Men in Figure Skating

In class we discussed women breaking into the world of male sports, so in my blog I want to talk mostly about males in a sport that is considered predominately female.

Now the majority of sports are not considered exclusively women’s by mainstream society, but one such is figure skating. As a competitive skater and a coach for the majority of my life, I have had a lot of exposure to males in the skating world. After the beginner levels, most boys either drop out or switch to classes geared more towards hockey. Figure skates are easier to learn on than hockey skates, and fairly frequently I get the father of a four year old boy who insists on putting him in hockey skates even though he can’t even stand up on the ice in them. Strong skating skills are necessary in order to be successful as a hockey player, and parents are hesitant trust my judgment because I’m a woman giving them hockey advice. For the most part they accept that I am more knowledgeable, however I did once have a particularly stubborn father who was convinced that I was giving him false information and insisted on talking to the (male) head of the hockey program who told him the exact same thing that I had. I don’t know why he was so reluctant to believe me or why he was so adamant about starting his child off in hockey skates, but maybe if there were more fluidity between gender and sports he wouldn’t have been so against anything to do with his son figure skating.

One figure skater that was always surrounded by a huge controversy concerning his sexual orientation until he came out in his autobiography this past January is Johnny Weir, also known as Johnny Queer. Known for his flamboyant costumes and artistic performances, Weir’s sexuality was constantly questioned by the skating world. Even though he does define himself as gay, what right do we, as viewers have to put him there? Every single male figure skater has their sexuality questioned at one time or another, but not usually so regularly and on such a national level. Even in commentary, Johnny Weir is constantly referred to as flamboyant, fun, controversial, and dramatic- never as an athlete. His achievements are overshadowed by perceptions of his sexuality through his performances. This youtube clip, while geared towards humor, undoubtedly shows exceptional instances where Wier’s sexuality is targeted more than other male figure skaters http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kqCJ75A0J54 .

Figure skating is a sport that needs male skaters, not just for individual competition but for pairs and dance partners as well. In fact, men become very sought after as partners because of the vast difference between the number of female and male skaters. Because it is a sport where men and women compete separately but equally, and often together, it is perfectly acceptable for both men and women to be coaches even if the vast majority are still women. I think that because it is more acknowledged as a coed sport, both sexes are able to coach without as much question to their sexuality as in predominately male sports. Every male figure skater I know has gotten their sexuality questioned at one point or another, but I don’t believe that the idea that male athletes in “women’s” sports are all gay is as widely accepted as women being gay in “men’s” sports is. However, there are still overwhelming assumptions about men in figure skating that stop a lot of little boys in their tracks.