WomenTalkSports.com is an online network that connects the very best blogs relating to women's sports. http://womentalksports.com Wed, 16 May 2012 18:03:01 -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 zombie apocalypse. It was our job to pick up things like batteries, food, ammo and other stuff necessary for survival and bring them back to the bunker. The app, though ridiculously overpriced ($8 for an app...really?!?!), made our run a lot of fun. There were times when we had to sprint because the zombies were chasing us and trying to steal our supplies. Evan is freakin' fast and would take off at some ridiculous pace. When he realized I wasn't keeping up with him, he'd look over his shoulder and yell, "Ruuuunnnnn!" I'm pretty sure that's exactly what happens in all the zombie movies right before the slow person gets her brains eaten. (Source) To Evan's credit, he didn't totally leave me to fend off the zombies myself, but my slow pace wasn't helping us. Apparently in a zombie apocalypse, you don't want me on your team. Or maybe you do because I'll be the slow one who gets picked off so you survive. Either way, I was zombie dinner a lot last night and caused us to lose a lot of the supplies we'd picked up. The other part of the app that was pretty cool is that when the narrator wasn't telling you a story or explaining a mission, he'd play you some music from your iTunes library to pump you up. So while on our supply-finding missions, we got to listen a solid mix of country tunes and a Katy Perry song. The app also tracked our pace and distance. Each of the zombie sprints was about a minute long, and thanks to the fabulous humidity, I was gassed after each of them. It definitely made for a killer workout and a fun way to sneak in some speed work. The app also has some more game-play features for when you're not running. You can use all those supplies you collected to help care for sick people in the small civilization trying to stay alive, you can provide soldiers with ammo to fend off the zombies or you can fortify your buildings. We had a blast playing with this app, and I'm actually kicking around the idea of downloading it myself, even though I don't have a single non-free app on my phone. Luckily Evan and I were able to knock out about 4.5 miles before the real zombie apocalypse started in DC. Or maybe it was just thunderstorms rolling through, but zombie apocalypse just sounds more fun. (Special thanks to @newmediajim for the awesome shot of clouds rolling in over the White House.) Zombies, Run gets a solid 4 out of 5 in my book. The docked point is because of the price. Have you ever tried this app or any others like it? http://www.womentalksports.com/items/read/425/1346686Wed, 16 May 2012 07:00:00 -0400Today at 1:26pmsource 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?. So what makes kids decide to quit playing? They’ve lost interest.  After a year of playing, maybe your eight-year-old realizes that soccer isn’t as great as she thought it would be…that’s probably okay. They’re not having fun.  Even for my college athletes, I think fun is important.  We play games, not works, sport should be fun. They’re tired of playing.  Think about the youth sport carousel: practice a couple of times a week after school, get up early on Saturdays and Sundays to play in tournaments…it can be a grind.  I always wonder how the parents balance it all, maybe it would be a similarly good question to wonder how the kids manage it. There’s too much emphasis on winning.  While I believe in the value of teaching winning and losing with grace, if the coach or parent is just focused on winning (at all costs), I’m sure it can be taxing on the kid.  I certainly don’t think everyone should get a trophy at the end of the day, but we’ve got to teach the children that there are winners beyond what the scoreboard shows. They want to participate in other activities.  Hopefully we want to create well-rounded children who play basketball and lacrosse…but who are also artists and singers and members of the orchestra.  Participation in sports shouldn’t exclude our children from loving other things. They feel too much pressure.  It’s probably the coach in me saying this, but pressure from the moment (needing to hit a free throw shot to win the game) is a great life lesson.  Pressure from their mom and dad in the car on the way home as they dissect every moment of the game is probably not the best. Of course, there may come a time for middle or high school aged kids to focus on a particular sport, but there’s no need to rush it.  Ultimately, we all want kids to love sports.  We believe that sports are great for many reasons, let’s make sure we don’t steal the love of the game away from our kids. If you liked this post, check out Y Is For Youth Sports: 5 Reasons Kids Should Play Sports, 4 Reasons Our Children Should Play Sports (Or My Love Letter To Athletics), and 3 Reasons Why Sports Are Awesome. http://www.womentalksports.com/items/read/883/1346684Wed, 16 May 2012 10:02:00 -0400Today at 1:23pm  The teams line up before the opening WPSL Elite contest. EAST LONGMEADOW, Mass. – Even for someone who was but a passive WPS observer for most of its history, I couldn’t help but be a bit nostalgic as I pulled into East Longmeadow High Saturday afternoon for the opener of the new WPSL Elite between the host New England Mutiny and the New York Fury. ELHS is a fine high school facility, and much easier for me to get to than Harvard Stadium – former home of the Boston Breakers and an hour or so to the northeast – but my mind flashed back to the buzz surrounding WPS last summer, when Alex Morgan sent kids scurrying for her autograph just by walking out to tape a Fox Soccer Channel promo. When 15,000 people showed up in Rochester and nearly 10,000 in Atlanta to watch professional women’s soccer. Of course, you know the rest. If you don’t, it’s all here on this site for you somewhere, complete with the sordid details. But as the hard-working Mutiny staff got things together for the opener, it was quite obvious that 10,000 people were not walking through that gate. And with only three portable toilets available, that was probably a good thing on that front. Surely as Paul Riley walked out onto the field and took a look around, somewhere in his mind, those thoughts must have been there. As two-time defending WPS Coach of the Year with Philadelphia, Riley has to be considered one of the top women’s coaches in the nation. The league was coming off a World Cup bump last summer, Riley’s star was rising, it looked for a fleeting moment like WPS would thrive, and surely Riley’s reputation would right along with it. Even when WPS collapsed, Riley still held out hope for some kind of return in 2013, which was surely part of the reason why when he returned to Long Island with the Fury he initially stayed out of WPSL Elite. But as it became (becomes?) increasingly obvious that WPS might be gone for good (and an opening left by Aztec MA made it convenient), Riley and the New York Fury were in the WPSL Elite for its inaugural run in 2012. It can be a dangerous hobby to focus on the past. What’s done is done, and a few (or a good deal more than a few) mistakes shouldn’t deter us from looking toward the present and the future. “I said to the players in the locker room, ‘After seven months of what has happened, you’ve got to want to play.’ To put the uniform with your name on the back means a lot,” Riley said. “I’ve been a social director and a psychological director the past several months trying to give them the best advice I could, whether it be abroad, whether it be here, for another team in their neck of the woods. That includes not just our players, layers from Sky Blue, players from Atlanta, just because we’ve got connections. I’ve been trying to help everyone as best we can. We’ve obviously got quite a few players from WPS. “It’s nice to be back on the field, it’s nice to be coaching again, to put a suit back on and feel like you’re back at church again on a Sunday night. I enjoy the games , that’s what we all live for is the games. Hopefully, this will be the start of getting back into a WPS-like league, making it full-time for the players. We’re doing our best to make it full-time.” (You can see my complete postgame interview with Riley here.) Full-time or not, Riley has put together a squad (not even including his Supergroup that will play in some exhibition games this summer) that looks like a favorite in WPSL Elite. After a brief bright start from the host Mutiny, the Fury had four goals by halftime, three by Merritt Mathias. But a look around the Fury lineup saw basically what would be a WPS team, perhaps minus the stars. Yes, there were no national team players and Vero Boquette is in Sweden, but Brittany Taylor at right back was too strong for anyone the Mutiny had to offer. Riley gave full credit to veteran Kim Yokers for dominating as a holding midfielder in a 4-4-2, and rightfully so. Tina and Gina DiMartino ran the wings, while Meghan Lenczyk played an attacking role in support of what would be two WPS rookies in Jasmyne Spencer out of Maryland and Mathias. (Tobin Heath is on on the New York roster, but it’s not clear if she’ll be able to play at all with the national team schedule. Heath was on the roster as No. 19, and late in the game, Riley put a No. 19 in the game, who was announced by the PA announcer as “Tobin Hearth”. But it obviously wasn’t her.) The Mutiny, while pretty clearly outclassed in this game, did show signs that they could be competitive in the new-look WPSL Elite, mostly because of who they didn’t have. Kristen Mewis, Toni Pressley, Vicki DiMartino (who missed the chance to play against her sisters), and Morgan Andrews are all with various age level national teams. The team also looked much more comfortable when defender Kate McCarthy was inserted late in the first half. Coach Tony Horta decided not to start McCarthy because she had arrived to the team after finishing finals at Boston College just a couple of days before kickoff. A game against Chesapeake this Saturday (with Andrews) should give us a better gauge of where they’re headed. Mathias is an interesting story in her own right. She was as highly touted as they come as a youngster out of Alabama, playing in the youth national teams, and committing to North Carolina very early (sophomore year). But after two inconsistent years under the microscope in Chapel Hill, Mathias decided she would rather be at Texas A&M, where she was a two-time All-Big 12 selection and was one of the best college strikers in the nation. However, since U-17, she hasn’t made an appearance in the national team, and went undrafted in WPS. Riley, though, saw potential, and when WPS collapsed, and with the national team players (as well as stars like Boquette and Marta) basically out of commission in the States for 2012, it was an opening for players like Mathias. And Saturday was certainly a good start to making a big impact. “With the league (WPS) folding, the dreams and ambitions of all these players were kind of crushed,” Mathias said. “It was hard to rebound from that, but everyone has come full circle. It’s heartbreaking that the league’s not around, but we’re doing the best we can. It’s still awesome to be able to play at good facilities and against these kind of players. “Right now, it’s about playing and enjoying it.  I think it’s sad that the girls from college don’t have what they had two years ago. It’s a huge bummer, but this is a great opportunity. So long goal ahead, get to the World Cup and Olympics, that would be awesome. But for right now, enjoying playing and playing as long as I can. It’s what I love to do.” There was a delay, a pregnant pause even, before that last sentence, almost like she had to apologize for it. I thought of the curious – or really not so curious – case of Boston College goalkeeper Jillian Mastroianni, who grew up near me and rose to be one of the best in the nation at her position. She was drafted by Sky Blue in January, and with a couple of WPSL Elite teams in Massachusetts needing help in goal, it was assumed she would play for the team of her choosing. Instead, with a degree from Boston College in her pocket, Mastroianni chose to “retire” and go out into the real world. For 99 percent of America, they nodded their heads at Mastroianni’s choice and said to themselves, “Good for her.” But those invested in women’s soccer probably just sighed and shook their heads, not in a judging manner, but in a sad one. Surely, Ciara McCormack is one of those headshakers. ­Since graduating from college in 2001, McCormack has gone from Boston to Vancouver to Denmark back to Vancouver to Ottawa to Norway back to Vancouver again all while representing Ireland (qualifying through her father) internationally in the last decade. She started at center back for the Mutiny in the opener last Saturday. Along with Tiffany Weimer and Manya Makoski (two former WPS players who are playing in Denmark and Finland, respectively), she runs GirlsCANFootball, also just a few miles from my abode in Connecticut (Weimer and Makoski are both local products from our sometimes great state), which has helped her keep playing. “It’s been a cool way of marriaging the opportunity to continue playing and then also mentoring younger players through coaching them, that’s sort of allows us to continue our dream and ability to play at this level,” McCormack said. McCormack has also written for various publications and on her blog (check out this moving tribute to her “Mum” on her 60th birthday recently), sometimes controversially, as she has called out the Canadian soccer federation, WPS stars, and anyone else that draws her ire. If I have sympathy for people like McCormack, it’s because there is a kind of kinship there. God knows how many times along my life’s journey, people (including family) have wondered why I do what I do, why I spend so much time coaching and writing about soccer (and other sports) when I almost certainly could have a more lucrative profession. But when I asked Ciara – who went to Yale (with one graduate season at UConn) – about it, she summed it up much me eloquently than I ever could. “I’ve had border guards at the airport ask me what’s my connection with the U.S., and I say, ‘coach and play soccer’, and then they start laughing when I tell them where I went to school,” she said. “I get it from my parents. I mean, again for me, I think the most important thing is knowing what your passion is, and obviously going to a school like Yale was a great opportunity educationally, and exposed me to a lot of fantastic things, but soccer has always been where my passion is. Whether or not that fits the mold of what an Ivy League graduate is supposed to be doing at 32, I’m not sure, but I have no regrets. I obviously still love the game enough to be out here, so here I am.” And here we are. The WPSL Elite will not be the caliber of WPS this season, there likely won’t be any games that 10,000 paid customers show up for. But in the next couple of months, we’ll try to bring you as many stories as we can from the league as best we can while holding down real jobs and other commitments just as many of the players and coaches we’ll be reporting on do. It’s what we love to do. The uniforms of Kate McCarthy (#21) and Rebecca Mays (#10) await their owners prior to the New England Mutiny's opening game. Send to Facebook Tweet This Post http://www.womentalksports.com/items/read/651/1346681Wed, 16 May 2012 11:30:00 -0400Today at 1:14pmLast 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 Women’s Sports Foundation, echoes Chaudry: “The thing that makes sports valuable is having a goal and postponing the short-term. If you want to have fun, you don’t train for the Olympics. What purpose would anybody have to swim four hours a day if they didn’t have a long-term goal?” Hold on now. I’ve never seen anywhere in my reading of Title IX a stipulation about high school sports being added to accommodate athletic scholarships at the college level. Just because flag football doesn’t translate doesn’t mean it should be nixed from consideration in high schools for Title IX purposes. On the other hand, women’s sports activists have endorsed the addition of college sports for women — such as rugby and bowling — that have little to no interest or organization at the high school level, just to meet Title IX demands. Both of these women are lawyers, and I’ve heard them and others like them say often that the law is meant simply to give females an opportunity to play. It says nothing at all about whether such activity is required to be a gateway to a college scholarship. The reaction of these activists smacks of the fight over varsity cheerleading at Quinnipiac University. A federal judge ruled in 2010 that it wasn’t a sport for Title IX purposes, satisfying the urgings of women’s sports activists when the Connecticut school dropped its women’s volleyball program. The latest crusade from the NWLC is to go after school districts that aren’t doing right by Title IX, and here are some school districts that are trying to address those disparities. We have two activities here, in cheerleading and flag football, that are generating some considerable interest from young females, and the activists are resisting this. Is it because these sports are considered just a bit too traditionally feminine? http://www.womentalksports.com/items/read/964/1345252Mon, 14 May 2012 08:47:00 -0400Today at 2:50am  Gotta love the giant killers: Sarah Hagen inspired Bayern Munich past Frankfurt en route to a historic DFB-Pokal Cup win Bayern Munich managed to revel in DFB-Pokal glory this weekend, but the victors weren’t the usual suspects. While the club’s men’s side got humbled by Borussia Dortmund in the German Cup final, its women’s team pulled off a mighty upset against FFC Frankfurt (highlights). The Bavarians remained resolute and compact against the holders. Frankfurt’s form has been infamously bipolar this season, and the club’s Mr. Hyde persona made an appearance on Saturday. The team seemed to revert to its former self and lacked much bite. Frankfurt’s lifeless performance is particularly worrying for its prospects in the Champions League final. In contrast, Bayern Munich’s attack closed out the match with vim and vigor. Sarah Hagen’s free header gave the underdogs the surprise lead. Ivana Rudelic’s follow-up goal cemented Bayern’s shocking, and indeed historic, win. This marks the first time a team other than Frankfurt, Turbine Potsdam, or Duisburg has won the DFB-Pokal since 1997 – before the Frauen-Bundesliga era. Referring to Bayern Munich as ‘giant killers’ sounds ridiculous, but it holds true for the women’s side. This is Bayern Munich’s first major trophy; a fact not lost on the team, as evidenced in its post-match celebration. With the men’s team’s Champions League date with Chelsea to come, the 2011-2012 season could serve up a storybook ending for FC Hollywood.   It was mission accomplished for Albertin Montoya and his U.S. U-17′s. The team eked out a 1-0 win over Canada to win the 2012 CONCACAF U-17 Championship in Guatemala. The U.S. also exacted some revenge on its regional rivals, avenging the loss that eliminated them from World Cup qualification two years ago. Amber Munerlyn’s 21st minute goal made the difference. She became the tenth different U.S. player to find the back of the net in the tournament. Summer Green lit up the competition with an unstoppable goal-scoring streak. Her record-breaking 12 goals managed to get some pub in her local paper. Meanwhile, Mexico hammered Panama 6-0 to clinch the final World Cup berth.   Kyah Simon produced a memorable performance on Mother’s Day as she led the Boston Breakers past DC United in cross-league play. Boston ran out 1-0 winners on the day. Simon spearheaded Boston’s attack with seven shots, five of which were on goal. The Breakers combined for 15 shots in all but DC United goalkeeper Didi Haracic weathered the storm. Haracic was subbed late and came off to a standing ovation. The Breakers have collected two wins from two games and will meet FC Indiana at home on Friday, May 18. For more on this match, check out Kevin’s firsthand report below.   A first half rampage propelled the New York Fury to a comprehensive 5-1 victory over the New England Mutiny. The stage was set for a memorable home opener, but the visitors stole the show. Former Texas A&M Aggie Merrit Mattias helped herself to a hat-trick that put the Fury up 4-0 before the halftime whistle. Jasmyne Spencer netted the second goal of the night. Mutiny coach Tony Horta tried to turn the tide in the second half. “I thought we got a little flat after the first goal, we got a little confused,” he said. “But I thought the second half with the information we gave them, they took it well. We made some adjustments and the game was even.” The Mutiny has a chance to right the ship next Saturday when they host the ASA Chesapeake Charge. Next weekend will see a reunion of sorts for the Fury as they meet the WNY Flash; foes in a different form.     The WPSL version of the WNY Flash will hope to live up to the franchise’s winning ways. The team got off to a sizzling start this weekend, brushing aside FC Indiana 4-1. Spanish international Adriana marked the proceedings with a hat-trick. The Flash snatched two goals before the 10th minute, and never looked back. The team outshot FC Indiana 15 to 1 and forced 11 saves. A modest-sized crowd of 1,304 turned out to watch the Flash’s home opener, which looks to be on par with other WPSL Elite Division teams.   The Pali Blues kicked off its W-League season in victorious fashion. Sarah Huffman’s second half brace powered the Pali Blues to a 2-0 win over the L.A. Strikers. The team will travel to Santa Clarita next Sunday with hopes of maintaining its 100 percent record.   Olympique Lyonnais are one step closer to capturing the treble. Lyon won its fourth French Cup Sunday with a 2-1 victory against Montpellier. Montpellier are perennial Coupe de France finalists, but couldn’t prevent Lyon from winning the trophy for the first time since 2008. Lotta Schelin’s first-half brace secured the win. Lyon will now cast their eyes on league play. They currently sit three points back from Juvisy with a game in hand and an astonishing +100 goal difference. Send to Facebook Tweet This Post http://www.womentalksports.com/items/read/651/1345331Mon, 14 May 2012 13:50:00 -0400Today at 2:48amMother’s Day never passes without the gathering of Moms, Aunties and all ages of girls gathering for the annual Mighty Mama Skate-O-Rama. Year after year Skateboard Moms have put on this event around California and this year it all went down at Lake Cunningham Skate Park in San Jose. Here’s a bit of the story from Mercury News ” A bit older at age 56, Sacramento artist Gale Hart took up skateboarding briefly as a teenager but didn’t really get into it until she turned 50. “Midlife crisis!” Hart explained. “Isn’t that what we do? When we start losing our youth, we try to grab on to it and hold it.” Fran Bartholomew, 49, also embraced the sport later in life. The Sunnyvale resident had a skateboard early but was too afraid to ride down the steep hill from the family’s house. She putted around the driveway and lost interest, only to regain it unexpectedly five years ago. “I started noticing women and young girls skateboarding all around my neighborhood,” Bartholomew said. “I couldn’t believe it. That was my inspiration.” She now rides an extra-long board, which is not recommended for doing tricks in the park’s deep bowls but perfect for riding to church, which has surprised many in the congregation. Bartholomew, who is Chinese-American, has not told some relatives that she’s a “skateboard auntie” because they just wouldn’t understand — at least not yet. “I’m still in the closet on this thing,” she said. But not for long. She picked up her long board and joined the group for a rousing, sassy, skateboard mama photo. ” Read Mercury News full story here. http://www.womentalksports.com/items/read/431/1345988Tue, 15 May 2012 18:10:00 -0400Today at 2:46amWNBA:In the last exhibition today, the Lynx bench lead the way in beating Chicago, 82-61.Sparks media day photos.Today's transactions.......May 15The Washington Mystics signed Jessica BrelandThe San Antonio Silver Stars waived Kalisha KeaneThe Connecticut Sun waived Dawn EvansThe Tulsa Shock waived Amber Hold and Shanna ZolmanThe league really needs to form a couple of expansion teams. This is ridiculous, and will only get worse by Thursday, when final cuts are due.NCAA:The Black Coaches and Administrators have named South Carolina Coach Dawn Staley their female coach of the year.Louisville's Tia Gibbs and Monique Reid have been granted medical hardship waivers, and will return next season.Baylor center Brittney Griner is still on cloud nine.Tennessee Tech Coach Sytia Messer has resigned to be associate head coach at Georgia Tech.Coach Suzie McConnell-Serio has been given a four-year extension at Duquesne.Former Saint Louis University coach Shimmy Gray-Miller will be an assistant coach at Nebraska, where she will coordinate recruiting.Legends:How Ann Meyers Drysdale played like a girl and won.Rutgers Coach C. Vivian Stringer always makes time for community service.Seimone Augustus:Lynx forward Seimone Augustus is marrying her longtime girlfriend next summer. I can't think of another out WNBA player since Michelle Van Gorp, and Sue Wicks before her. Very courageous.Edit to add: Someone just told me Ann Wauters of the Storm is out, but I hadn't heard that. http://www.womentalksports.com/items/read/667/1345991Tue, 15 May 2012 21:36:00 -0400Today at 2:45amErin 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 sort. Alas it was not her right to do so because the event was not a public hearing. Fortunately other legislators defended the legislation and offered examples of the why they provide their support and of continuing inequities. http://www.womentalksports.com/items/read/35/1345981Tue, 15 May 2012 14:26:00 -0400Today at 2:42amThe Tulsa Shock have released a pair of five-year league veterans in Amber Holt and Shanna Zolman, announced today. Last season Holt was a staple in the starting lineup, starting in 24 of the 26 games in which she played. She averaged 6.7 points, 3.1 rebounds and 2.4 assists in Tulsa's trying season. Holt's came to Tulsa in a 2010 Draft Day trade with the Connecticut Sun. Shanna Zolman (formerly Crossley) was a face on many a Shock broadcast last year as she took her position behind the mic after sustaining a season-ending knee injury. Zolman's contribution to the offense ranked her third on the team in points per game (9.7) in 2010. She sunk an easy 42.2 percent of her 3-point attempts as she put her nickname "Layup" on display. With the cuts, the Tulsa Shock roster is down to 11. Three rookies - Glory Johnson, Riquna Williams and Lynetta Kizer - join the fold in the youthful organization. Tulsa will have to drop someone off the roster after the 2012 Olympic break to make way for Liz Cambage, should she be ready to return to the states after the Australian Olympic campaign. TULSA SHOCK 2012 OPENING NIGHT ROSTER PLAYER                  POS      FROM        YRS Chante Black             C         Duke            2 Karima Christmas    G-F        Duke            1 Glory Johnson            F     Tennessee       R Temeka Johnson       G         LSU               7 Lynetta Kizer            C      Maryland          R Jennifer Lacy             F     Pepperdine       6 Ivory Latta               G    North Carolina    5 Jene Morris               G         SDSU            1 Kayla Pedersen        F        Stanford         1 Scholanda Dorrell     G          LSU              6 Riquna Williams        G         Miami            R http://www.womentalksports.com/items/read/267/1345986Tue, 15 May 2012 15:47:00 -0400Tue at 6:05pm