Hello everyone!
My name is Cheryl Cooky and I have heard much about the collective from Rich,
Kevin, and others. I've been meaning to get connected for a while.  I guess I
should tell you a little about myself. I'm a second year masters student in the
physical education, health, and sport studies department. I am interested in
various disciplines from sociology, to women's studies. Although I did not
originally start out this way I have discovered that sport is a cite for the
reproduction and contestation of a variety of ideologies (gender, class, race,
sexuality, etc.). So my position in relation to sport is one of critique and of
much tension and contradiction. During the day, I critique sport, and at night
I find myself as spectator or participant.
 
Utilizing critical feminist ethnography I am embarking on an analysis of
young girls experiences in sport.  Specifically, I hope to gain a better
understanding of how young girls interpret the gender ideologies embedded in
sport and how they negotiate their experience (or lack thereof) in relation to
those ideologies and the construction of sport as the last male preserve. I
will incorporate race and class in my analysis examining the position of these
young girls as white middle class females and how that position mediates their
experiences. (The fact that these girls have the opportunity and resources to
participate speaks to their racial and class position). At this point I have
not anticipated what I will find although I hav assumptions about sport which
I'm sure will have an impact on how I frame my interviews with these young
girls, and the themes that will "emerge" from my field notes.
 
There are many debates surrounding the work that I am doing. Such debates have
been noted by feminists and critical ethnographers.  For example, how do I
speak of these girls experiences- can I speak for them, how to eliminate or at
least lessen the power differential between researcher and researched, and so
on. I could go on, but I am out of time.
 
Well, now that all of you know me I will have to access the archives to get to
know all of you. Hopefully Kevin, or Rich will be able to help.
 
I'm excited to be involved in this collective!!
Cheryl