UBC Thunderbirds make mockumentary on stupid questions female hockey players get asked
Hockey player Kirsten Toth made the unscripted video as part of a class project
Tired of being asked stupid questions as a female hockey player, UBC Thunderbirds defenceman Kirsten Toth decided to do something about it.
She was tasked with making a viral video for her creative writing class at UBC in Vancouver, so her group decided to tackle that very subject.
"I wanted to do something fun but also meaningful," she told CBC.
And so the hilarity began. She roped in some of her UBC Thunderbird teammates, and they spent a day shooting an unscripted video of the players.
"Stupidest question I've been asked: Do you wear pink gear?" says one of the players in the video.
And she retorts, "Only when I want to look pretty," as she puts on a pink helmet.
The creators and the women in the video say their goal is to get more enthusiasm around women's sports, which means everything from more people cheering in the stands to more athletes lacing up.
"If you look at the front page of The Province, you don't see a female hockey player, but you do see a male hockey player," said Kirsten Toth who plays defence for the UBC Thunderbirds. "So people are just really uneducated on female hockey."
Cailey Hay, who plays defence alongside Toth, said she thinks the lack of awareness stems from the culture around professional sporting events.
"There's not a lot of televised female athletic events," she said.
When asked if they really do get asked those questions, Thunderbirds forward Stephanie Schaupmeyer said they really do.
"We make light of it in this video, but gender stereotypes in sports and not just hockey is a huge thing, and it's serious."