LETTER

Response Mr Grenon’s letter about girls’ hockey

 

I want to make it very clear this has nothing to do with gender and I would have made the same comment if it was a boys team that was dominating every single team to the point of loss of dignity.  We need to ensure during evaluation that the player is an A, B or C level player. I know that players are not always placed in the right category due to not enough spots or teams but if I could address each concern, please: 1. It is for parents and officials to push to get a girls A division, as it is apparent that this is required with females now in hockey and at this caliber it is only fair that they are treated the same as boys and would equal the playing field. 2. I don't have the website links as they were not published in this letter. I have been in hockey long enough to know and observe the unfairness that runs through it. 3. I never said nor did I imply they were cheating.

Hear me now, I am proud of these girls.  They were good. I know for a fact that they played well and strong.  What I wrote was that these girls deserved to play against an equal caliber and, as I understood it, that the girls team were not slated into any division A, B or C because they didn't do that for the girls teams.  

It was not just our team that they dominated, but it was all the teams they played, and it is the responsibility of the organizers to ensure that the caliber of the players are  matched.  

I have no problem with girls playing with the boys and, as a female, I am so happy to see girls hockey move into women's hockey and dominate and I even hope to see women in the NHL one day.  

But that doesn't excuse the fact that this team was very good and clearly an A team. If there is no A division, this is a problem that needs to be brought up to associations and authorities. The fact remains they were reclassified from a C and they clearly were never a C.  But to go to a B and only play in B because there is no A division, then there is something wrong with this picture and it is the families of these girls’ teams that need to fight to get an A division. I have seen other girls teams that deserve to be on an A team and play against equivalent players. Don't make assumptions about me and don't ever say that I am denigrating our girls. I am an activist and always working to encourage and empower women and your insinuations are offensive and obviously misplaced.

Louise Belisle
Aylmer