#HEFORSHE
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Lessons Learned Words by Josh Hartzog
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ost of us have heard it. Some of us have participated in it. “Women’s ultimate isn’t entertaining enough to watch.” “Women’s ultimate is boring.” “Women can’t play ultimate as well as men.” Sideline and online comments about the women’s game persist, despite the ultimate community’s insistence that we are an open-minded, progressive people. The malecentric culture we live in often still holds us back, preventing us from being able to enjoy the women’s game as a separate entity. I admit that I have, at times, been swept up in this culture, wanting to fit in with the group of the players around me. This year marked my third coaching girls, and over the past few seasons, I feel like I have learned more from them than they have learned from me. This year in particular was an enlightening experience, as we started a new team at East Chapel Hill High School in North Carolina, where I am a science teacher. As a male, I can at times have a myopic view of the world, a view clouded by the wealth of opportunities and lack of obstacles I face en route to achieving my dreams and desires. Coaching girls has helped widen my view of the world and given me a more informed perspective on the struggles women face, particularly in gaining appreciation for the game they play.
As far as ultimate goes, perhaps the most important lesson I have learned so far is that girls really want to play. The experiences gained from being a part of a team – the camaraderie, sacrifice, fun and growth – are not just good for young boys. I have witnessed tremendous transformations of my players, and I believe that providing opportunities for girls to play ultimate, or any sport, is essential to their personal development, in addition to any athletic gains they make. Ultimate is a pretty great sport, and we have clearly seen tremendous growth since the sport’s inception. Recently, that growth has come mostly at the youth level, with the number of boys playing and boys’ teams competing increasing rapidly. In North Carolina, our state championship has expanded every year I have been coaching to include more and more teams. However, growth in the number of girls playing has really only expanded in the past three years. Why? Opportunities for girls to play single-gender ultimate have finally become a reality in several different cities across the state, and we have now hosted girls’ state championships for the past two years. Providing opportunities for girls to play is imperative. Provide an opportunity, and they will play. I have seen this concept play itself out several times over the past few years, starting with the very first girls’ team I coached which consisted of
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