Co-ed teams in sports, where females and males train and compete together, is extremely uncommon across most sports, as it may pose physical disadvantages for female athletes. Despite this, Ultimate Frisbee is one of the few sports that boasts a mixed gender team. We spoke to Grace Koh (20A15), a member of Hwa Chong Ultimate Frisbee (HCUlt), for her views on her training and competition.  

 

Grace had a strong interest in Ultimate Frisbee since primary school before she joined HCUlt in J1. As a dedicated sportswoman, Grace strongly believes that gender does not define one’s ability in Ultimate. In Ultimate Frisbee, a 7v7 sport, teams typically field a mixed team of 3 girls and 4 boys or 4 girls and 3 boys in formal competitions to ensure fairness and inclusivity. Most aspects of the game also require various skills beyond physical prowess that “are not exclusive to gender”, such as defensive techniques or offensive strategies. In other words, “the physical gap can certainly be overcome”, and female athletes need not worry. Grace feels “that the differences [between genders] are not very exaggerated at all” during training since everyone is training equally hard towards the same goal. She emphasises that “[having] to “mark” (i.e. defend) someone of the opposite gender” is not as intimidating or challenging as it seems, as these skills can be practised and polished regardless of gender. 

 

Fortunately, Grace has not been a victim of unwarranted discrimination relating to her gender, which is common amongst female athletes. However, this does not mean the issue of gender discirmination in sports does not exist. Grace feels especially grateful for the increasing use of different platforms for women to speak up about pertinent issues, such as the gender pay gap in sports and discrimination towards female athletes. “While a lot of the discrimination faced by women are notably systemic in nature and would require us to really relook at the sport and its inherent biases, its truly amazing how the female community is so supportive of each other and champions these changes day by day.”, shares Grace. Our society has certainly come a long way, with females now being able to have open discussions about gender issues, compared to the past where sportswomen lacked the outlet to share about their experiences.

 

‘Ultimate’-ly, Grace encourages all budding female athletes to “love what you love without fear”, and to always remember that “our worth shouldn’t be measured against men’s to be of value”. 

 

Written by: Caroline Ong (21A10)

Photograph: Grace Koh Zi Ning (20A15)