Covering the Radicals and following Robyn Wiseman this season was an exciting ride and a formative experience. By the end, I felt lucky to have stumbled upon this story. As a journalist, you often can’t help but be affected by the stories you cover, especially when that story takes months to research and write. Watching Wiseman break the gender barrier for the Radicals and become the first woman to win an AUDL championship is an experience I’ll remember for the rest a my life.
Even with her world championships and international accolades, Wiseman constantly preached the importance of community over winning. Even as fierce competitor, she always put ultimate Frisbee’s “spirit of the game” mantra first.
Hearing her discuss issues of gender equity in ultimate Frisbee and sports was new to me not only as a journalist, but as an athlete myself. Her story and the stories of so many female athletes interviewed for the piece pushed me to reevaluat my role and my behavior as a teammate and athlete over the years.
As a journalist, I get to learn new things everyday. As an ultimate Frisbee athlete, I’m always looking to improve at every level of the game. The journey to write this story fit the bill for both.
