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Blazing a New Trail: The Role of Communication Technology in Women's Mountain Biking

Sun, August 12, 10:30 to 11:30am, Pennsylvania Convention Center, Floor: Level 100, 103B

Abstract

Women’s experiences in largely male sporting worlds have been examined extensively, and studies have documented the marginalization and patronizing attitudes that can make participants unwelcome. And yet some women claim to have positive, liberating experiences in these sports. How do these women negotiate a largely male sport? And what strategies do they employ to craft supportive, healthy communities? Based on interviews with 60 mountain bikers (21 women) and email correspondence with an additional 98 riders (24 women), along with results from a global survey of over 2300 participants, this paper examines women’s strategies for creating communities in which they can fully participate. The research uncovers the important role of information and communication technologies as paradoxical platform that at once promotes the celebration risk-taking and aggression, coded as masculine, but also serves as a platform for talking back and building alternative community that can facilitate the growth of supportive in person groups.

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