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 in Ultimate
OCUA proudly offers a number of women and girl specific opportunities for playing Ultimate, at both a recreational and competitive level and across age groups.  We understand how important it is to provide fun, safe, and welcoming spaces for women and girls to participate in sports since they often face a number of challenges that men and boys do not.  These challenges include:

  • A lack of women representation in leadership positions (coaches, officials, mentors, boards, etc) which creates a power imbalance
  • Unconscious bias that assume women and girls are less capable than men and boys leading to reduced self-confidence and less participation
  • 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
  • Fewer opportunities for high level competitive play
Women’s Recreational Ultimate
One of the fastest growing leagues at OCUA is the Women’s League.  The Women’s League 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 to join our sport or for women looking to rejoin Ultimate after having a break. More experienced players offer mentorship and guidance, while challenging each other to improve.  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 score keeping, and tunes are usually blasting.  The focus is always on learning, developing, and having fun!  Developed and coordinated by the inspirational Jessie Robinson, Women’s League is a new 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
 
For updates, photos, and a glimpse of the fun, follow @OCUA & @RosieUltimate on Instagram and check out Gavin Thompson’s Ultimate Photos on Facebook.
 
For more information, please feel free to contact:
Jessie Robinson (Women’s League Coordinator): breakawaysimon@hotmail.com
Britany Gordon (OCUA Executive Director): britany@ocua.ca 
 
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
  • Women’s (18+): Stella &  Luna 
  • Masters Women (30+): Rosie & Nebula
  • Grandmaster Women (37+): Solstice​
Captains
All mixed gender teams must have at least one woman captain, whether full or assistant.  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.
RESOURCES
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