From britdisc-owner@csv.warwick.ac.uk  Wed Apr 29 18:38:15 1998
Received: (from daemon@localhost)
	by pansy.csv.warwick.ac.uk (8.8.7/8.8.8) id SAA22721
	for britdisc-outgoing; Wed, 29 Apr 1998 18:23:58 +0100 (BST)
Received: from lupin (hyuio@lupin-fddi [137.205.4.7])
	by pansy.csv.warwick.ac.uk (8.8.7/8.8.8) with SMTP id SAA22694;
	Wed, 29 Apr 1998 18:23:54 +0100 (BST)
Date: Wed, 29 Apr 1998 18:23:47 +0100 (BST)
From: Ms S E Gibbons <hyuio@csv.warwick.ac.uk>
X-Sender: hyuio@lupin
Reply-To: Ms S E Gibbons <hyuio@csv.warwick.ac.uk>
To: 9361247@arran.sms.ed.ac.uk
cc: britdisc@csv.warwick.ac.uk
Subject: RE: Women's Ultimate
In-Reply-To: <17D41F725AE@arran.sms.ed.ac.uk>
Message-ID: <Pine.SOL.3.95.980429132959.5159A-100000@lily>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; charset=US-ASCII
Sender: owner-britdisc@warwick.ac.uk
Precedence: bulk

Perhaps we need to decide what exactly the focus of women's ultimate is.
Although this may not be the case now, in the past it has often been sold
as a kind of sideline to enable women to find means(tactical awareness,
disc skills, guile)  of competing equally in teams dominated by men.
What we should be saying is that women can get alot out of playing in
both open and women's divisions and they should be encouraged to do
both. Women's ultimate has expanded rapidly over the past couple of years
and  we should should acknowledge the
efforts being made by Sue Underwood & co. to create a database of all
female players in the UK and to encouage women only training sessions
which have happened all over the country over the last year or so. 

However, as Ben said, to improve the standard of Women's ultimate WE HAVE
TO GET MORE WOMEN TO PLAY. Student clubs should be examining why so many
women turn up for the first few practices and then disappear. Each student 
club should have a women's officer who should organise women-only training
sessions AS WELL AS ENCOURAGING THEM TO PLAY IN MIXED ULTIMATE SESSIONS. I
think it's true to say that most women develop more confidence playing
with other women where obvious short-comings like speed and height are
less significant, but they should learn to apply the skills they learn
playing in women only sessions to the mixed or co-ed game. Female players
haev to understand the value of playing both women's and mixed ultimate
and all student clubs should be encouraging this.   

Sarah Gibbons
A bear - until June at least!