Soccer and being a girl

So, Nori wants to take dance classes more than anything. And although I want to fulfill her dreams, part of me wants to avoid dance. It seems to hold false hopes of being all that I don't like about being a girl. Mainly, I want to guard her from focusing on her looks more than inner confidence. I don't want the applause to be her goal. Although, there is applause in sports, it seems that the true reward is the inner discipline and physical attainment. Do I feel this way purely because I was shaped positively thru sports? Probably, but I can't help but want her to have that feeling of accomplishment and self awareness. Of feeling that she is competent in her body and that she can succeed under pressure. To be a part of team. So, we decided to put her in soccer lessons this fall. Knowing that dance is coming in our (very soon) future, I had hoped to show her how wonderful sports can be. And so far, it is isn't a total flop. She loves the idea and kicking. And she isn't half bad, if there is even a way to gauge the quality of 3 year old YMCA soccer?! But what surprised me is her experience as a girl. There are two girls including her on team. It seems they usualy do the drills last and are grouped together often. There is no muscle mass difference between males and females at this age, so this is bit off putting to me. But even more bothersome is how I am seeing sports in a different way thru her "girly girl" lens. The shirts are red and aren't pretty. The running doesn't involve spinning or bowing. I can see clearly how sports are male dominated and how this has been so subtle most of my life I didn't even realize it. To be good at sports, I had to forsake my feminine parts and accentuate the masculine. I am aggressive and dominant enought to have no problem with this:) But what would it look like to have female led sports across the line? I am afraid this is just one small peek into seeing the world again as she grows up. And as I tell her almost daily: You are smart, strong AND pretty.