Are Girls Sports “Girly”?

Ribbons, make-up, and sparkly costumes.  Skirts and belly shirts. Posture, balance and attention to detail.  What do these things make you think of?
 
The first thing that comes to my mind is a stereotype of ‘pretty-in-pink’ bratty 3-year-olds and over-zealous mothers at pageant competitions (think Toddlers and Tiaras).  But these things are also very common in many stereotypically “female” sports.  Figure skating, dancing, pom squad/kickline, and cheerleading are all often mistaken as fluffy, pretty-in-pink activities.

“Because of the costumes, the make-up, the hair, the emphasis on performance and looking good while being physically active, there is sometimes the idea that figure skaters are prima donnas,” said Stephanie Betzler, A&S’13, a member of BC’s Synchronized Figure Skating Team.

These activities do involve the “girly” hassle of hair and make-up, as well as emphasize overall presentation, so why should people consider them sports?  After all, they’re just about looking good, aren’t they?
 
As a member of the BC Synchronized Figure Skating Team myself, I talked with my fellow teammates and with some members of the other sports on campus that are considered ‘girly.’  We discussed our personal experiences  with our sports and why they should be considered legitimate sports.
 
These sports may not be as popular as male  sports like hockey and football, but they can be just as intense and damaging on the body.  Even though they are sometimes not even considered sports, Trish Clasen, A&S’13, a former member of BC’s Pom Squad, believes that “dancing is just as important as the stereotypical male sports; both provide entertainment.”
 
Trish, who joined the Pom Squad her sophomore year, was on her high school’s kick line team.  She was forced to take a year off from dancing her freshman year due to back pain and bulging discs in her spine.  “I pushed through the pain to continue dancing throughout high school,” she said.  “It’s actually the reason why I’m not dancing (on Pom Squad) anymore.”

Kickline/Pom Squad is similar to figure skating with respect to potential injuries.  Both sports are highly leg-muscle oriented and thus many of the serious injuries incurred by athletes are located in the knees, back, and feet.  Other minor injuries are blistered/sore feet and pulled muscles.

Hip-hop dancers also frequently get pulled muscles and twisted ankles.  “There is always a risk of injuries when you’re doing such a physically demanding style of dance,” said Fanta Freeman, A&S’13, a member of Phaymus Dance Entertainment.  “We have injured people on the team all the time!”

Hard skate boots and blisters.  Dance shoes and bad backs.  Pulled muscles and twisted ankles.  Dancers, figure skaters, and cheerleaders alike suffer from intense muscle pains and horrible feet sores.  Physical well-being, however, is only one of the sacrifices made to continue competing and putting on shows.

“It can sometimes be mentally challenging,” explained Fanta, “because it can get frustrating if you’re not remembering the choreography or if you’re not doing it right.”  Stephanie adds that figure skating is very much a combination of athletic performance and artistic eloquence.  When competing, skaters have to remember not only the steps to their program, but they also have to focus on keeping with the music and staying in sync with their partners or the rest of the team (depending on the type of synchronized skating).
 
“You also have to focus on facial expression, posture etc., which necessitates more effort than just mindlessly going through a routine,” Stephanie said.

In response to being asked about the stereotypes associated with Pom Squad, Trish replied, “Twirling ballerinas.”  As much as people may want to believe this stereotype, they have to keep in mind that there is a tough athletic component to Pom.  When asked how demanding their sports are on a scale of 1-10, the girls answered that it depended on how intensely one practiced the sport.  The general consensus was between an 8 and a 9.5.
 
BC’s Synchronized Skating Team practices about twice a week in the early hours of the morning for an hour and a half, sometimes as early as 5:30am.  BC’s Pom Squad practices twice a week for 2 hours along with its performances at games.  Despite its classification as a co-curricular activity rather than a sport, Phaymus practices 3 times a week for 3 hours.  Pretty intense for just an activity, I’d say.
 
If this seems like a lot of hours of practice, multiply that by the number of years!  Most figure skaters, dancers, cheerleaders, and kick liners have been practicing their entire lives, starting at a very young age.  They’ve been practicing their sports – their passions – for anywhere from 9 to 15 years.

And although there has never been any open hostility towards these sports, there is always a judgment and a comparison to traditional men’s sports.  Usually, it’s that they’re less aggressive, less difficult, and require less athleticism.  A simple attempt at any of these “feminine” sports would prove to any skeptic that a strong set of core muscles and enormous amounts of determination and  skill are needed to execute the most challenging stunts. 

When asked how they usually respond to criticism or questioning of their sports credibility, the girls simply answered:  try it.  “Do our routines repetitively and talk to me later, if you still have any air left in your lungs,” laughed Fanta. 

“I usually ask them if they’ve ever strapped on a pair of skates,” Stephanie responded.  “Skating boots aren’t exactly the most comfortable footwear.” 

“Once they’ve started, they would just understand,” said Trish.

Not just anyone has the cardio conditioning to keep up with the vigorous dance numbers that Phaymus does, can free-fall backwards from the top of a human pyramid, or can pull off a 540-degree turn on the ice.  “Jumping is the most challenging,” said Stephanie.  “After lifts, it’s also the riskiest.”

Very few men participate in these sports – there are no men on the Pom Squad or the Synchronized Skating Team.  There are guys on the cheerleading team as well as on Phaymus, they’re just under-recognized!  But despite the devaluation of the term “female sport,” being on a team of all women does give the girls on these teams a sense of empowerment.  “It’s nice to know that females can do hip-hop without having to exploit themselves in a sexual way,” Fanta said.
 
So unless your definition of “girly” encompasses ugly blistered feet, sore muscles, sweat, hours of practice, countless injuries, and a tremendous amount of mental pressure, you’ve qualified the word “sport” with the wrong adjective.  The activities these women do are sports, regardless of the gender of the players.