Women in Sport by Cherie Woodhouse
Alex Woodhouse photography
Explaining to someone that I played roller derby, a full contact sport on roller skates, I was stumped by their reply of, ‘well, that doesn’t sound very ladylike.’
I have a fair few issues with this response: what is ladylike; who decides what is ladylike; why does this guy think he has the right to explain to me, a woman, what ladylike is; would it be unfair to use a roller derby move and hip-check him into next week?
Unfortunately, he wasn’t the first person to seem confused by the legitimacy of a woman playing a contact sport, but it did get me wondering why it was an issue.
Fast forward to a few weeks later and I decided to head to a girls’ only night at Mount Hawke skatepark. Walking through the door with my battered roller skates slung over my shoulder, I saw girls aged around five dropping in on ramps double their height alongside women in their 50s launching themselves over obstacles. I had never seen Mount Hawke this busy before and never with such a large cohort of female skaters. But why did so many women feel they could only roll around at a specific event organised for the fairer sex? I guess it was less intimidating to take to the ramps without men being around. But why should it be like this?
This lack of confidence, it seems, comes from an early age, when girls choose to stand to the side and let boys take the lead in the sporting stakes. Research shows that just 8% of girls aged 11–18 are meeting the Chief Medical Officer’s recommendation of an hour of activity every day. And research by the Youth Sport Trust and Women in Sport, Girls Active Survey claims that a lack of confidence, fear of failure and worries about people watching, are all reasons that put girls off taking part in sport at all.
And this trend appears to remain with these girls right up to adulthood. The national This Girl Can campaign was launched in 2015 to tackle this issue with the empowering message of celebrating women no matter how they get active. Sport doesn’t have to mean competition. Getting out for a walk, going for a swim or having a go at yoga is just the same as competing in a team or a race. Sport is sport. And since it began, the This Girl Can campaign is said to have helped an extra three million of us to get involved with some kind of physical activity.
This, of course, is something to celebrate. Fitness is great for our physical and mental health. But these women shouldn’t need to be persuaded back into sport as adults; their love of exercise should stay with them through childhood and beyond. So, where does the problem lie?
It’s hard to define but this ingrained idea that ‘sport isn’t for girls’ has to change. It is holding too many women and girls back from enjoying the benefits of playing sport. And I must admit, I was among the demographic to ditch it when I was younger. I didn’t think I could compete with the ‘sporty’ kids in school and I didn’t have a sport that I was particularly interested in.
I was in my late 20s when I found roller derby and this fast-paced, whirlwind of a sport reignited my interest in fitness. Being in control and using my body to propel myself and others around a track is hugely empowering and the open and inclusive roller derby community is one that I am incredibly proud to be a part of. During my time skating I have captained a team and represented Cornwall at a number of games in the UK and Europe – a feat that my teenage self would never have thought possible.
But finding this sport as an adult does have its draw backs. I am of an age where I don’t bounce as well as I used to when I was younger, and I definitely have more aches and pains after a game. But I wouldn’t stop playing roller derby for anything. It has pushed me to try things I never thought I’d be able to achieve and has given me the confidence to understand myself and what I am capable of.
My return to sport has been a powerful reminder of who I am, not as a lady, but as a person.
by Cherie Woodhouse