希拉里·奈特在争取妇女的职业冰球联盟
后的奥运会,为什么女子曲棍球明星仍为一个地方玩
美国女子曲棍球队,2018年奥运会已经向前希拉里·奈特称之为“一个故事的结局。”Team USA met Canada in the finals, as they have in all but one Olympic Games since the sport debuted in 1998. That was also the only time the US had won gold. Since that '98 meeting, no team had won but Canada. The US had settled for silver three times and bronze once.
在2018年,情况发生了变化。美国希拉里后1 - 0拿下一个熟练的偏转。加拿大率先回答两个进球。美国绑在比赛还剩6分钟。加班了的枪战中,最后保存从20岁的门将玛迪鲁尼,美国女性回收的标题所不为20年。
“这胜利是不可思议的,”希拉里告诉POPSUGAR。“如果我能捕捉那一刻,把它放进一个瓶子里,打开它现在。我希望我能。”It wasn't just that they had won Olympic gold after a 20-year drought, or that they'd done it after losing to Canada just a week prior in the prelims. "We knew what a gold medal could do for the country. We knew what it could do for the sport," Hilary explained. "One of our key mantras was, 'we're a part of something bigger than ourselves.'"
团队的运行迷住了。但即使美国运动最大的舞台上眼花缭乱,妇女在北美职业冰球的状态——联盟以一流的美国和加拿大的球员都是混乱。
”很明显,女性没有什么地方玩专业的一个稳定、可行的联赛,”希拉里说。
争取宜居的薪水
2019年3月之前,曾有两个女人在北美的联盟:加拿大女子冰球联盟(CWHL),在美国,美国国家女子曲棍球联盟(NWHL)。成立于2007年,直到2017年CWHL收集足够的资金为其提供津贴的球员,从2000美元到10000美元不等。NWHL工资从10000美元上升到26000美元开始在其就职2015赛季,但减少近一半到2016年。在2017 - 2018赛季,支付了5000美元,至7000美元。玩家没有收到医疗保险。
国家队球员像希拉里有所减轻;他们有一个一致的团队玩,更多的资源,在某些情况下,安全的支持和赞助的知名度。对另一些人来说,现实是完全不同的。“这是困难的,说实话,”希拉里说。“我认为我所有的其他队友工作第二次或第三次的工作,只是为了能够玩专业,以及他们如何想醒来,做我们所做的专业水平。”The lack of funding and of resources, "that's what's really turning the sport back."
今年3月,CWHL折叠。北美,只有两个国家赢得奥运会女子曲棍球,现在刚5因为财政困难NWHL团队。
创建一个自己的联赛
这是一个女子曲棍球和精英球员会参加联赛,但希拉里说,回想起来,“我认为这是一种必要步骤的激励我们,让我们真的看一个强大的未来,女性的职业冰球的愿景是什么样子。”Fed up with waiting for a financially viable league to materialize, the players took matters into their own hands and formed the PWHPA: the职业女性的曲棍球运动员协会,该组织致力于实现一个可行的职业女性在北美冰球联赛”,最伟大的产品展示在世界女子职业冰球。”
的一部分,200 +的球员加入了协会,包括希拉里和其他选手像肯德尔科因保林-斯科菲尔德和加拿大Marie-Philip承诺坐在即将到来的曲棍球赛季他们获得一个真正的职业联赛的资源要求。相反,他们将组织和参加重复性展示他们给这个梦想差距之旅。目标不仅是招徕支持协会,给玩家一个地方玩,也增加了运动的可见性,尤其是对年轻女孩在精英体育寻找榜样。
“我想我不一定意识到有女子曲棍球,直到98年奥运会,临行前,”希拉里说。她仍然穿着她的榜样,Cammi Granato, 98队的队长。希拉里看了NHL,但“这是我第一次接触点在看到女子曲棍球这样一个精英的水平。”That was truly the only outlet for the sport, to the point of her grandmother voicing concerns to Hilary's mom about those Olympic dreams. "She was like, 'You know, Cynthia, girls don't play hockey.' And my mom just looked at her and said, 'Mom, get with the times. If she wants to play hockey, she's going to play hockey.'"
许多女性将成为冠军,美国和加拿大一样,“挑战这些刻板印象的女人应该做什么或者女性应该做什么,”希拉里说。“我认为很多人在这一代长大的男孩玩曲棍球和克服我们的战斗和障碍。”Now, they're using the momentum from their own Olympic victory to continue the fight, creating a sustainable league for themselves but also for the new generation they're looking to inspire. The hope, Hilary said, is that a young girl watching the Olympics in 2018 and dreaming of her own gold medal won't have to overcome as many barriers, or fight for as much recognition, to fulfill her dreams.
旅游时他们会在9月21日开始,使其在多伦多的第一站Unifor女子曲棍球展示,为期两天的游戏让一些最好的美国和加拿大的玩家(包括希拉里)在延长赛,与Budweiser-sponsored现场直播PWHPA网站。未来停止也计划在哈德逊,在北半球,在10月和芝加哥。
似乎美国团队年底dogpile电动奥运决赛可以完成任何东西,然而今年以来胜利没有一帆风顺。“这是一个艰难的世界,”希拉里说。“这是一个艰难的运动。”But the setbacks have culminated in the drive, pushed by the players themselves, for a viable, sustainable league on their own terms and the opportunity to show the world what they're capable of at the same time. "We've spent years building upon the shoulders of phenomenal, amazing female athletes that have come before us," Hilary said. "Now it's our turn to really take the reins and continue to push the sport to the next level," planting the seeds for all the young girls who are coming up next.
