WomenTalkSports.com is an online network that connects the very best blogs relating to women's sports. http://womentalksports.com/events/view/1307 Wed, 02 Feb 2011 22:00:07 -0500Women’s sports activists are gathering around the country to recognize National Girls and Women in Sports Day and encourage advocates to keep pushing for the benefits mandated by Title IX.Such efforts for equality are needed to keep issues like Title IX on the front burner; as advocacy groups often point out, the majority of institutions that fall within the purview of the law are out of compliance.Although such efforts are needed, solely advocating for equality may not translate into the change women’s advocates are hoping for. Although sports fans may support the idea of Title IX – after all, notions of fairness and equity are cornerstones of American value systems, there is still not widespread acceptance for its application. This may be because of the consistent way in which sports are framed; as long as sports are situated in popular discourse as a space for the celebration of masculinity, cultural acceptance of women’s inclusion may falter.It is thus critical, then, that ...http://www.womentalksports.com/items/read/39/842524Wed, 02 Feb 2011 16:50:00 -0500It's the 25th annual National Girls and Women in Sports Day, a time when athletes, coaches, recreation directors, parents, students, sponsors, and educators across the country (maybe globe) will celebrate under the theme "Play, Believe, Achieve." Well most besides the Chicago Sky, which had to cancel and event due to the snowstorm blanketing the Midwest. It's sunny but chilly in Seattle, so the Storm is going ahead with a private event this evening to announce a partnership with the Women's Sports Foundation's local GoGirlGo! program. Under independent ownership, the team is re-establishing its Seattle Storm Foundation and received a grant from GoGirlGo! to host a curriculum where owners, CEO/President Karen Bryant and possibly players will participate. The initiative targets sedentary girls not already involved in athletics. GoGirlGo! has already given away $100,000 in grants since being established locally in January 2010 and aims to reach 2,300 young girls in King, Pierce,...http://www.womentalksports.com/items/read/42/842521Wed, 02 Feb 2011 16:29:00 -0500 ...http://www.womentalksports.com/displayitem.php?item_id=842516Wed, 02 Feb 2011 16:46:52 -0500 ...http://www.womentalksports.com/displayitem.php?item_id=842515Wed, 02 Feb 2011 16:41:49 -0500As you go through your every day tasks today, try to think about the person you would have turned out to be if it were not for the sports that you played as a kid. I’m sure for every athlete who is reading this it is almost impossible to imagine without cringing. There were so many aspects of sport that have molded us into the people we have become. We have learned about living a healthy, active lifestyle, we have met great friends and not so great enemies, and mentors and coaches who have help build our character. Today is National Girls and Women’s in Sports Day. As I always mention, I love days that are dedicated to something positive such as this because I feel like it is taking a highlighter and going crazy over a part of our lives that we sometimes forget and take for granted. These days, like today, are put in place so we can remember and be thankful. I get overwhelmed with happiness when I think about all the things that sport does for young girls and women. I have learne...http://www.womentalksports.com/items/read/311/842489Wed, 02 Feb 2011 10:47:00 -0500Today, I’m celebrating National Girls and Women in Sports Day by actually playing. I’ve got a rec game scheduled for tonight at 7pm, and play with a community of women who live in NYC and have played competitive basketball at some point in their lives (most in college). It’s a lot of fun, and typically involves quite a bit of drinking afterward. Can’t think of a better way to celebrate! Also, here are some great ways to celebrate… also make sure you check back to WomenTalkSports.com for a flurry of blog posts from our network today. ...http://www.womentalksports.com/items/read/4/842446Wed, 02 Feb 2011 10:51:00 -0500GQ ran a spread on the 25 coolest athletes in recent memory.  Needless to say they seem oblivious to the fact that women can be athletes (I know GQ worships the male form, but come on).  Although it would have been uncool to give criteria, general suavity appeared to lead the list, combined with dominance in a given sport, cultural influence and counter-cultural chic.  Womanizing also was a tacit theme, unfortunately.  Evil Kneivel made the list in part because he enjoyed beating people up.  It seems that despite its homoerotic tinges hegemonic masculinity is alive and well at GQ.  There were also some choices that made perfect sense: Arthur Ashe, Muhammad Ali, Bjorn Borg, Jim Brown.  These are men who were cool because they followed their own path and took us with them. This got me thinking about how we might create a parallel list for women.  My own personal proclivities run toward endearingly geeky, so my mind goes somewhat blank when asked to dub duchesses of cool....http://www.womentalksports.com/items/read/991/842493Wed, 02 Feb 2011 11:35:00 -0500 ...http://www.womentalksports.com/displayitem.php?item_id=842495Wed, 02 Feb 2011 12:34:18 -0500 The 10th anniversary of the McDonald’s All American Girls Basketball Game is set to take place March 30, 2011. Since the first McDonald’s All American Girls Game took place in 2002 at Madison Square Garden, 216 of the country’s most promising female athletes have played in prep basketball’s most prestigious event. Current and future greats include Seimone Augustus (2002), Ann Strother (2002 Game Co-MVP), Sylvia Fowles (2004), Candace Parker (2004), Courtney Paris (2005 Game MVP), Tina Charles (2006 Game MVP) and Maya Moore (2007). More importantly, the girls’ participation in the Game has helped children and families in need all across the country, since every year, proceeds from the McDonald’s All American Games benefit Ronald McDonald House Charities. On February 10, McDonald’s will announce the 2011 final roster of 24 Girls (12 East and 12 West players) during the annual Selection Show on ESPNU, airing...http://www.womentalksports.com/items/read/9/841523Tue, 01 Feb 2011 21:15:00 -0500 ...http://www.womentalksports.com/displayitem.php?item_id=841528Wed, 02 Feb 2011 00:12:51 -0500 This article is part of our National Girls & Women in Sports Day (NGWSD) celebration. For NGWSD, Girls First will be taking the girls in the program to a Tulane women's basketball game, pairing the event with a meal and a mini-clinic, as is customary for the organization, in order to give the kids some healthy food and activity as well.  Photo Credit: Tulane University Athletic Media Relations Liz Kritza is no stranger to the notion that sports can make a difference in young people's lives. While playing volleyball for Tulane (her last season was in 1998), she got involved with Girls First, a non-profit organization that was founded in 1997 to provide sport and movement opportunities to underserved girls between the ages of 6 and 16 in the metropolitan New Orleans area. "For every one opportunity for girls, there are four opportunities for boys in sports," noted Kritza, who was hired in 2008 as the head volleyball coach for the Colorado Buffs, "Girls are at a much ...http://www.womentalksports.com/items/read/3/831612Sun, 23 Jan 2011 18:37:38 -0500This article is part of our National Girls & Women in Sports Day (NGWSD) celebration.  Today, high school cross-country and track & field star Aisling Cuffe got the surprise of her lifetime. Olympic and World Championships gold medalist Allyson Felix surprised Cuffe at her home in New York, along with 20 to 30 of Cuffe's friends and family members after she returned from her run. The occasion? Cuffe has been named the 2010-2011 Gatorade National Girls Cross-Country Runner of the Year. I talked with Felix about pulling off the surprise as well as how participating in sports impacted her as a young girl, who her role models were, and how she makes an effort to connect with youth now that she is the role model. Check out the podcast below or click here to listen. More, via release: In its 26th year of honoring the nation’s best high school athletes, The Gatorade Company, in collaboration with ESPN RISE, today announced Aisling Cuffe of Cornwall Central High Sc...http://www.womentalksports.com/items/read/3/841497Tue, 01 Feb 2011 16:32:17 -0500 ...http://www.womentalksports.com/displayitem.php?item_id=841490Tue, 01 Feb 2011 15:54:34 -0500