Donate to AGE UP on May 9th for GiveBIG.

I have technically boycotted the AUDL this year. I haven’t gone to a game, I’m not participating, and I agree with a lot of what has been said around why boycotting is a good idea. But I also have never participated or wanted to participate, and I think I have only ever been to one game with a free ticket. So maybe I have always boycotted the AUDL. I am pro gender equity, I am a woman who plays, and I would like to see more women and girls competing. But I find myself asking, what have I truly done to work on the goal of having more women seen? And when we are talking about more women competing, who are we talking about? Who are we leaving out?

Ultimate is still a pay-to-play sport for almost everyone. The college division is the host for a huge portion of ultimate players, but you have to get accepted, pay for school, pay for ultimate, and still get amazing grades and if you live at home with your family, help there too. I was first part of the college women’s division in 2005 and once I graduated I started coaching. Since then the division has exploded with teams and players.

Right now, to my knowledge, youth ultimate and the AUDL are the lowest cost to play and compete. So now I have a lot of conflicting ideas, as an adult there are really not many opportunities for people to play that are not really expensive. The AUDL doesn’t really have a sustainable, fully developed place for women but it does have opportunities for men who would not be able to pay to compete at a high-level otherwise. The college and club division have a space for women to play but not if you can’t afford it. Additionally, the college and club division is much more white than it is male.

When I think about intersectionality and all of the different ways one can be systematically oppressed, it feels like we have to choose who is more important. It would be easiest to focus on gender equity at the expense of access around race or class.

So now what can I do, what can we do? Here is a first draft list, I am sure there is much much more. I am not the first one to think of any of these ideas, and I might have forgotten something really important. This is a list compiled by a lot of time talking, listening, reading, being vulnerable and making mistakes.

What is AGE UP?
AGE UP is a program that is already doing a ton of work with with a commitment to bring anti-oppression analysis in leadership opportunities and access to young people in ultimate, specifically girls of color living in South Seattle. As a coach and a player, I have seen the countless ways that AGE UP has broadened the reach of our sport, started and continued conversations on race and class, and provided access to leadership opportunities for youth.

This is the last year of Seattle Foundations GiveBIG, and AGE UP is looking to use this as an opportunity to reach two goals: 1) Building sustainable funding to provide full-time positions for staff; 2) Paying AGE UP staff and Southend coaches a livable wage. As an individual, your donation can help us take a big step in that direction. And as a team, we can play an important role in spreading the word and advocating for their work.

AGE UP’s goals this year are:

Lastly, I wanted to say thanks to Hana Kawai and Aimie Kawai for letting me use some of their thoughts. Riot for giving me a platform to speak on. Bailey Zahniser for being someone I can talk to about thoughts and feelings with.

Donate to AGE UP on May 9th for GiveBIG.