Proposal

The figure skating community represents an arena where vast sociological aspects come into play. This semester I will attempt to study these sociological aspects at the Oakland Ice Center and expand my analysis on the figure skating community and the institution of sport at large. As a figure skater I have grown up in the ice rink and witnessed and participated in these sociological aspects, such as the sexual division of labor between female and male figure skaters. In the history of figure skating, the sport has emphasized and rewarded athletic qualities for men and artistic qualities for females. For example, in the 1992 Olympics, men figure skaters were required to perform three triple jumps while women figure skaters were forbidden to perform more than one. While male figure skaters wear pants and black skate boots, female figure skaters wear dresses, tights, and white skate boots. This difference in apparel emphasizes their gender roles of athlete (male) vs. artist (female). This gender role is also highlighted in pair and ice dancing where the male acts as the “leader” and the female as the “follower.”
Within the figure skating community, Marx may describe the division of labor between the ice rink owners/managers and the skaters. The ice rink owners/managers exemplify the Relations of Production (who gets what?), who have private property (the rink) so thus receive profit from admission, skate rental, parties, skating classes, etc. Whereas, the skaters represent the Forces of Production (who does what?), who skate and bring business to the rink. He would also see class divisions between coach versus skater, competitive versus non-competitive skaters, and between the various levels of skating ability. In a freestyle session of only figure skaters, which is not open to the public, the advanced skaters tend to dominate the ice while the intermediate and beginner skaters politely skate in the corners. Thus although all skaters pay an equal amount, the advanced skaters still “exploit” the lower level skaters on the ice.