subject: Women in Sport: Let's Get the Ball Rolling [print this page] Women in Sport: Let's Get the Ball Rolling
I am extraordinarily blessed to have been introduced to sport at an early point in my childhood. In fact, I was surrounded by it; my mother and older sister were both basketball players, and my dad was into cricket.
So it wasn't that much of a surprise that when I found myself holding a basketball at the tender age of five, I had found a love that I would keep for life.
Being a female participant, it didn't take long to realise that the sporting arena is pretty much a male stronghold. Just look at the media. The only female sport I ever seem to find on television is netball; conveniently considered to be a female-only sport. Even though there is a female league for almost every sport covered on television, at exactly the same level as the men, it is the latter gender that gets the limelight.
The female Australian cricket team dominates more than the men's team, but they rarely get even a glimpse during a break. Basketball is no different; there is WNBL as well as the NBL, yet it is only the men we see on weekend spots. Even in lower levels, in my uni club team for example, it is all about the boys.
Women are participating, and succeeding, more than ever before in history, yet we must still fight to be recognised. One way to get the ball rolling with this is to get yourself and other women around you involved in sport.
There are so many benefits to being a woman involved in sport, particularly starting at a young age. There are the obvious health benefits, but let's not forget the social ones too. My childhood experiences with sport helped me to develop important social skills, and through them I continue to build friendships that will last my entire lifetime.
Many women and girls are put off by the thought of failure, of being laughed at, so choose to exercise alone at women-only gyms such as Fernwood. But you only have to look at the fun being had in group fitness classes to see how women can benefit from the social aspect of team sports.
So ladies get out there, make friends, invite friends, start a work team, try a new sport, get active and stay healthy. But most importantly have fun... and show those boys how it's really done.
