Sociogenesis of Figure Skating

Figure skating was believed to be invented in 3000 BC in Switzerland when animal bones were put on shoes. The sport began to be developed by an American, Jackson Haines who was born in New York. This began right before the Civil War and he was claimed to be the "champion of america." These competitions were held without any rules of any claim to the title. He decided to go to Europe and then pioneered the sport of figure skating. When the International Skating Union was formed, there were 7 members of the club while there are over 600 members today. Back in the 20's anyone could compete in competitions, while today a member of the ISU must take a test in order to compete. A very historical event in the world of figure skating was in 1961, when the entire US Olympic Figure skating team was killed in a plane crash. Since then, financial assistance has been awarded to those who are in the sport as a Memorial Fund. In 1923, SKATING magazine took off and looked at the life of figure skating. The challenges that the sport faces is the number of participants. Young skaters have a problem dedicating their entire lives to a sport at the risk of being injured. (From the website http://www.usfsa.org/About.)

Sport in the Ancient World

In ancient Greece, the first sport played was the sprint. The athletes were basically worshiped. Any athlete that won, became desired by all. It took away any idea of rank or money.They could be anyone, from any family. There were strict dietary rules to be an athlete. Women were not allowed to watch or participate in sports except one that was believed to derive from a god (sister of Zeus). Most competitions had a religious aspect to it because they thought that the gods had already chosen their winner. In ancient Greece, it was considered more of a spectacle. 

In ancient Rome, the main sport played was the gladiator. These were usually people from low classes and were used like a "caged animal." The crowd was usually very involved with the sport because if a Gladiator won, they usually won their freedom as well. Gladiators were kept in barracks and trained everyday and they learn things that the Roman army would use. They were dressed in costumes and props. 

Sport, Society, and Me

My connection to a sport is everything. Whether you are participating or just watching, the connection is everything. Sometimes I feel more of a connection even just watching a sport than I do actually playing it. When I watch my favorite team play football, I am in the zone with the tv for three hours because I am so invested (and because I am obsessed with my team). I think a connection has to be understanding the sport and the sacrifices and ability it takes to do it. Sports were everything to me growing up, I started at such a young age because I used to watch my older brother play so I wanted to follow in his footsteps. Once you find "your sport" I believe a connection is created because it seems like it is something you were meant to do and you found your niche. I had no idea I was going to be a swimmer until my mother threw me in our pool and I started to swim laps for the first time.

I think sports are a positive role in society. They get children out of trouble and have them striving for goals and working towards something. It also produces role models for people and gives people someone to look up to instead of a singer or pop star. US sports teach us that anyone can be successful in a sport and can overcome adversity and oppression. You can come from any walk of life and become successful. The most successful athletes come from the most least likely place. Most athletes are valued, but others are scrutinized because of little things they do. They are all placed on a pedestal and expected to act a certain way. They are mostly respected, unless they do one thing wrong, then it goes completely out the window. Every time you turn on the TV, there is another athlete doing something deviant and everyone is so shocked. Even though these things happen to regular people and they are humans.

The Sport Ethic

The Sport Ethic, as defined by Hughes and Coakley, is what many participants in sport have come to use as the criteria for defining what it means to be a real athlete. They include:
-Being an athlete involves making sacrifices for The Game
-Being an athlete involves striving for distinction
-Being an athlete involve accepting risks and playing through pain
-Being an athlete involves refusing to accept limits in the pursuit of possibilities

Athletes conform to this set of beliefs because if they have the willingness to conform to these ideas then they will have more support and help athletes overcome and deal with risks, pain, and fears. Some athletes are also seen as "over-conforming" to their sport. This is due to various influences around the stigma of their sport. This makes athletes believe that if they conform, they will succeed as an athlete. For example, a lot of sports require athletes to be relatively thin because it makes them faster or better. This causes some to take it to the extreme and become anorexic. This over-conformity causes athletes to surpass the line of conformity and turns into insanity. As Hughes and Coakley state in the reading, "many athletes do not see their ove-rconformity to their sport ethic as deviant; they see it as confirming and reconfirming their identity as athletes and as member of select sport group" (Hughes, Coakley 1991). These are purely social because in order to seem like a more competitive athlete, one must conform to what is deemed as appropriate to succeed.

I have experienced all of the four dimensions of the sport ethic. I was a competitive swimmer for over ten years and my entire life revolved around the sport. The sacrifices I made were that I did not get to hang out with my friends on the weekends, because I was either training or at a meet and I attended over 9 practices a week in high school. The risks associated with the sport of swimming are, of course, injury. I have had several injuries in my shoulder from swimming and they still are not back to normal and still hurt to this day. Even though I knew that I was injured, I continued to keep swimming every day and training. Swimming is all about playing through the pain because when you race you are in pain the entire time and it is how you deal with it mentally that will determine how successful you will be as an athlete.

Sports in the US

Sports in the United States bring together different regions of the country and creates (sometimes) friendly competition as a past time. The sports that are the most popular in the United States are Football and Baseball. Both things that are not as common in other parts of the world. Both of these sports share a large fan base and a huge revenue from games, merchandise, and media. They are both male based sports that have no women's leagues, but their fans are both male and female. A typical game day usually involves a heavy alcohol intake, food, and fan pride. This usually all takes place at a tailgate, which is the pre-game festivities to celebrate the sporting event that takes place outside of the stadium before the event. The values that are conveyed are fan pride. This means wearing, from head to toe, jerseys and apparel pertaining to their specific sports team. Usually a fan is supposed to support the team regardless of who they play or if they win or lose. We measure a success in US sports by how many titles are won and how large the fan base is. This means how many championships are won or how well they rank internationally. We associate that a successful athlete has been consistent with their winning career. This means how they are a leader not only on the field, but within a community. An athlete can win countless titles and championships, but if they are not a role model within the community, it means nothing. The most important aspect of sport in the USA is the aspect of community and entertainment. It brings together various groups of people from different types of life and gives great opportunities to talented athletes.