Mari Kristin Sisjord

Fast-girls, babes and the invisible girls. Gender relations in snowboarding

The purpose of this essay is to examine gender relations in snowboarding through conceptions and experiences articulated by female participants. The main objective is to focus on relations between female and male snowboarders as well as relations between different groups of females. The empirical investigation was conducted in conjunction with a workshop organized by the Norwegian Snowboard Federation. Methods employed were participant observation and personal interviews. The results reveal male domination in different snowboarding contexts during practice and competition. Moreover, the analysis revealed different femininities among the female snowboarders, characterized within the subculture as the Babes, Fast-girls, and the Invisible Girls. The results are discussed in relation to perspectives on subculture and Bourdieus conceptions of field, capital and masculine domination.

Women’s snowboarding – some experiences and perceptions of competition

This article focuses on female snowboarders’ experiences with, and perceptions of, snowboard competitions. The article is based on a study conducted at an international women’s snowboard camp. The purpose of the camp was to discuss strategies for promoting females’ participation in the snowboard organisations and in snowboard competition. Interviews were held with eight participants aged 18–31 years. Most of the participants had been previously involved in competition. Their experience had been both negative and positive. Most of the participants perceived snowboard facilities (Big air and Half-pipe) as being too large for females and a possible constraint on participation. Moreover, the study’s findings reveal ideas concerning alternative competition formats as well as arguments for ‘women-only’ sessions as a feasible way to reach more female snowboarders, to provide skill enhancement, and to increase participation in the competitions. The findings are discussed in light of the development of snowboarding and Bourdieu’s theoretical framework.

Assessing the sociology of sport: on lifestyle sport and gender

On the 50th anniversary of the ISSA and the IRSS, an influential Norwegian scholar in understanding sporting cultures, Mari Kristin Sisjord, considers the trajectory, challenges, and future opportunities for sociological inquiry about lifestyle sport and gender. It is noted that the emergence of lifestyle sport research was built on interpretive inquiry, the rise of the cooperative new leisure movement, and subculture research stimulated by cultural studies. Driven by diverse theoretical influences, including Bourdieu and Foucault, questions of power relations, voluntary risk-taking, commercialization, mediation, identity development, and community-building have been key topics. A central challenge has been to untangle the complexities of gender in the often high risk context of lifestyle sports perceived as masculine; here, understanding how women negotiate their identities presents important questions. In considering future research, Sisjord follows Thorpe’s counsel in recognizing the need to put female participation and leadership in lifestyle sport into historical and cultural contexts as the exercise of power and organizational engagement are redefined.

The impact of gender quotas in leadership in Norwegian organised sport

ABSTRACT The purpose of the article is to investigate the impact of gender quotas as a means to equalise the gender representation in the Norwegian Olympic and Paralympic Committee and Confederation of Sport (NIF), with particular attention to the composition of executive boards. According to NIFs here. Law Book, a certain number of both genders is required when electing boards and committees at all levels in the organisation. The law also states rules for exemption when not fulfilled. Based on qualitative interviews the study explores how the quota regulation is practised at various levels in the organisation. The results revealed that interviewees from the higher levels (sport federations and regional confederations) were well aware of the quota regulation, less so on the club level. To the question whether the quota regulation guided the composition of the boards, most of the federations and all the regional confederations followed the rule, at the club level about two-thirds of the boards were composed in accordance with the regulation. The results are discussed in relation to criteria for ‘strong’, ‘moderate’ and ‘weak’ regulation, which in terms of fulfilment appears ‘strong’ at the highest level in the organisation, and ‘moderate’ or ‘weak’ at the club level.

When Grown-Up Kids Go Snowboarding. A Study of Participants at a Camp for Adult Snowboarders

Abstract Snowboarding has traditionally been viewed as an activity best suited to the younger generation, due to the age of the participants and its origin in youth cultures and counter-culture values. Studies show that adult people compose a minority of the snowboarders, which has been paid little attention in scholarly research. The present study focuses on adult snowboarders exploring why they snowboard and how they fit into the snowboarding culture. Theoretically, the study combines a generational aspect with Giddens’ perspectives on self-reflexivity and identity. The empirical investigation is based on interviews with participants at a camp for adult snowboarders, seven males and one female, all except one were aged between 33 and 41 years, one was 19 years old. The results reveal that snowboarding appears to be a central part of the interviewees’ lifestyle and identity. The quest for challenges and skill improvement are predominant motives for involvement, where bodily experiences and expressions through riding are elaborated with reference to snowboarding styles. The age differences are mainly experienced in mixed-age contexts. Therefore, the mature riders have established patterns of social interaction varying from ad hoc relations to more permanent communities.

Students’ physical education experiences in a multi-ethnic class

ABSTRACT As western countries have become increasingly diverse, education is often emphasized as one of the most important arenas for social integration. However, research within physical education over the past decades has highlighted how students with non-western backgrounds experience processes of ‘othering’, exclusion, and marginalization in the subject. In the Norwegian context, we have little knowledge about how these processes work within multi-ethnic PE lessons. In addition, scholars have pointed to the tendency of PE research on race/racism and ethnicity to focus on the minoritized ‘other’, while leaving out the complexity of the multi-ethnic encounter. By applying an intersectional lens, our aim is to investigate students’ experiences in a multi-ethnic co-educational PE context. Specifically, we ask how the students’ multiple identities may influence their experiences within PE, and what processes of inclusion and exclusion are revealed through their narratives. The study is based on ethnographic fieldwork in two PE classes, in an urban secondary school in Norway. Data for this article is drawn from one of the classes and consists of written field notes from observation of 26 PE lessons and semi-structured interviews with 11 students. Selection criteria for the interviews were based on gender, ethnic background, visible skills, and attitudes expressed towards the subject, as well as students belonging to different social groupings within the class. Data were analyzed using thematic narrative analysis. In the article, three students’ narratives are discussed. The findings indicate that, while the multi-ethnic learning context is experienced as an arena in which to develop social relations across cultural differences, the students’ stories also reveal how ethnic and cultural differences cause tensions in relation to students’ interaction during activities and in the changing room. In these tensions, power relations embedded across students’ ethnic, gender, and class identities become manifest.

Coach–athlete sexual relationships: Coaches’ opinions:

The focus of this article is the opinions and attitudes towards coach–athlete sexual relationships presented through the voices of female (n = 24) and male (n = 12) elite-level coaches in Norway. The results are based on in-depth interviews and the data were developed around the following question: “There are examples of athletes that fall in love with their coach and about sexual relationships between a coach and an athlete—what are your reflections around such coach–athlete relationships?” The coaches found such relationships very problematic and unacceptable. When it occurs, openness, i.e. to talk about it, is important. But the rule of thumb was that the coach–athlete relationship had to come to an end. In their elite-coaching role, these coaches believed it is important to have strict rules and clear boundaries. Furthermore, they should be aware of the power that they have and not exploit it. The results are discussed with respect to the professionalization of the coaching role, and the importance of including ethics in the education of coaches.

‘I would not be satisfied if I had not given it a try’: the expectations and experiences of students in a high school skiing program

Abstract The article presents results from a panel study among students who attended a high school program dedicated to the development of athletes in various skiing disciplines. Using the conceptual framework of Bourdieu, the study examined the students’ social backgrounds, their expectations of succeeding in the field of skiing as well as in the field of education (secondary school), and the extent to which their expectations were fulfilled. Integral to the latter, were the students’ negotiation of uncertainty and realities related to fulfilment of expectations. The investigation was conducted at the first and the third year at school, employing quantitative and qualitative methods. In general, the students came from families with well-educated parents having a distinct sport habitus. During the school period, the students’ expectations as to both skiing achievements and good school grades were reduced. Many had experienced challenges. About one-fifth of the sample had quit during the three years and almost one-third had considered quitting at one point. The qualitative interviews revealed how the students managed to adjust and re-evaluate their ambitions, particularly with respect to skiing.