Sexist pigs and such...
This weekend was the Georgia Divisionals. I was hired as a referree. Most people were really nice. A few people really sucked.
There was one veteran foil gentleman (I use the term lightly, as he didn't act much like one), who gave me a really hard time. He argued aboslutely everything. He even requested to the bout committee that I do not referree anything he fences in for the rest of the weekend. It was pointed out to me that I was the only female ref in the room, and that certain people believe that women should never be in a position of authority, no matter how qualified they may be. Harumph.
This same man's coach was another offender. I previously had an enormous amount of respect for the man. That respect is now gone. I know there will never come a time when someone in a room doesn't question a referee's call. I don't expect people to agree with me all the time. However, there is a proper and polite way to argue with a referee. This coach set a bad example for his students, and lost my respect. People never live up to what they are in your mind.
On a more positive note:
1) Jeebus really does exist! (and he's a super cool guy!)
2) I'm more convinced that I need knee surgery after spending about 24hours of my weekend on my feet.
3) If I could be half the fencer that I am referee and coach, I'd be doing pretty well!
4) Took my cast off this morning. Thumb is still quite a bit sore, but it doesn't feel too bad. Onward to fencing!
There was one veteran foil gentleman (I use the term lightly, as he didn't act much like one), who gave me a really hard time. He argued aboslutely everything. He even requested to the bout committee that I do not referree anything he fences in for the rest of the weekend. It was pointed out to me that I was the only female ref in the room, and that certain people believe that women should never be in a position of authority, no matter how qualified they may be. Harumph.
This same man's coach was another offender. I previously had an enormous amount of respect for the man. That respect is now gone. I know there will never come a time when someone in a room doesn't question a referee's call. I don't expect people to agree with me all the time. However, there is a proper and polite way to argue with a referee. This coach set a bad example for his students, and lost my respect. People never live up to what they are in your mind.
On a more positive note:
1) Jeebus really does exist! (and he's a super cool guy!)
2) I'm more convinced that I need knee surgery after spending about 24hours of my weekend on my feet.
3) If I could be half the fencer that I am referee and coach, I'd be doing pretty well!
4) Took my cast off this morning. Thumb is still quite a bit sore, but it doesn't feel too bad. Onward to fencing!
posted by Karen @ 14:27
2 Comments:
At 4/10/2006 5:09 PM,
Brian said…
I will never understand why people so readily allow themselves to succumb to their baser instincts. It's easy enough to explain the offenders' actions in terms psychological -- something about you represented a threat to their egos, for example, and they unknowingly struck back. But at some point don't we expect to rise above the challenge and stop being so mean to each other?
At 4/14/2006 2:44 PM,
Elizabeth McClung said…
Sorry you had such a suck experience, it is strange how that particular problem shows up in people who seem "okay" before but suddenly get all nutso when they think a woman is "telling them what to do"
Also bad news about the knee, sorry to hear about that - have you practiced your terminator fencing crawl attack in case it goes out in competition?
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