Gender Equity

OCUA Gender Equity Vision
OCUA recognizes gender as a spectrum.  We are striving to achieve a membership that is reflective of our Ottawa community with an equal representation of women and men (cis and trans) as well as increased representation of trans, non-binary, and two-spirit players.

WOMEN'S RECREATIONAL ULTIMATE: 

Women and girl athletes face a number of challenges men and boys do not when participating in sport.  These challenges include

  • A lack of women representation in leadership positions (coaches, officials, mentors, boards, etc) which creates a power imbalance
  • Unconscious bias that assumes women and girls are less capable than men and boys, leading to reduced self-confidence 
  • An expectation of caregiving that limits time available for extracurricular activities like sports
  • Regaining fitness and rejoining sports after having children
  • Being assigned less favourable venues and schedules 
  • So many more

For these reasons, it is important to provide fun, safe, and welcoming spaces for women to participate in sports.

 

OCUA recognizes how valuable women-specific programming can be and offers a year-round OCUA Women’s League (OWL). OWL is provided with prime venues and time slots in every season. All levels are welcome, making it an excellent point of entry for new women players into our sport. More experienced players offer mentorship and insight into our amazing sport. Teams are shuffled every week, so there is always an opportunity to meet and play with new people, while there is also an option to request to play with a specific friend. There is no scorekeeping, and tunes are always blasting. The focus is always on learning, developing, and having fun! Developed and coordinated by the inspirational Jessie Robinson, the Women’s League is a favourite, regularly selling out.


To learn more about Jessie and what inspired her to launch OCUA’s Women’s Ultimate League in 2019, check out this Program Spotlight: An Interview with Jessie R

WOMEN'S COMPETITIVE ULTIMATE

 

OCUA supports a number of women and girl’s competitive teams through our Competitive Teams Alliance.  Tryouts for these teams are typically held annually in late winter- early spring.  For more specific information, check out the individual team websites.

  • OJCUP Girls (14-18): Wicked West, Wicked East, & Ruby
  • Women’s (18+): Stella & Oz
  • Masters Women (30+): StellO & Rosie
  • Grandmaster Women (37+): Solstice

GENDER ROSTER CATEGORIES

 

Though sports typically operate within a gender binary framework, OCUA recognizes gender as a spectrum.  To demonstrate inclusion of diverse genders, OCUA introduced two new gender roster categories:

  • Women, Non-Binary, and Two-Spirit (WN2): may include women (cis and trans), non-binary players, and two-spirit players
  • Open, Non-Binary, and Two-Spirit (ON2): may include men (cis and trans), women (cis and trans), non-binary players, and two-spirit players

OCUA does not distinguish between cis- and trans- for purposes of roster categories.  Non-binary and two-spirit players may participate as their authentic selves, without having to conform to the man/woman binary in order to play Ultimate.  Instead, women, non-binary, and two-spirit members will have the choice of joining WN2 or ON2 based on their preferred and most appropriate match-up on the field.*

 

OCUA respects the gender identity of each of its members and will never require proof of gender.  We trust our members and expect gender identification and preferred match-up selection to be made honestly with Spirit of the Game in mind, and never with the intention of gaining an unfair advantage. 

 

GENDER RATIO FOR MIXED GENDER LEAGUES:

 

OCUA strives to offer equal play time and an equitable play experience for both gender roster categories.  To support this goal, as of Summer 2024, OCUA uses WFDF Ratio Rule A by default for all recreational 7v7 mixed gender leagues.

Rule A (“prescribed ratio” rule):  At the start of the game, after the first disc flip, an additional disc flip happens with the winner selecting the gender ratio for the first point. For the second and third points the ratio must be the reverse of the first point. For the fourth and fifth points the ratio must be the same as the first point. This pattern of alternating the ratio every two points repeats until the end of the game (half time has no impact on the pattern). Ref WFDF Rules A6.2.1

Using OCUA’s gender roster categories, this means that the on-field ratio of WN2 (Women, Non-binary, and Two-spirit) and ON2 (Open, Non-binary, and Two-spirit) players fairly switches between 3:4 (A) and 4:3 (B) following the ABBA pattern.

 

For more information, check out the link here.

 

CAPTAINS FOR MIXED GENDER LEAGUES: 

 

All mixed gender teams must have at least one woman captain.  OCUA fully supports women leadership and women representation at all levels of our organization.

 

PRONOUNS:

 

Everyone has pronouns and using a person’s correct pronouns shows respect for their gender identity.  We ask all of our members to respect each other by using correct pronouns, whether they be she/her/hers, he/him/his, they/them/their, or something else.  If you are unsure which pronouns to use, opt for gender neutral terms rather than making assumptions.

 

GENDER INCLUSIVE LANGUAGE:

 

Non-inclusive language includes any terminology that excludes or insults an individual or a group of people, whether it is intentional or not.  OCUA encourages the use of gender neutral language on and off the field so as not to make assumptions about gender identities or sexual orientation.  

 

Try making the following substitution!

 

To learn more about gender and gender equity, check out the resources below

 

GENDER AND SEXUAL ORIENTATION GLOSSARY 

ULTIMATE SPECIFIC RESOURCES

SPORTS RELATED RESOURCES

GENERAL RESOURCES