4/3 vs. 5/2

"I'm just a girl, what's my destiny?
What I've succumbed to Is making me numb
I'm just a girl, my apologies
What I've become is so burdensome"
Just a girl - No Doubt

After reviewing the titles of the last couple of posts, and realizing they've been about a awkward, lanky, wanna-be comp player, I thought tackling a more challenging subject would be appropriate. A quick troll through the OCUA forums shows that the most heavily debated issue has been the non-existent "check feet" call. Since this fictional call doesn't deserve any more thought, effort, or hype that it's already garnered, I decided to go with a more interesting subject on the forums: the old 4/3 vs. 5/2 mixed debate. As for "check feet", I plan to employ one of the posters' suggestions and respond with "check rules" the next time I hear it.

Granted I've only been around ultimate for a little over two years, but changing the gender ratio in OCUA from four men and three women to five and two seems to come up on the forums frequently. It's not always as blatant as a guy (btw – only men propose this) suggesting it should be done, as it's often disguised as "Why are all the women quitting my team?", "How do we bring more ladies into OCUA", and most subtly as "Need female subs tonight".

The most obvious argument against changing the gender ratio to 5/2 is being misaligned with the international bodies that govern mixed ultimate. This doesn't assume that all players want to play competitive, although it supposes that players might want to enter a tournament or play mixed ultimate elsewhere at some point in their future. Tournaments and other larger mixed leagues in Canada and abroad go with the 4/3 ratio, so players moving out of Ottawa would be at a disadvantage if they tried to take what they learned about the game elsewhere.

There's also an argument to be made about gender equality if OCUA ever went with the 5/2 ratio. Considering approximately half the population is female, limiting their access to a sport by restricting them to four or five per team seems inequitable. Why should men have more than a 50% advantage of being able to join a team? Having a penis doesn't mean you'll be a better ulty player…unless you can use it to catch a disc…which I haven't seen….yet ;-)

From a woman's point of view, can you imagine having to deal with the increased testosterone that a 5/2 ratio would entail? Instead of being hit on by one or two guys on a team, you'd have to turn down the advances of an entire line. Plus, you'd be chasing down long blades from even more men who want to overcompensate for what incredibly small penises they have. On a more serious note, there would be less chances for female bonding on the team (which helps keep women involved). On a less serious note, there would be fewer female teammates to bring to the bathroom with you in the nearby bush *har har har*.

One of the frustrating things about the 4/3 vs. 5/2 debate is that there's a blatantly obvious answer – involve and develop your women players. Before you respond "But then they'll leave us", ask yourself if that's such a bad thing. If they leave you to find a better team, you've succeeded in improving the caliber of league play, and introduced someone who will tell all her friends about this great sport. You've done your small part in solving OCUA's "lack of women" problem.

For clarity, involving and developing female players centers around ensuring they're getting what they're looking for out of the experience. If a woman is out for the fitness aspect of the game, and feels uncomfortable throwing, great, you have a cutter who will readily dump on offense, and a cup member on defense. If one of your ladies likes to keep things organized, teams can always use an assistant or captain to make sure enough bodies show up at the field for games. If you have a 4 or 5 rated woman who wants to develop handling skills, giving her a spot as on off-side handler is an excellent first step.

Oddly, none of my teams have ever had a problem finding enough women to fill the roster. Urban Sprawl has actually had the opposite issue, with seven talented ladies on the roster this year, girls are complaining about not playing enough. Sadly, I had to turn down two female ulty friends who expressed interest in playing on that fun Friday purple team. Poach Motel has plenty of quality women players (including a couple amazing handlers), and two very active female subs who show up when called upon. Of course BigFish is stalked with nine of the best female players in the city, and a sub who's speedier than any woman I've ever met (outside of track and cross-country).

In conclusion, whoever proposes a 5/2 ratio next in the OCUA forums deserves to have his mental capacity questioned as much as it inevitably will be. Personally, I'll leave the slagging to the pros, since I'd rather just continue to give the disc to the fairer sex. Until next time, happy hucking!