WomenTalkSports.com is an online network that connects the very best blogs relating to women's sports. http://womentalksports.com Wed, 01 Sep 2010 17:45:01 -0700So, we’re off and rolling with a new contributor! Beth Penland of Stoneboro, Penn., will be sharing her takes on arenas for some additional Weekend Reviews. We’re thrilled to have both Beth and Dawn on our team, and we look forward to what more they’ve got to share! What show did you attend? (Who sanctioned, etc.) Buckhorn Arena located in West Sunbury, PA. Sanctioned by IBRA and Penn-Ohio Barrel Racing Association Aug. 28-29. What was the competition like? Big names there? There is always tough competition in this area. On any given day there are always 10 or more horses that can get the job done and done well in this area! Tausha Schneider had two phenomenal runs on Saturday. She ran the only sub-fifteen second runs of the day with both of her horses. She took first place in the Open Class with her horse Ted and 2nd with her other horse, Tuff.  After cleaning house, Tausha headed to a different show on Sunday. My hat goes off to Macy Davidson. This talented youth rider was SMOKING, all weekend long, on her POA pony and had the fastest time of the weekend winning the Open Class on Sunday with a 15.7! She also won the Youth Class both days and placed third in the Open on Saturday! How was the warm up pen? Big, outdoor arena with lots of room. No problem warming up this weekend. The weather was sunny and gorgeous. How was the alleyway? Long alleyway with the other competitors, waiting to make their run, hanging out on the left and right sides. How was the parking? They opened up one of the pastures for this show. Parking did not seem to be a problem. How was the ground? The ground we ran on was sticky for the Open 4D’s. Had some clumps but most horses handled it okay. Saturday’s ground was drier than Sunday’s ground. How did the show move along? The show moved along well on Saturday. Had a later start on Sunday. Your overall impression of the arena/conditions/vendors/food/etc. Friendly folks and good brownies! For the most part, we cook at our trailer so I don’t sample a lot of food at the different arenas. But I do enjoy their soups during their winter shows! How did you do? Well, thank goodness my son, Mason pulled through for Team Penland! He got 2nd in the Youth with his horse, Sara on Saturday, and placed 4th in the Open Class and 3rd in the Youth Class with his horse Jory on Sunday. I ran in the rodeo there outdoors on Friday night and placed 5th with an okay run. After that, it was all about me cheering on Mason because I certainly wasn’t getting the job done this weekend! http://www.womentalksports.com/items/read/284/658948Wed, 01 Sep 2010 08:42:00 -0700Today at 4:51pmWPS rang in Year Two with promise and optimism. Season ticket sales were reportedly up 15% from last year, commitment from local sponsors had increased, eight franchises were back in the fray – including two debutantes, each squad had been bolstered by a deep draft class and, perhaps best of all, the league was committed to a second year after surviving its maiden season. The league was tested quickly, as the Saint Louis Athletica folded in late May. Yet another franchise met its demise due to circumstances that were out of the league’s control. But much like the death of the Los Angeles Sol five months prior, the shuttering of the Athletica didn’t kill the league. Attendance figures continued to slide over the summer months, however, which perhaps posed an ever bigger threat to the sustainability of the league than the folding of two franchises. In 20 weeks of regular season play, WPS has averaged 3,611 attendees per match this season. That’s a 23% decrease from the overall regular season average last year. League attendance hit an all-time low in early July, as three weekend matches produced an average attendance of just 2,982. WPS recognized this and adapted to these new challenges. In late July, the league gutted its front office and cut its national marketing arm. The layoffs occurred as a result of the unforeseen paradigm the league was now operating in. WPS’ zealous embrace of social media perhaps worked to develop a national community but wasn’t necessarily making season ticket holders out of casual fans. Focus was averted away from marketing from the top-down to generating interest from the bottom-up. Promotion would take place at the team level, in an attempt to spur local interest. It was a concession of defeat perhaps, but it was also a critical step taken to assure the league’s survival. WPS has heeded change and adapted once more, as Chief Operating Officer Mary Harvey has been released from her position, effective last Friday. Harvey was a member of the United States’ Women’s National Team that were crowned world champions in 1991 and Olympic Gold Medalists in 1996. She also spent time in senior management with FIFA before overseeing day-to-day game operations and on-the-field matters as WPS’ COO. United Soccer Leagues’ W-League Sr. Director of Operations Melanie Fitzgerald has been appointed as WPS Manager of League Operations and will begin work next week, just as the WPS Regular Season reaches its conclusion. Fitzgerald was the Director of the United Soccer League’s Super Y-League and Super-20 League Operations for two years before assuming the position of Director of W-League Operations in April of 2008.  Fitzgerald tells All White Kit, “I view this as a great opportunity for me both personally and professionally speaking.  This is both an exciting and critical time in history for women’s soccer and I couldn’t be more thrilled that I was not only able to have an impact in the W-League but now WPS.” “My role with WPS will in fact be very similar to what I am doing now at the USL and I look forward to both implementing best practices from my past role but tackling the new challenges that WPS will bring to me,” Fitzgerald continues, “With that being said, I couldn’t be more appreciative and complimentary of those that were before me at WPS as they played a key role in the launch and success of WPS to-date.  This is a new chapter for me and I am excited for what the future holds in women’s soccer.”  Fitzgerald’s arrival should help bring renewed energy and direction to WPS. Granted, yet another stark shift in strategy so late in the game could be disconcerting. It’s difficult – if not impossible – to put a positive spin on failed franchises, widespread lay-offs and such dire attendance figures. Rational concerns over WPS’ overall viability are certainly warranted. Make no mistake: trying to get people to care about women playing soccer is hard. Trying to get people to care about a women’s pro soccer league in a country that remains generally apathetic to both soccer and women’s sports is even more daunting. Compound that with a terrible economy and what do you get? It depends on your perspective. Some might say the situation is unworkable while others would suggest it’s worth a shot. Commissioner Tonya Antonucci and others within the WPS brass have subscribed to the latter view, and have vowed to fight on despite such adversity. The prognosis of the league remains uncertain, but not untenable. WPS is still the best-attended women’s soccer league in the world (last weekend’s Frauenbundesliga match between heavyweights Turbine Potsdam and FFC Frankfurt was witnessed by just 1,707 people while merely 291 people saw USV Jena’s 0-0 draw with Essen Schönebeck). WPS also remains the only fully professional women’s league in operation, and has the international star power to prove it. Four of the six current top goal-scorers in WPS pledge their allegiances to countries other than the United States. It’s natural for such an ambitious project to be thwarted by setbacks. The league may not have the same vigor entering the postseason stretch as it did in preseason, but you wouldn’t know it from the action on-the-field. The 2010 season remains highly-competitive as it enters the final two weeks of the regular season. Five of the seven teams are still jockeying for playoff positions while FC Gold Pride dazzled their way to the regular season title. Year Two was never going to be easy, but WPS has nearly made it to the final whistle. And besides, the two’s are supposed to be terrible. http://www.womentalksports.com/items/read/651/658906Wed, 01 Sep 2010 08:17:00 -0700Today at 2:50pmEASTERN CONFERENCE New York Liberty (2) vs. Indiana Fever (3) – Series Tied 1-1 Game 3: Wednesday, September 1 Fever at Liberty, 7:30 p.m., NBATV and LiveAccess Madison Square Garden The Fever vs. Liberty series is the only conference semifinal series to go to a deciding third game. Indiana evened the best-of-three series Sunday night with a 75-67 in front of a crowd of 14,624 at Conseco Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. Tamika Catchings had 17 points and 13 rebounds to pace the Fever, which also got 14 points from Tammy Sutton-Brown, 11 from Katie Douglas and 10 from Jessica Davenport. Cappie Pondexter led the Liberty with 28 points. Essence Carson added 17 and veteran Taj McWilliams-Franklin had 15 points and 10 rebounds. The winner of tonight’s contest will advance to meet the fourth-seeded Atlanta Dream in the Eastern Conference Finals. Team Comparison Team Record Standings Road/Home vs. Conf. Streak L10 Indiana 21-13 3rd East Road 9-8 13-9 Lost 3 5-5 New York 22-12 2nd East Home 13-4 14-8 Won 1 9-1 WNBA Playoffs Eastern Conference (1) Washington vs. (4) Atlanta – Atlanta won, 2-0 (2) New York vs. (3) Indiana – Series tied, 1-1 Western Conference (1) Seattle vs. (4) Los Angeles – Seattle won, 2-0 (2) Phoenix vs. (3) San Antonio – Phoenix won, 2-0 WNBA.com preview Fever seek breakthrough victory (indystar.com) Liberty face do-or-die Game 3 vs. Fever (nypost.com) New York Liberty have to beat Indiana Fever down low if they want to advance (espn.com) http://www.womentalksports.com/items/read/66/658924Wed, 01 Sep 2010 08:08:00 -0700Today at 2:46pmI see so many teams out running lately and saw even more up training while I was in Big Bear last week. It all reminds me a lot of when I ran cross country in high school! I remember getting up and doing double days and not showering and camping while in Mammoth for training camp. Disgusting. I literally hated those weeks. Looking back, besides being filthy, it was some of the best running trails I’ve ever ran. I remember running every day after school, doing insane workouts that now I can’t even imagine running. I remember how fun it was being a part of a team and how I enjoyed everyone’s company. I still have the shoebox that holds all my medals tucked away in my closet. I remember how excited I’d be race day when the gun went off and how we all had matching bows in our hair. My senior year we even all got racing flats with our school colors. They were awesome. Then I am also reminded what a LOSER I WAS! HA! I had such bad acne and I ran all the time. Most people made fun of the cross country team and we tried to rationalize our running with sayings like, ‘Our sport is your sports punishment,’ which looking back, didn’t help anything. But man, it was a great time. I was a dork with asthma. But then again, I ran my fastest time in high school in the 5k at 19:57. Knowning now how in shape I was then, I wish I would have recognized it! Alas, I leave you with a picture from my cross country days. Can you find me? I’m 5 in from the right hand side. Gheesh! I wouldn’t ever want to go back to those days! xoxo http://www.womentalksports.com/items/read/111/658907Wed, 01 Sep 2010 09:06:00 -0700Today at 2:40pmDon’t drop Troy Polamalu’s hair. It is worth a million dollars. No, really. Head & Shoulders has insured Polamalu’s curly locks for a cool million. This is almost as stupid as J-Lo insuring her butt. How does one collect on this? If Troy gets a bad haircut can he collect? Is it only in case of fire? Is Delilah a pressing threat? I’m thinking that Head & Shoulders just bought itself  $1 million worth of advertising on AM radio talk shows, Sportscenter and blogs like Draft Day Suit. Very sneaky. * * * Holy crap! Troy and I are on the same wavelength. He also referenced Jennifer Lopez’s ass. * * * * * * Sarah was also asking with her eyes. [source] http://www.womentalksports.com/items/read/34/657952Tue, 31 Aug 2010 12:55:00 -0700Today at 12:02pmNo one dared vote against the Sun's Charles for the award. Her performance this season has been stunning.The All-Rookie Team features:Monica WrightEpiphany PrinceKelsey GriffinKalana GreeneIn the meantime, Mercury forward Diana Taurasi's contract extension is only for a year.Clay Kallam seems to be embodying the bitchiness of Perez Hilton with his new WNBA column.Unamed personal reasons are keeping Deseree' Byrd from returning to Louisville this season.Assault charges against former Lady Vol Dominique Redding have been dropped. http://www.womentalksports.com/items/read/667/657993Tue, 31 Aug 2010 20:28:00 -0700Today at 11:54amIn that sometimes coincidental way that things converge in one's life, yesterday morning on NPR there was a story on roller derby. Learned a little more history like that it was originally a sport created for men. And then during the depression the man credited with creating the sport thought it would draw more people if he used women and they were wearing sexy outfits. Ta-da!The sport died out a bit, had a resurgence in the 70s, waned again and now is back! Read/listen all about it at NPR. http://www.womentalksports.com/items/read/55/658352Wed, 01 Sep 2010 05:07:00 -0700Today at 11:46amTurning 24 over the weekend got me thinking. I'm officially in my mid-twenties now, which made me think about what kinds of things I wanted to do/accomplish/experience before I start to feel the pulls of real life and don't have as much free time for fun things. Right now, my biggest responsibility is my job. I don't have to worry about taking care of kids or a dog or paying a mortgage. I really just have to make sure I can pay my rent and put food in my mouth. So in light of my birthday, and after borrowing some inspiration from Jill and Jenn, I decided to put together a list of 24 things I want to do in my 24th year. I haven't made very much progress on my list on yet, so I'm hoping you can give me some ideas. I'm open to just about any kind of suggestion. And although, I don't promise to use everything you suggest, I do promise to post the list once it's finalized. So please help me out. Here's what I've got so far: 1. Run a marathon 2. Run each popular race distance (5k, 10k, half marathon, etc) one more time since it's my last year in the 20-24 age group. 3. Win an age group award. This requires finding a very small race. 4. Learn how to take better pictures. Maybe take a photography class. 5. Volunteer at a race. 6. Break 2 hours in a half marathon. 7. Read at least one book a month. (Ideally more) 8. Travel/take a vacation. (Open to suggestions on where to go) 9. Learn how to unplug from time to time. Right now my list heavily focuses on athletic/running accomplishments, which is awesome, but please feel free to suggest things totally non workout related. I want to expand my horizons and try all kinds of new things this year. Throw your ideas out there. What else should I add to my list? http://www.womentalksports.com/items/read/425/658594Wed, 01 Sep 2010 04:12:00 -0700Today at 8:06amEverything I know about both the legal profession and criminal activity comes from watching Law and Order. So when Best Boyfriend Mark asked if I wanted to fire his rifle while we went out to the woods to check on his trail camera, the only thing I knew for sure was that most people forget to wipe down the clip when attempting to remove their fingerprints from a gun. I’m pretty sure that wasn’t going to help me here. Best Boyfriend Mark is a hunter and I’ve learned all sorts of interesting things from him and from reading material in his house (including a magazine spread on what different types of deer poop mean and a recipe for braised muskrat). I’ve learned the trail camera is set up in areas where he hunts. With the aid of a motion sensor, it takes pictures of animals moving around the site. This weekend’s trip to check out what the camera caught was a virtual jackpot — 135 photos including one of two bucks with their antlers poised to fight and one of a coyote lurking through the woods during the night. (I, of course, look at the photos as a fun exploration of nature while BBM gets excited about hunting season. It’s my plausible deniability which makes this work, much like my naming of his mounted deer head in his living room. I say hi to “Hank” every time I visit.) After procuring the camera images, Best Boyfriend Mark asked if I wanted to shoot his rifle. Just a few hours before, I had completed a combined 77 miles on the bike and run and my dash of refueled energy was starting to fade. Still, his practical giddiness at the images from the trail camera transfered to me and boosted my mood. “You don’t have to,” he reassured me. “But it would be a new experience.” And with that he said the magic words. It would be a new experience. And I’m all about stretching outside my comfort zone, trying new things, having new experiences. OK. Let’s do it. With the target set up, Best Boyfriend Mark explained the rifle, went through the steps with me, then he fired to demonstrate. I could say that I stepped up, took the rifle, held it Annie Oakley-style and fired. But that would be, what do they call it, oh yeah, a lie. Instead, we set the rifle up on a stand, I knelt down, Best Boyfriend Mark zoomed the scope in and helped me line up my shot. (Among the things I physically can not do is close one eye, so BBM held a hand over my left eye so I could look through the scope with my right eye. I also can not whistle. Just for the record.) OK, now all I had to do was pull the trigger back slowly. There are so many ways this could go wrong, my mind started to think, but instead, I concentrated on keeping that cross which appeared in my magic viewfinder on the target. BAM! The good news: Nothing went wrong. In fact, if you look at the target, guess who was closest to the center? That would be me. Frankly I don’t care if it was only 15 yards with a super-zoomed in scope while kneeling with Mark covering my left eye and coaching me over my shoulder. Doesn’t even matter that I was closer than Mark either. My goal was simply to hit the cardboard and not, you know, us by mistake. While there is no chance I’ll be registering with the NRA any time soon or exploring the sport of biathlon (in part because I also have never been cross-country skiing), shooting the rifle actually was a fun experience. Part of the enjoyment came from doing something new, from going outside what I know, from stretching my comfort zone just a tad. But another part of the enjoyment came from letting go of past voices which would have come at me with a hundred different types of criticisms before, during and after. Instead, I allowed myself to just enjoy the moment. At one point during the excursion, I was holding a box of ammunition and was a bit intimidated by the entire thing. “I feel dangerous,” I said, in a timid, leery tone, somehow concerned that the box would spontaneously combust. “You ARE dangerous,” Best Boyfriend Mark said. I took that as compliment. http://www.womentalksports.com/items/read/446/658124Wed, 01 Sep 2010 04:11:00 -0700Today at 7:51amThe Long Beach Poly star has verballed to Coach Nikki Caldwell.That's huge, because with Kacy Swain and Justine Hartman, the Bruins have a major local class on their hands next year. Caldwell, who enters her third year at the helm of the UCLA program this fall, has been criticized by fans who complained about the lack of top recruits and Southern California players.In the meantime, another top recruit - Elizabeth Williams of Virginia - has narrowed her list of schools down: Tennessee, Virginia, Duke, Penn State and North Carolina. http://www.womentalksports.com/items/read/667/657994Tue, 31 Aug 2010 19:49:00 -0700Today at 7:43am Coming Soon: College Cup 2011 Hosts The NCAA just announced that the long standing rotation of the College Cup between Texas A&M and Cary will be broken next season, when the showpiece event moves to Kennesaw, GA and the KSU Soccer Stadium, currently occupied by the Atlanta Beat and the Kennesaw State college team. This is fantastic news, as I haven’t heard of anyone who hasn’t come away impressed with the facility after experiencing it in the flesh. From first-hand experience, the stadium is a tremendous place to catch a game, and I have few doubts that the stadium will be full and rocking come College Cup time next year. And it’s just a short drive away from me at the moment. That helps too. http://www.womentalksports.com/items/read/651/657950Tue, 31 Aug 2010 14:31:00 -0700Tue at 9:50pm BYU's South Field, One of The Most Picturesque Places To Catch A Match In The Nation The problem with virtuoso performances is that they often demand encores. How Northwestern can follow up one of what will surely be one of the upsets of the year is anybody’s guess, but the Wildcats will get a fighting chance in one of the most hostile environments in college soccer when they journey west to South Field in Provo, Utah, home of BYU. Northwestern can’t help but feel a little exasperated after their huge win over UCLA was met with the equivalent of a shrug of the shoulders by the voting coaches in the weekly coaches’ poll, leaving the Wildcats in the “receiving votes” category. They should not be lacking in motivation as they try and prove their win in Madison over the Bruins was not a fluke. Kate Allen’s scored three goals for the Wildcats, including the winner over UCLA, while the defense has locked down opponents, only conceding once in three matches. But beating BYU in Provo is a gargantuan task for any team. Whether it’s the stamina sucking altitude of Provo, the rabid fan support, or the fact that the Cougars are actually a very good team, the list of those to come out of South Field with a victory is a short one indeed. BYU has already come out firing in 2010, with three dominant victories, including a 2-0 win over a Long Beach State team that was so impressive this past weekend. Northwestern’s stout defense will be tested in full by BYU’s arsenal, highlighted by the goalscoring talents of Kassidy Shumway, Jennie Marshall, and Carlee Payne. It makes for a tantalizing Tuesday night clash. Can BYU sweep another team aside in the friendly confines of South Field? Or will Northwestern keep rolling and force their doubters to take notice? Another victory for the Wildcats would surely announce their presence to the nation as possible Big Ten contenders, a stunning thought not two weeks ago. http://www.womentalksports.com/items/read/651/657951Tue, 31 Aug 2010 14:04:00 -0700Tue at 8:48pmIn his recent newsletter Hard2Guard Player Development Newsletter, Brian McCormick had an extended description of how the Phoenix Mercury used on-ball screens against the San Antonio Silver Stars in the Western Conference Semifinals. While the piece caught my eye because I was thinking about how the Seattle Storm might prepare to defend the Mercury in the upcoming Western Conference Finals, I was doubly interested because of a post on his blog that was also made yesterday. From the newsletter (reprinted with permission from McCormick): Tactical skills are used to disorganize the defense. When setting an on-ball screen, the action can disorganize the defense in several ways: switching the screen creates match-ups problems; poor communication leads to dribble penetration and forces help; trapping the ball handler forces the other three defender to rotate and defend four players; and more. Offensive success occurs when the team creates and then takes advantage of the disorganization. In the PHX game, when the point guard immediately passed to the screener, the offensive team allowed the defense to switch without punishing the mismatches or forcing the other three defenders to rotate or scramble. For instance, Tameka Johnson used a screen by Tangela Smith; on the switch, Sophia Young switched to Johnson while Hammon switched to Smith. Smith is a three-point shooter, but the quick pass allowed Hammon to stay tight to Smith and not give her room to shoot, while Johnson did nothing to exploit her mismatch against Young. Smith possessed the ball at the top of the key against a quicker guard and ultimately passed to another player. However, this player was not wide open, as the defense was not disorganized by the on-ball screen. Ball handlers should use two dribbles on all on-ball screens. The first dribble is to turn the corner off the screen: every time a player receives the on-ball screen, her mentality should be to turn the corner and penetrate. If she turns the corner, the second dribble enables her to extend away from the defender. If she tries to turn the corner and gets cut off, she forces a switch, and the second dribble extends the defense - the second dribble forces the defender to make a decision: she cannot hedge and recover if the ball handler extends with a second dribble. As she extends the defense, if the defender leaves the ball to recover and prevent a mismatch, the ball handler has an open shot or an open lane before her defender recovers. If the screener's defender stays, the ball handler has a mismatch, and the screener has a mismatch. In the PHX case, since Smith is essentially a jump shooter, she is unlikely to take Hammon into the post (in Game 2, they made this adjustment and rolled Smith to the basket to post-up Hammon). Therefore, the best play is for Johnson to square up on Young and attack her with the dribble. If Johnson gains a step on Young, she forces another defender to help: the mismatch leads to penetration which breaks down the defense and forces the defense to scramble. The defense is unlikely to help away from Diana Taurasi, so Johnson's penetration likely leads to a lay-up for Candice Dupree or a shot for Penny Taylor or the defense simply chooses to take its chances with Johnson finishing at the basket against Young. These possibilities happen simply because the ball handler keeps her dribble alive and extends the defense to create more space. Ball handlers must be aggressive when using the screen and keep all their options available rather than committing to the pass as soon as they hit the screen. At the core of this account is that in Game 1, Johnson followed a routine of passing out of a pick and roll instead of responding to the opportunity presented by the situation (the potential to put pressure on the defender by keeping the dribble). This is not a critique of Johnson as much as an example of what McCormick described in his blog as game awareness -- the ability for a player to respond creatively (considering multiple alternatives and choosing the best one) to the situation as it unfolds vs. merely running a scripted play. Creativity not only maximizes the opportunity to score on a give possession, but also disorganizes the defense. McCormick describes it in his blog as the difference between players labeled as "NBA" and "FIBA" players. Game Awareness Skills, the FIBA World Championships and College Basketball Recruiting « Basketball Coaching & Youth Basketball Now, players like Kevin Durant play well in any situation. However, across the Internet, bloggers, media and coaches have argued about what players fit better in the International game and who is a “FIBA player” vs. an “NBA player. Players like O.J. Mayo are labeled “NBA players” while players like Chauncey Billups are described as good fits for the International game. When I hear people describe a high school player as an “up-tempo” player who does not fit into a slower tempo program, I figure that the player is unskilled and lacks game awareness. After all, what types of players excel in transition? Who excels in the half-court? Transition situations create a numbered-advantage for the offense which makes decision-making easier. With youth players, I play advantage games because they are not expert decision makers so they need more time and space to make decisions and execute skills. With experienced players, I use disadvantaged drills to challenge players’ skills. For instance, to practice ball handling, I use 1v2 and 2v3 drills which condense the space and time. Expert players need to play in smaller spaces and need to play quicker because they play against bigger, faster, longer players who cover more ground. We can debate whether McCormick's assessment of individual players is correct, especially with regard to Johnson -- clearly he notes that Johnson executed the play better the next game meaning that he's not claiming that she "lacks game awareness" based on this small sample. But heading into the series with the Seattle Storm it's something interesting to watch - game awareness is certainly something that Sue Bird exhibits and the Mercury's halfcourt offense may be dependent on it. http://www.womentalksports.com/items/read/267/657964Tue, 31 Aug 2010 14:00:00 -0700Tue at 8:47pm