Within many cultures is other cultural groups called co-cultures. Co-cultures are groups of people who share values, customs, and norms related to similar interests or characteristics. Some co-cultures form around shared activities or beliefs. For example, OU women’s tennis is a co-culture that shares an athletic interest in tennis. After collecting data about the experience of belonging to this specific co-culture, I realized that belonging to OU women’s tennis is very important to the women. My interviewee joined OU women’s tennis in 2014 from Tokyo, Japan because her goal is to be a professional tennis player after her college career, and she believes that OU provides her with all that she will need to reach that goal. She was ranked 829 …show more content…
During seven seasons with the University of Oklahoma, David Mullins has helped OU women’s tennis make three consecutive NCAA Championship appearances, win seven Big twelve position titles, five ITA regional championships and record two-straight seasons with eighteen wins. Mullins also coached my interviewee as she gained All-Big 12 Singles Team, Co-Big 12 Freshman of the Year, and ITA Rookie of the Year honors. Vincent “Boomer” Saia became an assistant women’s tennis coach in the summer of 2014. During his four years as the volunteer assistant coach for the Kansas women’s tennis team, Saia helped the team reach a program high ranking when the team reached number thirty-three in the ITA …show more content…
This player points out that a person cannot understand the physical or social experience of tennis unless he or she also plays DI Women’s College Tennis. Consequently, DI Women’s College Tennis players often express a strong preference for interacting with other similar athletes. Her life would change drastically if she did not belong to OU women’s tennis. She eats, sleeps, and breathes tennis. The in-group/out-group distinction is a major reason why she would struggle with not belonging to this specific co-culture. Members of OU women’s tennis share the values of team work, loyalty, confidence, achievement, hedonism, and tradition. A co-culture’s values are ideas about what ought to be. OU women’s tennis also shares norms which are defined as rules or expectations that guide people’s behavior in a culture. For example, the players warm up 20 minutes before practice, the last player on the court picks up tennis balls, the players stretch after practice, and the players also see the physical trainers after
She led the team to a Conference championship and a State Championship. As a Senior she was the #1 player in the nation, averaged a triple double with 31 points, 14 rebounds and 10 assists. For the second consecutive year in history, she led the team to a state championship and led the nation in scoring. All four years in high school she was selected to be on the all-state team, all-region team, and all-conference team. During the summers of her High School years she would continue practicing and playing for an AAU team.
At the time that Althea was emerging as a recognized tennis player, African American’s opportunities were somewhat limitied. One organization called the American Tennis Association provided tounament opportunities for African American tennis players. In 1942, Althea Gibson had her first landmark
There are five main goals or objectives for the USTA organization to become better. The first goal is to increase participation in tennis so as to achieve the Vision. Increase USTA membership, make multicultural participation, and develop tennis programs accesible at all levels. The second goal is to build upon success at the US Open. Use the US Open as a promotional tool for the sport and help Americans reach the highest level of professional tennis. The third goal is to market tennis to the playing and non-tennis playing public. Enhance public awarness and perception of tennis and the image of the USTA. Provide educational materials and technical resources, and other tennis information to the tennis community.
276). Curtin’s Coculturation (2010) combats this hegemonic discourse by stating, “everyone is continually engaged in social and political processes of identification” (p. 283). Thus, one’s identity can consist of multiple cultures and they can in fact coincide. The idea that one group “belongs” in a particular imagined community is a myth, there is no single response or adaption. The theory of Coculturation ultimately accommodates to a more realistic approach to cultural adjustment where a newcomer can adopt some behavior of the host culture while still maintaining the conciliatory and subconscious aspects of their native
Men and women who chose to engage in sports from which they would traditionally be discouraged because of their gender, particularly as professionals, redefine the sport. The social and cultural "costs" are not the result of the individual's participation, but rather the way in which sports have been socially, politically, and economically constructed. Gender is only one of the few ways in which people are categorized according to their proficiency for some athletic activities. Race and class are also factors which may prevent individuals from engaging in sports that have been traditionally excluded to them. Socially constructed notions of race, class, and sexuality compound the way in which the history of sports has developed. For example, black women athletes may be more accepted in certain sports than in others, i.e. black women in the WNBA might seem as less an anomaly for black women than for white women, and yet the success of the Williams sisters in tennis may seem more out of the ordinary for many Americans than the success of their white counterparts. Race, class, sex, and sexuality are the operative notions in which certain sports are less "traditional" for certain groups.
A young African-American boy walks onto some rundown tennis courts at a local park with his father in Richmond, VA. Armed with an old wooden racket and a can of white tennis balls, his father begins to feed him some different shots and tells his son everything he knows about tennis. Being an African-American, this young boy did not have many friends that were as interested in tennis as he was. Since tennis is a predominantly white sport, Arthur Ashe’s desire to play was not encouraged by either race, but instead of giving up on the sport he loved, he continued playing to the dismay of many. Little did Ashe know, however, that his persistence would change the game forever. His efforts opened doors for many of the popular African-American tennis players, such as Serena and Venus Williams, MaliVai Washington, and Bryan Shelton. The class that he brought to the game of tennis and the bravery he showed by changing a sport dominated by whites made Arthur Ashe a legend in his own time.
Professional women's sports haven't been around too long, although it does have an extensive history and root system. In 1865, Vasser became one of the first women colleges in the United States. Within the safe boundaries of campus and away from the curious eyes of men, w...
I first joined my high school’s tennis team when I was a freshman. Although I had little knowledge of the sport due to the district’s lack of a tennis program at the junior high I attended, I still wanted to experience something new. However once tryouts came around, I was one of the unfortunate ones to be cut for no logical reason. The news devastated me and made me feel that I wasn’t good enough to do anything. On the other hand, my friends made the team and encouraged me to try again the following year because they knew I could improve and be great. I took their advice and practiced from days on end the rest of my freshman year to improve and tryout for the team my sophomore year. Through the hard work and determination, I found myself on the team my sophomore year and joining varsity my junior and senior years, which made me feel a lot better about myself.
larger culture. Members of a coculture may adhere to values specific to their group, such as
Once people start to learn how to play the game, they can become much more aware of their surroundings. Tennis not only requires one to watch the ball constantly, but also watch for other balls that may come onto the court. Playing tennis also requires the individual to practice. Similar with starting any new sport or club, many people are given the chance to meet new people who share something that they are both passionate about and can relate to. People are also given a chance to become more physically fit. Tennis requires many short sprints from one end of the court to the other, as well as constant conditioning to build up one’s strength, physically and mentally. Tennis can give many people the chance to become more physically active and expand their social life once they decide to incorporate it into their daily
Culture can be summed up as the behaviors, attitudes, customs, and beliefs combined in a society at a given time and place. Culture joins people by establishing a common ground. There are many common elements that result in the formation of cultural subgroups such as religion, family traditions, and the arts. The two most important cultural elements that have influenced my own social group (for better or for worse) would be communication styles and roles within the family.
Culture is shared. Culture is shared by a firmly large group of human beings living in organized societies and works as a linking force. Generally, common religion and language are the critical elements that largely help people share values, customs, norms and experiences.
Culture is a concept that classifies shared values, beliefs, traditions, and principles among members of a specific group. It is important to understand one’s own culture as well as other cultures in order to become culturally aware. A way to become more culturally aware is to research one’s own cultural background. Through researching my origins, identifying my past encounters with other’s beliefs, biases, and behaviors, and placing myself into the shoes of another culture, I am more aware of the influence my culture and other cultures have had on me.
Culture consists of the beliefs, behaviors, objects, and other characteristics common to the members of a particular group or society. Through culture, people and groups define themselves, conform to society's shared values, and contribute to society. Thus, culture includes many societal aspects: language, customs, values, norms, mores, rules, tools, technologies, products, organizations, and institutions. Sociologists define society as the people who interact in such a way as to share a common culture. The term society can also have a geographic meaning and refer to people who share a common culture in a particular location. For example, people living in arctic climates developed different cultures from those living in desert cultures.Culture and society are intricately related. A culture consists of the “objects” of a society, whereas a society consists of the people who share a common culture.
During our tennis season in the fall, our team participates in many competitions. I try to encourage my teammates to keep this same attitude to always give their absolute hardest on the court during competitions, as well as during practice. I learned this year as captain, that a group of individuals, united by a common goal and drive, can accomplish great achievements. We fought hard and made it to the Regional Semifinals, and completed our season ranked as the number six team in the state of Texas.