Girl Power?

Lately there has been a lot of talk about how women are viewed and treated differently than men, especially in sports. We want to be held to the same expectations, we don’t want to be objectified, and we DON’T want to be hit on when we’re trying to do rad “boy” stuff. Well just in case you weren't tired of hearing about it, I also have some thoughts that I would like to share on the topic.

Do you think there is a slight chance that constantly bringing up the fact that we are female is just reinforcing the segregation between the two sexes? Why do we feel the need to talk about it all of the time? Go out and push yourself as a person and allow your sex to remain irrelevant. Yep, you're a girl in a sport full of mostly guys. Someone has said it, we've all acknowledged that it's tough sometimes for whatever reason, now let's move on. There’s no better way to give your appetite validity than to bring it up every time you pass a donut shop.

As for equality, I’m okay with getting paid less than a male for the same result at the same event. Don’t you agree that the majority of any given event audience is most likely watching to see the men throw down? (Aside from beach volleyball, of course) Because, let’s be honest, men are better and more exciting to watch. It’s our job as athletes to work hard to reach the same level as the others who are at the top of the game. If you really want to be treated equally (back to point A), buck up and start performing at the same level as the guys. Now, this isn’t necessarily saying that women would compete directly against men, but that they are equally engaging the audience and contributing to the costs of holding the event in the first place. I strongly believe that we can get to that point someday, but we're not there yet.


“Guys, stop objectifying me; Girls, stop sexualizing our sport.” The sports industry is just like any other industry in that it’s driven by a few people with a lot of passion combined with a bunch of money. And whether you like it or not, mainstream = money. (Case and point, Metallica \m/) So the question now becomes, what do we need to do to get mountain biking more mainstream? A little exposure probably wouldn’t hurt, eh? So let’s not give the gal who looks super cute on a bike and seems way too proud about it a hard time. She’s doing way more to push the sport than you are, griping about HOW she’s doing it. I know what you're thinking, "But I want to be recognized for my riding ability, not just because I'm a girl." What's wrong with both? Actually, we could use some help from guys like Dan Atherton and Greg Minnaar to get more females on a bike. Take it off fellas!


What was I saying? Oh, I think the point here is that riders are riders, progress is progress, and there's no time for worrying about who's hiding a ponytail in their helmet when #enduro season is right around the corner...

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