates on a co-ed team and has the opportunity to work with boys as an equal. The only thing that matters is your level NOT your gender!!!
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