WomenTalkSports.com is an online network that connects the very best blogs relating to women's sports. http://womentalksports.com/items/category/97 Wed, 16 May 2012 18:03:06 -0400Last night I met up with my friend Evan for a run around DC. I'm fairly certain we looked absolutely ridiculous on this run for a two reasons. First, I was wearing my totally awesome Under Armour Terps running shirt that I am completely obsessed with. And Evan was wearing a pair of blue Duke shorts. Ew. Terps and Blue Devils don't get along, and we definitely got a few strange looks as we were running down the street. The second reason we looked absolutely ridiculous is because we were running from zombies. (Source) Yes, you read that right...zombies. Evan downloaded the Zombies, Run app on to his phone, and we listened to it while we were running. The premise of the app is that there was a crash of some sorts, and now zombies are roaming free. As a runner, you are tasked with accomplishing missions to help keep the few remaining people alive. I was cracking up listening to the narrator talk in a thick accent about what we needed to do to protect ourselves from the...http://www.womentalksports.com/items/read/425/1346686Wed, 16 May 2012 07:00:00 -0400source Writing a post about how kids shouldn’t specialize in a particular sport when they’re too young may seem a bit disingenuous for me.  After all, as a college coach, I directly benefit from our culture’s obsession with organized youth sports.  In my opinion, most kids in youth sports aren’t playing because they have a deep and lasting love of their particular sport, but because their friends play and their parents make them go. Sport should be fun for even the most highly skilled young athletes. Beyond fun, parents and coaches should encourage youth athletes to play all sorts of sports so that their bodies can rest.  Young kids can play volleyball in the fall, soccer in the winter, and run track in the spring.  They’re still working out and being healthy, but not overtaxing the same muscle groups by playing the same sport year-round.  You can read more about this by reading Dr. Geier’s blog post, How Young Is Too Young...http://www.womentalksports.com/items/read/883/1346684Wed, 16 May 2012 10:02:00 -0400Last week USA Today wrote about the growing popularity of flag football for girls in high schools, especially in Florida, where it is a state championship sport. Flag football also has been introduced at the varsity level in Washington, D.C., and is growing as a club sport in parts of Texas. More girls coming out to play sports — this is a good thing, no? No, if you’re an official mouthpiece for a leading women’s organization. Neena Chaudry, senior counsel, National Women’s Law Center: “You can add sports as recreational or intramural — it’s great to have activities to help girls be physically active. If you’re going to add a varsity sport, it is relevant if that sport is going to provide the same opportunities as the boys have. So, to then add flag football as opposed to a sport, like volleyball or soccer, that does allow girls to get college scholarships is not equitable.” Nancy Hogshead-Makar, director of advocacy for the ...http://www.womentalksports.com/items/read/964/1345252Mon, 14 May 2012 08:47:00 -0400Erin has been doing a great job noting all the 40th anniversary coverage that has been going on nationally. They haven't all been happy, happy, rah-rah events, however. Former USWNT player, Brandi Chastain, was participating in one such event last week. The California Assembly was marking the anniversary by honoring Chastain and others. The event was conducted in the form of a resolution (my guess was that it was simply a resolution to honor Title IX). An assemblyman, Chris Norby, used the opportunity to decry the ways Title IX has been interpreted. (One of my all-time favorite excuses: we like the law, we just don't like the way it has been put into effect.) It was his right, of course, as a member of a legislative body passing a resolution. Takes a fair amount of...something...to speak out in front of one of the most celebrated female athletes of the modern era, who is also a noted advocate for girls and women in sports. Chastain wanted to offer a rebuttal of some s...http://www.womentalksports.com/items/read/35/1345981Tue, 15 May 2012 14:26:00 -0400The fans have spoken! Congratulations Gail Devers (track & field), Jean Driscoll (paralympic track & field), Gary Hall, Jr., Lisa Fernandez (softball), Kristine Lilly (soccer), Dan O’Brien, Jenny Thompson (swimming), the 2004 U.S. Olympic Women’s Softball Team, Ed Temple, James Connolly and Ted Stevens. All were recognized today as the USOC and Allstate Insurance unveiled the U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame’s Class of 2012. The Class of 2012 is the 15th class to be inducted into the U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame and will bring the total membership to 96 Olympians, five Paralympians, 10 teams, four coaches, 10 veterans, 16 contributors and two Olive Branch award inductees. “I am completely overwhelmed by this honor,”  said Lisa Fernandez, a three-time Olympic gold medalist. “I never thought that playing the game of softball that I love so much would allow me to reach this level of accomplishment. This is bi...http://www.womentalksports.com/items/read/5/1345279Mon, 14 May 2012 19:02:00 -0400Yesterday we posted about a girl playing on a boys team, so today we'll discuss a couple of stories about cross-over participation of the other variety.  Keeling Pilaro was recently excluded from the Southampton (NY) High School girls' field hockey team, on which he had played for two years, by the Suffolk County high school athletics governing body, Section XI.  Its policy allows boys to play on girls' teams unless doing so creates "significant adverse effect upon the opportunity of females to participate successfully."  It appears that Pilaro, who grew up playing field hockey in Ireland, was deemed too good to be allowed to continue to play with girls. According to ESPN, he posted a "team-high 10 goals -- not dominant by any means, but good enough to earn All-Conference recognition."  Many are objecting to the decision to exclude Pilaro, who is a small guy at 4'9" and 82 pounds -- and even opposing players and coaches have supported his right to play.El...http://www.womentalksports.com/items/read/35/1344534Sun, 13 May 2012 08:58:00 -0400The style stakes are high for the Olympic Games, as top designers like Giorgio Armani, Stella McCartney and Ralph Lauren are among those who have created signature gear for their countries. Competitors will showcase their pride through this attire, making fashion an integral part of the London Games. In anticipation of the festivities, Vogue magazine is marrying sports and style with an Olympic-themed issue. The publication’s June 2012 cover features Olympians Hope Solo, Ryan Lochte and Serena Williams. The ladies don gold, retro-style swimsuits in the shot, as they appear arm-in-arm with Lochte. He becomes only the fourth man ever to grace the cover of Vogue, second to LeBron James as far as athletes are concerned. Lochte is known as a fashion plate in his sport and he recently admitted to Sports Illustrated that he would be designing his own clothing line if he wasn’t a swimmer. As part of the Olympic-themed issue, the magazine also includes a piec...http://www.womentalksports.com/items/read/365/1345247Mon, 14 May 2012 11:23:00 -0400This week in Arizona, a fundamentalist Catholic high school called "Our Lady of Sorrows" (indeed!) forfeited the high school championship game rather than face Mesa Preparatory Academy and its female second-baseman, Paige Sultzbach.  According to its press release, this decision was an extension of their religious beliefs: Our school aims to instill in our boys a profound respect for women and girls. Teaching our boys to treat ladies with deference, we choose not to place them in an athletic competition where proper boundaries can only be respected with difficulty. Sadly, OLS's "respect" and "deference" for Sultzbach means denying her and her team exactly that -- the opportunity to play for the championship.  This instance of discrimination, however, may be outside the scope of the laws that usually govern high school sports.  OLS is a private school, not subject to the U.S. Constitution's Equal Protection Clause, und...http://www.womentalksports.com/items/read/35/1343826Sat, 12 May 2012 08:53:00 -0400 Philippus – Courtesy Jerry Shavez Philippus Saturday with Friends and Family It’s never easy to be a female and a fighter. Besides the social taboos that goes with the job, a lot of fighters have to balance family, training,  and work. This year in particular seemed to have spurred more fighters to take time off to become moms. It was more than fitting that Jessica Philippus, after only just giving birth to her daughter Kamilla in January, won Saturday night in what will be her last amateur bout before she turns pro at Invicta 2 in July. Philippus also has a son Robby, jr. Michelle Waterson was also successful when she returned to action this past January after giving birth to her daughter Aryana in March 2011. We are hoping Cindy Dandois will follow suit as she  gave birth to her daughter Nafi this past year. Harrison & her family Ould and her children One new fighter mom in particular was the subject of MTV’s 16 and Pregn...http://www.womentalksports.com/items/read/652/1344536Sun, 13 May 2012 07:18:00 -0400 Too frequently triathletes are told by their coaches to ignore what is going on around them. The coaches who tell you to just not do it are unaware of the power of habit. Following the crowd, going out too fast because of the other athletes around you, is a symptom of a habit. Under pressure, you are going to return to your old familiar habits. This is why competing successfully in triathlons is a mental game.  Jean’s goal was to approach this triathlon race season differently. She has a big heart, goes with the flow and is a joiner. Jean has been this way as long as she could remember. Caring for other people and volunteering time toward worthy causes is highly satisfying for her. Jean needed the psychological proficiency to withstand the pressures of the race. Just like Jean’s tendency to go out too fast then burn out early in the race, this occurs in other parts of her life as well. Jean’s solution, therefore, was to develop better boundaries on and off t...http://www.womentalksports.com/items/read/1179/1344530Sun, 13 May 2012 08:13:40 -0400