"It was just a matter of time," Emlyn said. "There are too many girls playing hockey -- it was inevitable."The most ridiculous lawsuit of the century I thought was going to be settled somewhere in America (in Southern California to be exact). I was wrong. Apparently a B.C. court a hockey mom, Jane Emlyn of Lumby, in the Okanagan Valley, filed suit to the human rights mediator claiming that the sub-standard conditions for co-ed hockey teams discriminated against her young daughter.
Emlyn lodged a complaint because she felt her 14-year-old daughter Jewel's rights were violated when girls were barred from using the same changing rooms as the rest of their minor league hockey teams.What camaraderie? The right to get your ass slapped by a wet towel?
She argued they missed out on important coaching sessions, as well as team camaraderie. She also said girls occasionally had to use substandard facilities, such as boiler rooms and referee rooms, when separate changing rooms weren't available.
Don't get me wrong, I'm always all for equal funding for teams. Instead, pass a law and grant rinks all over Canada money to build separate locker rooms for those facilities that haven't already upgraded. Makes more sense, I think. Since we are dealing with young juniors, wouldn't it be better for all the boys from both teams use the visitors rooms and all the girls get the home facilities. There! Problem solved.
[Via: Edmonton Journal]
5 comments:
Girls on co-ed teams should definately get their own shower / changing facilities on par with the boys. But it's also very true that if they aren't present during normal team chatter and coach conversations, they're going to feel left out and frankly, they're not going to get the same degree of motivation and team spirit as the guys. Maybe the best compromise is ask the girls to join the guys in a neutral area before hitting the ice. I've heard a few fathers of girl players on co-ed teams correct other people when they call them girl players. Most say "I'm not a girl hockey player - I'm a hockey player."
One nutty Canadian doesn't explain the behaviour of all of us, just as one gun-wielding Republican doesn't explain the behaviour of all Americans. Be careful before you paint all Canadians with the same brush -- a couple of visits to Toronto (I'm assuming) plus a regular read of tsn.ca doesn't give you a legitimate insight to Canadian opinion or behaviour.
A few of the minor hockey teams I played on had one or two girls on the teams, and it was never really a problem. They would often get changed in a smaller dressing room and would join the team in the main room in between periods, etc.
There's no way the teams can be fully integrated, especially at 14. Instead of criticizing Canadians, however, note how progressive we must be for having so many coed teams — and in a contact sport to boot.
"Since we are dealing with young juniors, wouldn't it be better for all the boys from both teams use the visitors rooms and all the girls get the home facilities. There! Problem solved."
Well... not quite solved. Anyone who has played at minor hockey tournaments would tell you that the dressing rooms are usually running at full capacity. There just isn't space to designate rooms like that.
Put all the boys from competing teams in ONE room?? Heh. That's like asking the Sens and Leafs to change in the same room. Not only would all the 'boys' not fit, but there would be the potential for ...harm. American translation: It would be like having the Yankees and Red Sox use the same locker room. ;)
With the rapid growth of female hockey at all levels, this problem should quickly disappear.
I do not know what the problem is. I play on an adult coed hockey team, we all use the same dressing room, and though not all players use the showers, the guys that do have never been a bother to the rest of the team. they cover themsleves with a towel to walk from the changing area to the showers, shower and the towel off and walk back. sometimes they might briefly be able to be seen, depending on the layout of the room, but on the whole, no one has ever cared.
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