Wow this has been a fascinating thread. We must not forget that women have only been allowed to compete at the ITCC since 2001. That was on the 25th anniversary of the ITCC. Our history (herstory) with the ITCC is still evolving and is obviously still experiencing growing pains. Our experience as women this male dominated industry is constantly being challenged through exclusion and unfair criticism (which is evident even within this thread). It is hard enough to encourage women into the field of arboriculture let alone to promote their participation as competitors at a chapter TCC. I admire and respect any woman who has the courage be the only woman to enter a competition filled with men. To assume that a sole woman competitor has no stress since there is not another woman competitor is bollocks. I should know, I started competing at the chapter level in 1993 and was the only woman for many years until 2001. It took that many years for me to witness another woman climber and that experience has drastically changed my career in the most positive and profound way. I am all about empowering women to have the opportunity to improve on their skills, to meet with other female mentors, and to participate at international events. For many women, going to the ITCC is the only opportunity to meet with another female climber. What happened to those early years of the "Tree Climbing Jamboree", when the emphasis was on promoting education, sharing of knowledge, and establishing broad fellowship amongst arborists. Why can't women experience a bit of that which men take for granted on a daily basis. On that note, it would be a shame for any woman's experience at a TCC to be reduced to a bunch of mathematical scoring formulas extrapolated from men's times and scores as a determinate to meet with other women climbers.
