Synchronized swimming remains only for women

Women have gained huge achievements in the world of sport today. This started me thinking about all the sports that women have been welcomed into and what sports they have not. There are still sports that do not allow women to participate (like football). So learning about women in sport it has occurred to me that it is mainly women in “men’s” sport. This caused me to think about sports that are meant just for women. Aside from separate events within a variety of sports, or the watered down version, one sport came to mind: Synchronized Swimming. An older article that I found from USA Today states that in San Francisco “A men's synchronized swim team has been barred from a meet at Stanford University, reinforcing an International Olympics Committee decision designating the sport as women-only.” And another that states, “Men have participated in synchronized swimming since the 1980s in mixed pairs, but have been banned from competing in the World Masters Championships because the Olympics classifies it as a female sport.” Although, I believe this to be a step in the right direction (having a sport that is seen by society as being for women only), a closer look at the sport is required. Synchronized swimming, while it requires mass amounts of talent and skill, it is still seen as feminine. By this I mean that it is not a contact or highly endurance sport, like say: football. Maybe one day equality throughout all sports will be seen.

Janet Pezold
KIN 338i (Tu/Th 2:00)

Pole dancing as an Olympic Sport?

Throughout our course so far we have been exploring and learning about how women have struggled to get the publicity, attention and credit they deserve for their accomplishments when it comes to sports. We have read and seen in films the testimonies of the hardships and discrimination they have been through to get where we are at today. Even though Title IX came into existence we still see a separation when it comes to women’s sports vs. men’s sports. There has always been that notion that men sports are dominating and important while women’s sports are always seen as minimal and not important.

Recently on the news and an online article I came across a story which was titled, “Will Pole Dancing be the Newest Olympic Sport?” When it comes to pole dancing, the first thought that comes to mind is women dancing in provocative clothes for money. Some view pole dancing as an art but the majority sees this as something out of the ordinary. Some questions that come up are: If pole dancing were to become an Olympic sport who would be allowed to participate? Personally, I doubt a man would want to participate in a pole dancing competition since this has always been considered a female thing and also because of the negative aspect pole dancing has in our society. I think if pole dancing were to become an Olympic Sport it would set us (women) back many years. This will only be adding to the notion that women are only sex objects. Why can’t they add another sport that shows a woman’s strength and testes her endurance? I do not agree in letting pole dancing become an Olympic sport.

-Jasmin Dominguez
Kin 338i Section 4