Ep87 Sarah Axelson TITLE IX ANNIVERSARY

Dear fellow mask-wearers,

I remember when Title IX passed in 1972 and arguing my way into an afterschool sports club for boys soon after. Both the boys AND the coach (for F sake!) made life unpleasant for me and my fellow arguer. We didn’t last long. Experiences like that make me unendingly impressed with pre-Title IX girls who toughed it out to find great success in high school and college sports in those years.

Not all sports programs where created equal pre-Title IX. As we heard from native Alaskan Lisa Keller in Ep56, she had opportunities for sports on co-ed school teams. Those Alaskans are tough and, well, more importantly, population was low so teams were looking to fill slots. Lisa has a terrific discussion about women & AA if you haven’t listened to that conversation yet. (It’s one of my all-time favorite clips from the podcast.)

And triathlete Kristen Lamb (Ep39) was active in sports early on because her mom coached college field hockey and lacrosse teams. Kristen spent lots of time hanging out with her mom’s athletes as she grew up. Representation matters.

Even with those positive examples, I have to say, the stories told by younger guests claim a different tone of guts and belonging. I think of skateboarder Bryce Wettstein (Ep78) and rower Sophie Calabrese (Ep48). Both take up big space. Talking to them gave me hope for equity not far in the future.

Both Bryce and Sophie are white, which comes as no surprise if you’ve listened to the recent webinar Girls of Color and Title IX: An Unfulfilled Promise put on by the Women’s Sports Foundation featuring LaChina Robinson, Billie Jean King, Candace Parker, Dawn Staley, Neena Chaudhry and Sarah Axelson (this week’s guest). Participation numbers of non-white girls in many sports is shockingly low. Hearing Dawn Staley and LaChina Robinson surprised at those numbers was sobering. Not that they didn’t know, of course, that numbers were bad, but that bad!? (I was reminded of when I heard that sports media coverage for women is only 4% of all sports coverage.) I love data! It can knock us off balance.

All this Title IX discussion is because this week’s guest, Sarah Axelson, is a Title IX expert. She has worked at the Women's Sports Foundation for more than 11 years and is now Senior Director of Advocacy. Often in our conversation I said, "I didn’t know that!" And there is so much that most people don't know about Title IX. When I asked what she wanted to see in the near future, Sarah said greater education about Title IX because it’s just not well understood. So, I thank you for reading this and hope you tune in to hear more from Sarah. Click here for Sarah’s bio.

I love hearing from you.
Write me via the Contact page.

RESOURCES TO SUPPORT RACIAL EQUITY & SOCIAL JUSTICE
National Resource List #GeorgeFloyd+
Anti-Racism Resources For White People
YWCA of Greater Cleveland Go Live For Equity
YWCA of Greater Cleveland 21 Day Racial Equity and Social Justice Challenge
75 Things White People Can Do For Racial Justice
In Her Shoes Blog, 75 Black Women Owned Brands
Pro Cyclist, Ayesha McGowan’s Silence Is Agreement blog post + resource list

I'M READING (WATCHING) NOW
✶ Course Correction by Ginny Gilder. Ginny is pre-Title IX and is now a co-owner of the Seattle Storm, one of the WNBA teams.
✶ Tomboys in media in the 80s "were outspoken, confident and indifferent to the silent or explicit rules of gender around them, often dressing and acting 'like boys.'" Lisa Selin Davis, author of the above linked tomboy article and Tomboy: The Surprising History & Future of Girls Who Dare to Be Different, out 8/11 argues for a wider and more complex range of gender identities and presentations in media. Davis would like to see a return of characters like Jo, from the TV show "The Facts of Life" and more examples like pop star Billie Eilish of what girls and women can be. 

Ep78 Bryce Wettstein Skateboard By Heart

Dear Listeners,
 
Skateboarding is in the Olympics for the first time! 
I think back to the skateboard I rode on our driveway way back when. Were the wheels really metal? Could that be possible or am I thinking of the wheels on my roller skates? Either way, what this episode’s guest, Bryce Wettstein, does is far removed from my poor attempts. And also, the sport has come a long way. There's even equal prize money thanks to some badass women skateboards. (See I'M READING below for more on that.)
 
Bryce is a professional skateboarder and 2019 USA National Champion for Women's Park format. This summer, in Tokyo, will be the first time skateboarding is in the Olympics and Bryce is on Team USA Skateboarding with a shot at skating Park in Tokyo.
 
What I keep thinking about and also what listeners have been commenting on is how Bryce talks about creativity. She is an artist and musician, in addition to being an athlete, so it's not a complete surprise that she's found a relationship between the two. What's exciting and interesting is that her thoughts are nuanced and incorporate ideas on language and travel. I’ve listened several times to her discussion about losing control in creativity and wonder how I can embrace that more in my own studio and training.

HOT TAKES
☄️"In skateboarding, it’s kind of like language, you know, everybody has their own little secret code language.  So we can all relate to each other on the skateboarding platform, but then everybody dives like a million miles deeper because everybody has their own separate language apart from everyone else."
☄️"It’s so from your heart."

IF YOU LIKE THIS EPISODE, TRY THESE:
🎤 Ep77 Dagmara Wozniak, competing as way to showcase hard work. Listen Here.
🎤 Ep52 Mary Grace Stocker, creative climber and skier. Listen Here.

I'M READING (WATCHING) NOW
✶ Language does matter. Many times I click on a sports news story when I've assumed it's about women only to be surprised that it's about men. This article is about the impact of male being the default.
✶ On March 29, 2020 a woman will umpire the men's Oxford-Cambridge Boat Race for the first time in its 166-year history.
✶ History of equal pay in skateboarding. In 2005 "first place for the men’s vert contest came with a $50,000 purse, but the woman who finished first would only win $2,000." This article covers the history Bryce talks about in the episode.

———————————————————-
"About two weeks ago I started by listening to about 6 episodes+ (of Hear Her Sports). I was so into it that it was the push that I needed to get off my butt and stop obsessively thinking about the gym to actually going and signing up to a gym and I have gone EVERYDAY since." -- Listener Kelly

Ep77 Dagmara Wozniak Winning Well

Dear Listeners,
I often stumble about what to write in these newsletters because my inclination is to simply say, this is my favorite episode!, which is true because every episode is my favorite episode but it's not super enlightening. What's also true is that my role as producer gives me an intimate experience during the editing process. I spend hours and hours listening to the recordings of these incredible athletes. Their words awe me and motivate me to do more, be smarter, and, as Dagmara says this week, be in it.

My hope is that guests' words inspire and enliven you as well.
Let me know. I'd love to hear your impressions.
 
This week's guest, sabre fencer Dagmara Wozniak is a two time Olympian – London in 2012 and Rio in 2016, where she won a team bronze medal. She's also 2018 Pan Am Championship gold medalist and 2015 Pan Am Games Gold Medalist. Between training sessions she visits schools to share her stories and talk about body positivity and determination.

Dagmara recently had surgery, recovered-rehabbed for five months, and is now back training and competing to make the Tokyo2020 Olympic Team. I find injury to be rough, but Dagmara is upbeat even while admitting low moments. Find out how she managed to take advantage of the down time to improve her fencing. It involved only a bit of Netflix. (She reveals a favorite documentary, which she's watched multiple times.)

We hear about recovery, training, working within her current ability as she gains strength, some training tools, and how she passes along what she's learned as an athlete. 
 
For listeners who are also artists, Dagmara compares competing to exhibiting so make sure to catch that.

HOT TAKES
☄️"Obviously winning definitely feels good, but winning well feels good. I don’t want to win because everyone else is subpar or not feeling well or everybody has the flu. I want to be the winner because I’ve outsmarted you and I was the better person that day."
☄️"For me performance is more appealing than the aesthetics."
 
IF YOU LIKE THIS EPISODE, TRY THESE:

🎤 Ep 14 Katie Nageotte, Pole vaulting, body image, +. Listen Here.
🎤 Ep 47 Laelae Amituanai & Hannah Hall, Rugby is for all body types. Listen Here.
🎤 Ep 63 Nam, Immigrant parents. Listen Here.
 
I'M READING (WATCHING) NOW
✶ The Cyclist's Alliance, cycling union for female cyclists, received a prestigious Rapha Foundation grant of $75,000 to help deliver a new seven-point plan to revolutionize the compensation and culture of professional women’s cycling. Hear from Iris Slappendel, Founder & Executive Director in Episode 42.
✶ More ill fitting gear stories: "When Harling started, women's gear was so bad that she had to hunt in her husband's clothes - not very comfortable". Turkey Calling Contest
✶ #HERESPROOF

Ep76 Jacqie McWilliams Commissioner CIAA

Dear Listeners,
Take it from Listener Angela. This episode with Jacqie is terrific. She wrote: “This was an awesome interview! A must listen for any woman looking to lead in any field.”

I feel very lucky to have spent time with Jacqie who inspired and energized me. Early in our conversation, I asked about what she was involved with other than the big job of organizing an incredible celebration for the 75th anniversary of the CIAA Basketball Tournament. Her response left me awed. She is enthusiastically involved in so much! Jacqie is committed to her community, other women, and college athletics.

One thing I’ve been thinking about every day since talking to her is how Jacqie works hard to bring others along with her in success. What is clear in how she talks about it in the episode is that promoting others, increasing the number of women and women of color in positions of power is something she thinks about and is focused on. Her support, endorsements, and mentorship does not come simply by chance. Women tend to be great at collaboration, but that skill can break down or be forgotten when faced with the false idea of scarcity. As Jacquie says, there’s room for everyone at the table and there’s plenty of work for all of us to do.

I hope everyone listens to the full episode because there are a lot of tasty morsels here for women in business, all strong women, and mothers with demanding careers. (She calls her daughter a piece of pie!) Jacqie also shares the history of the CIAA and women’s basketball, learns to lose better, and describes about her own career path.

HOT TAKES
☄️"Their urgency is not always our urgency and when it is urgent, let’s identify what urgent means. You know, is the building on fire or is someone about to light a match?"
☄️"Diversity does matter. Inclusion does matter"
 
IF YOU LIKE THIS EPISODE, TRY THESE:
🎤 Ep 65 Felisha Legette-Jack, basketball coach on losing. Listen Here.
🎤 Fast Track Jessica Berman, Deputy Commissioner NLL. Listen Here.
🎤 Ep 68 Dawn Scott, High Performance Coach USA Soccer. Listen Here.
 
I'M READING (WATCHING) NOW
✶ I'm 35 and Running Faster Than I Ever Thought Possible, Lindsay Crouse. Training for big goals in sports empower women of all ages and levels beyond athletics.
✶ Cycling Industry Pledge. We've talked about it on the podcast more than once -- the cycling industry is the most discriminatory out of all outdoor industries on gender-based exclusion. The Cycling Industry Pledge looks to change that. If nothing else, it increase awareness of the disparity and economic impact of it.
✶ Representation matters. We need more women role models. We need 50% women in positions of power. Watch this We Coach video.

Latest in Fast Track.
Take a quick listen to Christina Vassallo, curator and arts administrator, just named Executive Director of Fabric Workshop and Museum in Philadelphia. For the past six years she’s been the Executive Director of SPACES Gallery in Cleveland, Ohio. Prior to joining SPACES, where she launched a $3 million capital campaign and oversaw the organization’s relocation to a new home in 2017, Christina served as Executive Director of Flux Factory in Queens, New York; associate director of Kinz, Tillou + Feigen Gallery in Manhattan; and assistant curator at the American Federation of Arts. 
Christina and I recorded our conversation quite a while ago – maybe a year – in the tiny closet recording studio I set up at my art studio. Christina brought her charismatic, small dog, Truman, a welcome addition, and we talked about a lot of stuff, including sexism in bike shops. However, this Fast Track is limited to Christina’s cycling adventures, commuting, and managing all that plus a demanding career with Type 1 Diabetes.

Ep75 Katie Visco Ran Across Australia

Dear Listeners,

Katie is a terrific story teller and this week’s episode is filled with lots of colors and experiences to imagine as she looks back on her four months running across Australia. I was very lucky to catch her shortly after she finished so her thoughts are new and forming.
Katie Visco ran across Australia. 2200 miles, a marathon+ each day. Her husband Henley Phillips pedaled a bicycle loaded up with 350 pounds of gear, food, and water, making it the first bike supported transcontinental run across any country. Long runs like this are not new for Katie. In 2009, she became the 2nd youngest and 13th woman to run across America. While making that trip from Boston to San Diego, she also spoke to more than 200 audiences encouraging people to go for their big dreams.
We talk about having a life purpose, letting the next best decision manage big projects, the huge value of telling stories, water, climate, and taking care of the planet.

A Few Lasting Impressions:
1. Katie and husband Henley move from one major adventure/project to another. In the episode she talks about how she plans for and tackles such large undertakings. Much like sailor Hannah Stodel she breaks things down into smaller chunks. Each day of running more than a marathon was divided into three 1.5 hour runs. During difficult times, Katie further broke that time down into ten-minute sections – following her watch and counting down.
2. While in Australia the most frequently asked question was about how they were carrying water and if they had enough. She’s now spreading the word about caring for water. Think mellow yellow.

HOT TAKES
☄️"It takes a lot of strength and courage to actually stand up for yourself."
☄️"And when I had days that are so, so hard, when I was crying on the side of the road, when I saw my partner struggle so much it broke my heart, in those really low moments, motivation is so fickle, I have to remember my purpose."
☄️"Think about what you are already doing that makes you incredible."
 
IF YOU LIKE THIS EPISODE, TRY THESE:
🎤 Ep 63 Nam, endurance cycling. Listen Here.
🎤 Ep 55 Mallory Hatmaker, running as therapy. Listen Here.
🎤 Ep 37 Stacia Suttles, motivating others. Listen Here.
🎤 Ep 33 Noelle Singleton, I always like this one for meal planning. Listen Here.
 
I'M READING (WATCHING) NOW
✶ I Changed My Body For My Sport. No Girl Should by Picky Bars Founder Laura Fleshman, mentioned in Laura Moretti Reece's Fast Track.
✶ Mary Cain's I Was The Fast Girl in America, Until I Joined Nike. A must watch.

Latest in Fast Track.
Throwing things out, which is often what editing becomes, is not my strong suit. So once again, we have a long Fast Track. And even still, I apologize to Laura for cutting what I did. Laura Moretti Reece, Certified Specialist in Sports Dietetics currently part of the Female Athlete Program and Sports Medicine/Orthopedics Team at Boston Children's Hospital, specializes in sports performance-based nutrition, treating low energy availability, disordered eating, and eating disorders in athletes. She works with Olympic and professional athletes, colleges and universities, professional sport and dance facilities and is consulting dietitian for Boston Ballet Company and US Rowing. Laura is a competitive triathlete and a three-time Boston Marathon qualifier and finisher.

Lasting Impressions:
1. It's shameful that Nike had no staff nutritionist at the Oregon Project. This, to me, shows utter negligence. Someone should have seen this and understood the implications, ramifications, and hazards. And yes, I get it, I’m sure Salazar was telling everyone, "I got this covered".
2. Laura touches on how athletes are vulnerable to coaches and to information. Being a high level athlete is a fine line of sanity.
3. Laura is not a fan of Keto. I learned the diet started as a way to manage epilepsy. Also interesting is that it may seem to work initially for less active people simply because their carbohydrate needs are low anyway.
4. My Fitness Pal is a food & exercise tracking app. I do use it regularly to avoid underfueling. Since my days tend to be radically different – many hour bike rides to a 30 minute gym workout, I can easily err on long cycling days, especially when they come back to back. Everything can be honky dory when going well. However, when I'm struggling in training, or stressed because of work, or not getting enough sleep, my nutrition suffers. And, I’m not one of those people who forgets to eat. I just lose perspective when I’m prioritizing something else. My hunger signals must stop functioning properly because they don’t send me or maybe, I don’t hear them, the proper info. For me, unusual circumstances is where the system breaks down. So, without Laura monitoring me, I use an app.

Ep74: HANNAH JENNINGS STRONG!

Dear Listeners,
We’re still in January so I can keep thinking of plans for the new year.
With that (and changes) in mind, I’d love to hear any thoughts you have about this newsletter. What have you liked reading? What would you like to see more of and what could you do without?
Email me at Elizabeth@hearhersports.com or call the Badass hotline 725-B-BADASS (725-222-3277)
This week’s guest is Competitive Strongman athlete Hannah Jennings. Hannah started lifting thanks to her soccer coaches (parents of a player) in high school. This seems ahead of their time. It turns out one also coached the football team so he just transferred that over. Smart!
As a coach Hannah continues her journey by helping women get stronger and building their self belief so they can also start living their strongest life.

And just for Hear Her Sports listeners Hannah created a special offer.
Sign up for her 14-week Get Strong AF 1:1 program and she will pay your gym membership during that time. Awesome!
Start by scheduling a FREE call with Hannah to see if her coaching would be a good fit for you.
There is nothing like a coach to keep you motivated and for all you women out there having a female coach is the best!

Lasting Impressions
1. As followers of the podcast know, the whys of competing are a favorite topic and Hannah gets into competing in the episode – why, how, overcoming jitters.
2. There’s nothing like being the strongest in the room to give you confidence in any situation.
3. Positive feedback is flowing in about this episode so don’t miss it.

HOT TAKES
☄️"I have come to realize that the stronger I get, the more resilient I am in my daily life. The more I can deal with a bad day the easier it is for me to deal with confrontation and talking to people, the more I am able to handle stressful situations because I know in the back my head that if I can lift X amount of weight, then I can handle this situation."
☄️"Being strong feels amazing."
☄️"If you can move with heavy weight then you’re going to be able to move faster by yourself."

IF YOU LIKE THESE EPISODES, try these:
🎤 Ep71, Cheryl Cooky on women not wanting to bulk up. Listen Here.
🎤 Ep59, Naya Tapper, USA Rugby lifts all year. Listen Here.
🎤 Ep64, Haylie McCleney, USA Softball & Strength Coach. Listen Here.

I'M READING (WATCHING) NOW
✶ Where Are All The Women Coaches?
✶ I'm completely addicted to watching cyclocross. Global Cycling Network is a place to watch the big race series for FREE. They do an excellent job on all the races and give equal billing to the women and often have women commentators.
✶ 21% of Men Say They're Afraid To Hire Women After #MeToo. Megan Rapinoe Isn't Having It. Megan is leading the charge.

Ep73 Hannah Stodel Challenging Perceptions

Here we are in a new year and new decade. And Hear Her Sports is one month into its fourth year. I just can’t believe it. Talking to such amazing women keeps me motivated and energized and I hope you as well. It’s also an honor to be part of a growing movement of women in sport speaking up loudly about their power. Megan Rapinoe and all the USWST players are on the front line but there are so many more of us at all levels doing similar work. There are lots of changes coming in the next year or so and still lots of necessary improvements to achieve.
 
In last week's main episode I spoke with offshore sailor Hannah Stodel, 3 time World Champion and 4 time Paralympian. 
 
Hannah was born without a lower right arm. At 15, she started competing, with her eyes on the Paralympics. Now she is preparing for the Vendee Globe, an incredible, solo around the world race. Hannah talks about love of sailing, confidence, her studied preparations for the Vendee, unicorn duct tape 🦄 and chocolate.
 
Racing the Vendee Globe is Hannah’s big long-term goal. What that means is three to four months on a 60-foot boat completely solo without ever stopping to restock or feel land. In the episode we talk about how stunning this sounds (and is!). Hannah wants to finish the race in order to challenge perceptions of what is possible. Of course, there are challenges, like how to adapt the boat and sails to function smoothly and safety using only one arm and what food to pack for so many days. Not to give anything away, but, Hannah’s method of getting completely and confidently ready for this epic event reminds me of the equally methodical training of rock climber Alex Honnold as he prepared to free solo El Capitan.
 
This is the third episode in a row where my guest says that surrounding herself with good people is vital. Each one VERY specifically says exactly that and explains how her supporters fuel her. For Lia Neal it’s her teammates who inspire her to race hard. For Jessica Berman it’s people she’s collected since high school, and for Hannah it’s advisors who keep her tough in moments of doubt.
 
Hannah’s conversation is a great companion to Jessica’s. I love what each said about realizing that other incredible people have doubts.

IF YOU LIKE THESE EPISODES, try these:

🎤 Ep66, Elana Meyers Taylor, President Women’s Sports Foundation. Listen Here.
🎤 Ep48, Sophie Calabrese, who also talks about recruitment. Listen Here.
🎤 Ep18, Megan Jastrab, a young cyclist. Listen Here.
🎤 Ep59, Naya Tapper, in the weight room all year. Listen Here.
 
I'M READING (WATCHING) NOW
✶ Popularity of volleyball for young players.
✶ Let's design bike saddles for women because what's on offer is painful.
✶ Playing field to boardroom. Lessons of sport.

Latest in Fast Track.
Lilah Thompson, a standout high school sophomore volleyball player, goes over what she's learning as she starts her recruitment process.
We’ll be checking back in with her during the process.

HOT TAKES FROM FAST TRACK
☄️"It’s a little stressful, but if you think of how good the outcome can be, it’s exciting."

Ep72 Lia Neal Surrounded By The Right People

I was so happy to have Lia Neal on the podcast this week because I’ve been curious about the new International Swimming League. If you haven’t heard, the ISL is an eight-team, professional swimming league with international rosters. Lia is a captain of the New York Breakers and explains how it all works, the impact of more racing early in the season, and some plans for the future. She also goes over her own training, what it was like to be on an Olympic Team (I love that she thought it was as great as she did), and seeking balance after graduating from Stanford and going pro.
 
At Stanford, Lia as captain, led the team to a NCAA Swimming Championship. She’s now preparing for the Tokyo2020 Olympics. She’s already been to two games (2012 & 2016) where she won bronze and silver medals in the 4x100 freestyle relays. Lia was the first woman of Black descent to swim an Olympic final for the US and she won a gold medal at the Junior World Championships.

A Few Lasting Impressions:
1. Currently Lia is cross training instead of traditional weight training. Just after talking to Lia, I interviewed a Strong Woman and strength coach who obviously is lifting heavy. It was interesting to consider the range of approaches to getting stronger. In my own training these days, I’m focusing on functional movements and combining multiple lifts in one exercise.
2. I love the phrase “shave and taper meets”. 
3. Once again, hearing from an elite athlete shows us how single-minded these women are. What they are working towards is all encompassing. As you will hear, Lia is working to find greater balance in her life and what that means, she said, is going to a coffee shop occasionally and talking more often to friends and family on the phone. And tiny changes like this can make a world of difference.
4. It’s interesting that ISL could change swimmers’ training and also give ISL swimmers a leg up because of all the race practice they would get. Of course, it could end up the opposite -- too much racing at the expense of training. I’ll be following the league to see what happens as it expands.  

IF YOU LIKE THIS EPISODE, try these:

🎤 Ep 33 Noelle Singleton, Swim Coach. Listen Here.
🎤 Ep 28 Felice Mueller, Olympian. Listen Here.
🎤 Ep Alison Dunlap, Olympian & Mom. Listen Here.
🎤 Ep 3 HHS Glenville Kyarrah, Sees LeBron's Face Everywhere. Listen Here.
 
I'M READING (WATCHING) NOW
✶ An absolutely lovely swimming short, Chasing the Sublime.
✶ This book blew me away. Just the first chapter about not making the Olympics rang true and deep with emotion. You might need a hankie.
✶There are so many ways to make a career in sports. Jessica Mendoza, Sunday Night Baseball analyst talks about her path.
✶ USWSL lawsuit update.

Latest in Fast Track.
The new Fast Track just posted early this morning. It is a smidge longer than my self-imposed 20-minute limit. (Short seems to be harder for me than I expected.) This weeks' guest, Jessica Berman said so much great stuff I wanted you to hear.

Jessica is the new Deputy Commissioner and Executive Vice President of Business Affairs at the National Lacrosse League. She is the first woman to hold the title of Deputy Commissioner at any professional sports league in North America and she is now the highest-ranking woman in men’s professional sports leagues.

What's terrific about this episode is we talk about the National Lacrosse League as an emerging sports property like many professional women's sports, keeping self doubt in a box in the back of the closet, and how Jessica values her running routine. Jessica inspired me because she's known since high school she wanted to work in sports. Her reasons for that are worth the listen.

HOT TAKES FROM FAST TRACK
☄️"The most creative thinking happens for me when I’m running."
☄️"I think it takes confidence to admit vulnerability."
 

Ep71 Cheryl Cooky Looking at 4% Media Sports Coverage

Dear Listeners, 

In the new episode we dig into the origins of this very podcast by talking to Cheryl Cooky, Associate Professor of American Studies and Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies at Purdue University.

Cheryl is a co-author of a longitudinal study on the quantity and quality of men’s and women’s sports coverage in media from which the stat 44% of athletes are women and only 4% of media coverage is about women comes. Head over to the Show Notes to find her Ted Talk along with a link to the movie where I first heard the 4% stat, plus, of course, other cool stuff.

A Few Lasting Impressions:
1. You can’t beat Cheryl’s vending machine analogy. Who doesn’t like candy and I’m happy to report that Hear Her Sports ended up as the gummy bears.
2. I’m glad I asked Cheryl about the WNBA coverage because I do follow women’s basketball, subscribe to League Pass and newsletters that cover what’s going on. As a result, it seemed to me that the coverage actually wasn’t that bad. In reality, I was in my own little fan girl bubble. Cheryl set me straight.
3. You can read Cheryl’s research about media coverage of Caster Semenya here.
4. Sports tells us about culture. Don’t miss Cheryl’s explanation of why both sports and studying sports are important.

HOT TAKES FROM THE EPISODE
☄️"Men’s sports are covered ALL the time, right. So, it’s never too soon, too late, too early to talk about men’s sports."
☄️"What can sport tell us about our culture? What can sport tell us about how we think about and how we see men and women in our culture?"

IF YOU LIKE THIS EPISODE, try these:
🎤 Ep43 Colette Smith on women’s football. Listen Here.
🎤 Ep58 Jen Gurecki sporty entrepreneur on media. Listen Here.
🎤 Ep44 Margo Burke, teenage girl who knows about equity. Listen Here.

I'M READING NOW
✶ Scroll down to the ❤️ to find Hear Her Sports in Podcast, The Newsletter. I'm so excited to be included. Lauren Passall listens to a lot of podcasts and knows the business so is able to wade through everything out there and make strong recommendations.
✶ 7 Ways To Improve Sports Coverage of Women's Sports. Types of coverage, value & importance of statistics in women's sports, & jeez, it takes real work to find what little women's coverage there is.
✶ Thinner is not necessarily better. Thinner is not necessarily faster. Thanks to NYT reporter Lindsay Crouse, high school running phenom Mary Cain recently opened up about the abuse she experienced as part of Nike's Oregon Project. (Make sure to watch the video. It's just plain excellent and heartbreaking and crucial to see.) We absolutely need more women coaches and more women in positions of power and influence. This, of course, is true everywhere, not only in sport.

Welcome to Fast Track.
In the latest Fast Track we have Lisa Keller on being an athlete with cancer.
Triathlete, stellar coach, and lifelong Alaskan Lisa joins Hear Her Sports again with this clip cut from the full episode. When we spoke back in the spring, Lisa and I had a terrific and quite long chat so, for sake of length, something had to go. I’ve always been sad about that and wanted to get this section posted somehow, so here we are. Listen Here

Ep70 Danielle Williams Tell a Different Story

Good Day Badass Listeners, 
This week, I talk with Danielle Williams, founder and senior editor of the blog and Instagram Melanin Base Camp (with a monthly readership of 17 thousand), founder of Diversify Outdoors (a coalition of 29 digital outdoorsy types promoting racial and gender equity), and co-founder of Team Blackstar Skydivers (a diverse 270-member group from six countries—black, white, Latino, Asian, anyone excited about encouraging diversity in skydiving). Danielle, recently expanded to video with a Kickstarter-funded short film she’s producing about black Canadian climbing prodigy Sabrina Chapman.

A Few Lasting Impressions:
1. How do we tell new stories? I think breaking away from constraints of how it’s always been done is a hard thing. What is something innovative or desired by an audience unaccustomed to hearing their own stories? Can we know what we want if we've never seen/read/heard it? This is way more mind-breaking than what it first appears. And I suspect this is one reason why main stream media outlets are struggling with how to create more diverse coverage. 🎤 Stay tuned for an upcoming episode about sports coverage where we use candy vending machines as a metaphor. 🍭

2. Danielle is very upfront with her changing perspective of disability. Through illness in 2015 she went from being super athletic to occasionally hiking three miles. For athletes it can be hard not to have bias of those unable. As Danielle points out, we’ll all probably end up disabled at some point, she just ended up there sooner than expected. I’m not always comfortable talking about disability. I really thank Danielle for opening up the conversation. Stay tuned for an upcoming episode with a Paralympic sailor.
 
3. I love that she took a troll's idea and created brilliance!
 
4. Show Notes this week are jam packed with resources.

HOT TAKES FROM THE EPISODE
☄️"I really believe in the importance of telling other people’s stories or helping other people share their own stories."
☄️"I normally don’t take advice from trolls, but that was one exception."
☄️"It’s an amazing feeling. I don’t know how to describe it."

IF YOU LIKE THIS EPISODE, try these:
🎤 Episode 63 Tenzin Namdol an immigrant focused on the outdoors. Listen Here.
🎤 Episode 38 Ambreen Tariq Founder Brown People Camping. Listen Here.
🎤 Episode 27 Shelma Jun Founder Flash Foxy. Listen Here.
🎤 Episode 39 Kristen Lamb on her strong mom. Listen Here.
🎤 Episode 60 Rebecca Ross Melanin Base Camp blogger. Listen Here.

I'M READING NOW
✶ Trek President John Burke honored by the Women's Sports Foundation. In 2017, Trek created the World Cup Waterloo cyclocross race, the first-ever UCI cycling event to offer equal payout to racers in the women’s and men’s fields. This is a super big deal! Burke & Trek have continued to support women's cycling.

✶ Dolemite Is My Name. I'm a huge Eddy Murphy fan and here he is telling a different kind of story.

✶ Lindsay Gibbs, co-host of Burn It All Down just launched POWER PLAYS: a newsletter for people who are sick of hearing bullshit excuses, and ready to see equality for women in sports. It's free.

Welcome to Fast Track.
Fast Track episodes will be short and show up (almost always) in your feed between the regular line up. They’ll max out at 20 minutes and could be as short as 5.

In the first episode, meet Julie Pedalino of Pedalino Bicycles. As you will hear in this episode, Fast Track will focus on a topic. Julie, a bicycle builder, talks about bike fit particularly for those riders who fall outside standard, off-the-shelf sizing. Besides being innovative, smart, and technically adept, Julie makes incredibly good looking bikes. (She is a visual artist, which we also talk about.)
Before Julie started building bikes she was uncomfortable riding and thought that was just the way it was. She told herself, suck it up, suffer, don’t complain, no one else is having an issue. Of course, now she has a beautiful, perfectly fitting bike.
I ask specifically about wheel size and why that is important for designing geometry for smaller riders. Most people probably don't realize that using smaller wheels is an option. It is! and now that there are excellent offerings in smaller wheels and tires it's a really good option. Take a listen to hear more about smaller wheels, custom forks, along with a bit of bike-nerd geometry chat.

Ep69 Sibyl Jacobson Going Great Guns

Dear Listeners,
This week's guest, 76-year old triathlete Sibyl Jacobson, was right here in Cleveland, Ohio last August competing in Age Group Triathlon National Championships where she finished second in the Olympic distance and third in the Sprint distance. I was lucky enough to meet her while she was in town and record our conversation in person.
Sibyl competes regularly and has an impressive list of podiums and wins including internationally and in longer events. In both 2017 and 2018 she was the IRONMAN 70.3 World Champion in her age group. 
What I like about Sibyl’s story is she didn’t even race her first triathlon until she was 61!  Prior to that, she was President and CEO of MetLife Foundation. In early 2000s, climbing stairs to the 14th floor when the elevator wasn’t working, she realized how out of shape she was and got active.
She now trains most mornings and lives differently than she did before.
Listen to the episode to find out more. 

Other Highlights:
1. At 76 Sibyl is a pre-Title IX baby. She was very active as a kid, running around with a “gang” of neighborhood boys and girls. There were very few organized school sports for girls. Sibyl didn’t make the cheerleading squad, not surprising as an endurance athlete (versus one excelling at explosive moves). Offering one sport does not create opportunity for all.
2. Sibyl makes a point of not looking back with regret. I loved that part of the conversation and learned something for myself. Even so, she was aware that boys got cool stuff, like uniforms, that she didn’t get. In talking to pre-Title IX athletes, I'm interested that it’s often this little stuff that makes the big impression.
3. Sibyl eats starchy carbs, though limits desserts. 🍝
4. Maple syrup has lots of magnesium. Did you know that?!
5. We talk about competing, which Sibyl really likes a lot.

It's always great to hear from you, so send your thoughts & ideas via the Contact page.
I read every email.
Keep Listening,
Elizabeth Emery

HOT TAKES FROM THE EPISODE
☄️"A lot of people don’t show up or dare to show up. That’s what most of it is. It’s just daring to put yourself out there with your saggy skin and do something."
☄️"So in my mind I am flying. Even in my terrible run, which has gotten slower and slower, I think I’m going great guns. So, I do a real good mental transport on the bike of thinking I’m great, only to be surprised."
☄️"I knew that gym was boring and that we did dumb things that weren’t fun and weren’t energetic."

IF YOU LIKE THIS EPISODE, try these
🎤 Episode 26, Elizabeth Streb strives to use up her body by the end. Listen Here.
🎤 Episode 56, Lisa Keller talks Title IX in Alaska. + she's a triathlete. Listen Here.
🎤 Episode 17, Katie Spotz on seeking adventure. Listen Here.
🎤 Episode 43, Collette Smith played her favorite sport later in life. Listen Here.

I'M READING NOW
✶ Pre-Title IX collegiate sports.
✶ Only As Old As You Feel. As I age, I look to older people for good models of what's possible. There are many women far older than I am still kicking my ass and I thank them. 🙏🏻💥🥇
✶ Women in space. "It’s fascinating to think that we just don’t know enough about the effects of spaceflight on a woman’s body." This is worth reading just for the bit about tampons in space. But also about default sizing & hysteria.

Ep68 Dawn Scott US Soccer High Performance Periods

Happy Fall to all you sporty types,
 
My guest this week is Dawn Scott, US Soccer Women’s High Performance Coach.

You know what? I’m just going to say it: Listen to this episode! Tell all your athlete women friends to listen to this episode!

How Dawn is incorporating the science of menstrual cycles into training, recovery, nutrition, hydration, health, and injury prevention is essential for any woman training at any and every level. Pass this along. Your friends will thank you.
 
Dawn also discusses working with the Women's National Soccer Team, how focused & professional the players are, being on the road for 50 days prepping and during the World Cup, her own background, strength training (including the structure of a basic plan), and creating good sleep habits. (Find out about tart cherry juice.) 🍒
 
I’m keeping it brief because really, the main message here is listen to Dawn.

Other Highlights:
1. Often producing episodes (even while thinking of how much work still needs to be done for equity) I think about how far women’s sports have come since 20 years ago when I was competing. The kind of support Dawn along with the entire coaching staff provide players is on a completely different planet from what I remember. I know, different sport and cycling still has issues, but still! 
 
2. As a corollary to the point above, talking to Dawn highlights all the work involved in being an elite athlete. The level of commitment necessary is over the top. Even just looking at the sleep routine Dawn outlines. Sure, I could not look at my phone before bed for a month, maybe two, maybe. But committing to that AND everything else Dawn mentions for the four years of an Olympic cycle or a World Cup cycle (or imagine a World Cup + Olympic cycle) is an entirely different level of strict, single-focused dedication that most of us can’t imagine.

3. The beauty of this episode is that Dawn, her players, and FitrWoman show what important, long-lasting work can be done by women for women given resources. The team is making a true impact on women’s sports, pay equity in and out of sports. The scientists behind FitrWoman are doing research that will impact female athletes going forward. I hope to they inspire others to continue and expand the work.

Subscribe to the podcast. There's some great stuff coming up including skydiving, a woman bike builder, and a (very) long distance runner.

It's always great to hear from you, so send your thoughts & ideas via the Contact page.
I read every email.

HOT TAKES FROM THE EPISODE
☄️"For any athlete and maybe especially female athletes (strength training) is fundamental to everything that we do."
☄️"It’s all about education, awareness, and forming good habits."
☄️"I always say to our players, they have to be athletes 24/7."

IF YOU LIKE THIS EPISODE, try these
🎤 Episode 65 with Coach Jack who, like Dawn Scott, obviously loves her work and very much takes care of her players. Listen Here.

🎤 Episode 64 with Haylie McCleney. Haylie too, makes it clear how much work it is to be a top level athlete. Listen Here.
🎤 Episode 18 with junior cyclist Megan Jastrab who has been on fire this year winning multiple World Championships on the road and track. Listen Here.
🎤 Episode 33 with Noelle Singleton who talks about how good sleep and nutrition habits keeping her going. Listen Here.

I'M READING NOW
✶ People (males & females) do actually watch women's sports as they did the World Cup this summer.
✶ Napheesa Collier writes about what it takes to be really good and work your way to the top of sport -- in her case basketball. (And what could be better! She likes mystery stories! I'm currently reading her recommendation In A Dark, Dark Wood by Ruth Ware.)
✶ Kiteboarder & stay-put swimwear designer, Sensi Graves (Ep62) launched a Indiegogo campaign to create her 2020 line entirely out of recycled fabrics. If you need a suit for active water sports take a look. This is an ideal moment to get something great, support a woman business owner, and help the environment.

Ep67 Eline Mets Celebrate Badass Motocross

Dear Listener,

I am back from the annual summer break. Time away from a major project is always restorative and provides a bit of perspective. I think too, some consolidation or reconfiguring of the brain happens when it has more than a few minutes to rest. I’m feeling smarter than I was in late August. During the break I spent great time outside so it was fun to hear Eline talk about that for herself.

All that said, I’m still incredibly happy to be back discovering and talking to such amazing women athletes and listening to their voices over and over as I edit. The line up for the next couple of months is outstanding starting with motocross racer and filmmaker Eline Mets of Ep67 that posted last week. The conversation is stellar. Eline gets into fear, flimsy & low-grade motocross clothing for women (you know I love talking about the lack of quality, proper gear for sporty women!), going big, speaking up for others, and of course riding motorcross and making the pilot for Diaries of Badass Chicks, which is FANTASTIC! PS: She wrote, produced, directed, and starred.

Other Highlights:
1. Film and TV offer opportunities that other media don't. Diaries of Badass Chicks can take motorcross mainstream through fun storytelling and the visual excitement of the sport.
2. Eline fell in love watching this video.
3. I love that Eline just jumped right in. With the help of a teenage coach, she crammed the night before her first race to learn how race starts work.
4. One reason Eline created Dairies of Badass Chicks is because of the inequity she saw while learning and racing. She tells a story of women getting punished for speaking up against promoters. This was hard for me to hear because, way back in in my bike racing days, I was banned by a promoter for speaking up about a dangerous course. Despite the other racers feeling and saying similar things, I felt completely alone when the team director and teammates didn’t stand by me. It was a low moment. I’m buoyed up that Eline is standing up and speaking out as are other women these days like Iris Slappendel who started The Cyclists Alliance. Iris is featured in Ep42. She has been successful, in great part, because like Eline she has nothing to lose. She’s now outside of racing herself.

Stay tuned for soccer, a 70+ triathlete, and a Paralympic 2020 hopeful in upcoming episodes.

It's always great to hear from you, so send your thoughts & ideas via the Contact page.
I read every email.

HOT TAKES FROM THE EPISODE
☄️"But the issues, the inequality, and the female representation that’s universal. And we need to change it, [one] industry at a time."
☄️"I don’t think I love the fear, but I love where it pushes me."
☄️"It’s funny, because as a woman, yeah, I was like, maybe I should keep it smaller. And now, the more that I’m growing into my power, I’m realizing, but why? This is not a small thing."

IF YOU LIKE THIS EPISODE, try these
🎤 Episode 51 with Cecelia Townes. Listen Here. This is the episode Eline referenced about nature and meditation.

🎤 Episode 58 with Jen Gurecki. Listen Here. This is a great discussion about how important proper fitting equipment is and how equipment impacts athletes' longevity in the sport.
🎤 Episode 40 with Blake Cason about meditation and being outside. Listen Here.
🎤 Episode 32 with Anya Alvarez. The future of sports is with girls. Listen Here.

I'M READING NOW
✶ Where Were The Women. After equity in last year's ski film by Matchstick Productions, this year it's all men. After pushback, Matchstick came up with some lame excuses.
✶ Motocross is not the only place where creators are mostly men. (I know, you're shocked.) 77% of TV shows have no women creators.
✶ Searching for foosball women.

🏀🏀🏀⚽️🏀🏀🏀 YES WATCH 🏀🏀🏀⚽️🏀🏀🏀
On Good Morning America, Megan Rapinoe encouraged the people chanting equal pay to watch women's games - local, club, pro, whatever. She's right, of course, watching women's sports makes a huge difference. At a bare minimum, it proves that there is really interest. Over and over we've seen that if it's offered, people watch. Not just women, but all people.

📺📺 HERE'S HOW & WHERE TO WATCH THE FINALS 📺📺

With that, the best-of-five WNBA finals start on Sunday September 29th at 3pm. The basketball has been phenomenal, so tune in. Go to a bar and ask that the games be turned on. If you haven't been following, Connecticut Sun swept the semifinal series against Los Angeles Sparks. For all you Clevelanders, LeBron was at Tuesday's game 4 between Las Vegas Aces and Washington Mystics. The Aces lost that game by 4 points sending the Mystics to the finals.

Ep66 Elana Meyers Taylor Sets Sights Really, Really Big

Dear Listener,

It is that time again – annual August break for Hear Her Sports. It comes a little late this year because we were just too excited about the 3-part mini series on coaching to break it up. So here we are mid-August with the last episode before some time away and #3 in the series. Our guest this week is the absolutely incredible Elana Meyers Taylor talking about a new report on coaching girls, concussions, bobsled training, bobsled as trash can, unbridled confidence, martial arts, and what's happening in women's sports right now from an insider's seat at the Women's Sports Foundation.

I'll say it again, Elana is a super star. She is a 4-time World Champion, 8-time World Championship medalist, 3-time Olympic medalist, and 2015 World Cup Champion. In 2015 Elana became the first woman to earn a spot on the US National Team competing with the men as a 4-man bobsled pilot. She is currently dry land training full speed ahead after recovering from a concussion with aims to win gold in Beijing2022. For a full bio and list of Elana’s accomplishments click here. I feel very lucky to have spent time with her even if only over the phone. I hope you get as much from the conversation as I did.

As part of the coaching series we talk about the new study by WSF and Nike about coaching girls titled, “Coaching Through a Gender Lens: Maximizing Girls’ Play and Potential”.

News Flash!:
Girls want to play sports and be competitive.

It’s interesting that this is news, but of course! that’s the case. We’ve heard from several guests about how we as a society still have trouble with the idea that girls and women want to be energetic, active, aggressive, assertive, and plain old rough and tumble. Yup, there’s more work to be done to increase coverage of and opportunity for female athletes.

Other Highlights:
1. I really enjoyed hearing Elana talk about her hill sprints and hours (&hours) of off-season training. She quickly mentions that once the season starts it’s hard to get in consistent training. To expand a bit, competing athletes live in an ongoing cycle of prep/taper→travel→compete→travel→recover. In season, there are few blocks of time for good solid training that won’t impact performance. Off-season training allows for solid rest, good eating at home, and no competition stress. Athletes often select a few top tier races to be in peak readiness for and train around the others without cutting back (or cutting back less) on training in order to limit fitness and strength losses during their season.

2. Thank you Elana for mentioning the incredibly high percentage of C-suite women who played organized sports in their youth. She thought 90% -- whoa!, that’s high. But wait, it’s really 96%.

3. One of Elana’s greatest stories is of being the pilot on a 4-men (as in male) team, a highlight of her career. As written above she is the first woman to do so. The full section of the episode starts @27:00.
* Elana talks about how her husband’s perception of her abilities (already very high) increased. This is super important. She’s given a chance, other people see her and change their perception of what women are capable of. I’m sure we can transfer this lesson to other places, don’t you think!?
* She talks about the differences in confidence of men and women. (Definitely listen to this – it’s funny. This short bit starts @28:30)

4. Elana’s long term goal is to be the CEO of the US Olympic Committee -- another whoa! Huge goals like this are motivating. Even better is her explanation of why she’s “not one to go after small goals”.

5. Because Elana is the current President of the Women's Sports Foundation, I was able to ask some questions about WSF's role in battles for equity happening now in many sports like hockey, soccer, and basketball. Yes, WSF is helping out in a number of ways -- directly and indirectly. Elana even brings up my personal hero, Billie Jean King.

6. And finally, I just loved editing this episode. Listening to Elana’s voice brought me back to getting started with the podcast and being so aware of the range of voices, tones, cadences, and speaking styles. It was the best possible way to close out before taking a break.

The podcast returns to our regular schedule of motivating episodes with female athletes in mid-September. I am looking forward to some time off and also looking forward to talking to guests scheduled for the fall. Get ready for some motocross!

It's always great to hear from you, so send your thoughts & ideas via the Contact page. I read every email.

Ep65 FELISHA LEGETTE-JACK You Matter

Dear Listener,

Let’s start from the beginning – Hanna Hall’s video about her struggle with anorexia. She talks about the origin of her illness and sets the stage for how it took over her training and life. The story is a good one, she’s brave to tell it and her University of Buffalo basketball coach, Felisha Legette-Jack, stepped in when Hanna needed help. That’s what struck me. Coach Jack noticed something wasn’t right and took action in time for Hanna’s college and basketball career to flourish. At the MAC tournament the past 2 years, I’ve watched her play at the Q Arena here in Cleveland and she’s a force even at 5’4”.

It is an honor that Coach Jack, such an incredible person, coach, and supporter of women agreed to be on the podcast. I personally felt her strength and caring at the end of our conversation when she said kind, motivating words about how Hear Her Sports lifts women up. I’m grateful she made a point of saying that.

Don’t be fooled, Coach Jack is also tough and works hard to win. In seven seasons at Buffalo she has 143 wins (the second most in program history), two MAC Championships, four postseason appearances, three NCAA Tournament wins, the 1st Draft Pick in school history with Cierra Dillard, and this year she led the Bulls to the second round of the NCAA Tournament for the second straight year.

This episode is the 2nd of three in the mini-series with coaches. One reason I’m talking to female coaches is because it’s such an important, influential position and there aren’t enough of them out there. In women’s college teams, across all sports, only 40.8% of the head coaching jobs are held by women. And this is for women’s teams! On the men’s side, women hold roughly 10% of the head coaching jobs. Read here for more stats, changes since Title IX, and why, big surprise, bias is the reason.

A couple other notables:
1. In 2024, the NCAA Women’s Basketball Final Four is coming to Cleveland, so all you local listeners stay tuned for more basketball and keep your calendar open (April 5 and 7, 2024 at Quicken Loans Arena) for those games. This is a big deal.

2. During our conversation, I ask about how Felisha so frequently calls herself a failure in reference to being fired from her coaching job at Indiana. I’m so glad I did because she corrects me to say that she doesn’t call herself a failure but says she failed. That distinction is key in her coaching and beliefs. Failing does not make you a failure. Instead she “CHOSE to go from fail to flourish”. Here’s an excellent clip particularly for young people. It’s a lesson Felisha wants to share. This clip is only a small part of the full section about making mistakes and stepping forward despite fear. She suggests letting the discomfort sit inside your belly and still take the step forward.

Ep64 Haylie McCleney 24/7 Focus on Tokyo2020

Me in Softball kit

I hope this little, sporty letter finds you doing well and enjoying the summer. I’m a big fan of sun & heat so am happily writing this from my lovely and hot studio in Cleveland.

This week’s episode is especially fun for me because in junior high school I played softball. We were not good, often losing by the mercy rule (which my mother was happy about because she could go home early rather than continue to watch us get whupped). This was during a time when coaching of girls’ sports was not what it is today. Our coach told batters to “Hit the ball!” As bad as we were, I’m confident we all knew that was the aim. So!, talking to Haylie was super terrific! I loved learning about all the intricacies of softball, her intense preparation and training, along with what she loves about the game since I clearly missed most of that.

The episode is also special because I LOVE talking strength training. All the better because, Haylie is incredibly smart, totally immersed, and dedicated to her work as a Strength and Conditioning Coach at Florida A&M. I’d love to train with her, even for a short time. (Just putting that out there. 😃 )

Some things that stood out from the conversation were:
1. Because there isn’t a vibrant pro league in softball (and in many women’s sports), softball players have only 4 years to master their game, which really is just not enough. Sports take time, (which Haylie also talks about). And here we have yet another reason it’s a real bummer for women not to have the same opportunities as men do in sport.

2. Haylie is completely focused on making the Olympic roster for Tokyo2020. Like so many women’s sports that only get solid media coverage during the Olympics, this year and next are crucial to drum up support and win big to create interest. We just saw this same dynamic play out during the Women’s World Cup. And not solely for the USA Team. Lower ranked teams like Thailand, Chile, and Jamaica have players who were quoted saying that they need to put on good performances to add weight to their asks for greater equity. Notice I say greater equity not equity. Equity would be too huge a leap to achieve in one go.

3. Strength training is important for everyone. Haylie talks about how lifting a few weights a couple times a week as we age can keep away all sorts of diseases of the body and the brain. This is super important stuff!
Ages ago, I read a recommendation of weight lifting your age in percentage of total workout time. Meaning, if you are 50, strength train 50% of your total hours of exercising. If you are 20, 20% of your workout time is strength training. As an older endurance athlete, this is tough for me but I have greatly increased how much time I spend in the gym. It is, by far, the change that has made the most difference in my health and fitness over the past decade.

This episode with Haylie is the first of 3 episodes with coaches. I’ve been editing the next one with University of Buffalo’s Women’s Basketball Coach, Felisha Legette-Jack, and, it too, is terrific. Very different and very terrific. So stay tuned. Subscribe to the podcast wherever you find your podcasts.

Ep63 NAM Cyclo-Touring To Extreme Danger

No surprise, I have a special fondness for my cycling guests.
This week cyclo-tourist, bike adventurer, and activist Tenzin “Nam” Namdol joins us.

Some recordings come easily, others not. It is fitting with Nam's life of traveling and everything else we talked about, that setting up with Nam wasn’t hard at all, but did involve being mindful of her adventure, no-home living. All it meant was acknowledging that the sound quality and internet connection weren’t great in the windy hills above San Francisco. She had taken a day ride from Oakland up to Headlands Center For The Arts with excellent plans to record from there. All was well: we rescheduled and she spoke from her van in Portland.

The nomadic, weather-chasing, van life appeals to me until I try to decide which of my oh-so-essential stuff to get rid of. In this episode, Nam expresses her joy, health, and sense of healing from moving around, riding bikes with friends, and of knowing she’s doing important work. She also acknowledges the struggles of having so little stuff, of upgrading to a gas-using vehicle, and feeling like she’s not doing what she’s supposed to as a good immigrant kid in the land of plenty. A lesson I’ve learned talking to all the incredible women of the podcast is that what looks easy and an obvious choice often is not and decisions made still gnaw with questions.

When I asked Nam about what she learned during last year’s WTF Summit that she & 5 fellow bike adventurers co-founded, she responded by talking about money in bike racing. This is so fascinating! Her perception is that the current, historic, and deeply entrenched inequity in bike racing ripples to cause inequities in bike touring and in bike shops. That had never occurred to me but certainly makes sense. Racing could be considered the top dog of the sport so, of course, dictates the tenor of everything below. This makes the work that Iris Slappendel (Ep42) is doing via the Cycling Alliance even that much more important.

Find out more about Nam in the Show Notes.
Briefly, she is a first generation Tibetan-American, nature enthusiast, and budding travel writer. Through environmental activism she discovered bike commuting and now rides her bicycle full time while advocating for more gender and racial diversity within the outdoors industries. She is also strategizing on what she wants her role in the 2020 elections to look like.

In addition to putting together the 3-day Summit, which sold out this year in 2 hours! (Obviously, there’s a demand for this kind of get together.), WTF manages The Grassroots Ride Series. They are free, self supported, bike packing trips organized by someone local who knows the route and has experience in adventure trips. The idea is to make bike touring more accessible for more WTF and gender non-conforming self-identifying riders.

I hope some of you sign up to take part in the rides. They take place throughout the country, are for a range of levels, and generally are a few days long. What a great and comfortable way to get started. The concept of bike touring isn’t difficult but, I think, can be a bit scary if you’ve never done it and aren’t an ace bike mechanic.

In the episode, Nam who is an ace story teller, chats sexism in cycling, joy of bikes, being an immigrant, suffering while climbing, adventure, activism, women bike mechanics + so much more.

Ep62 SENSI GRAVES Big Beautiful Life

From her very first email I was taken with Sensi Graves’ energy.
She is a professional kiteboarder and founder of Sensi Graves Bikinis “empowering women in watersports by giving them the confidence they need and the swimwear they can rely on”. (This means cute suits that stay put.) In her own training, coaching, and competing she was tired of pulling at her bikinis and not having them function the way she wanted so she up and launched her own swimwear line!
 
In our conversation we cover starting a small business, some helpful entrepreneurial tips, bikinis, tits&ass social media, and wearing clothes for confidence & rockstar status. Plus, quite a bit about the sport of kiteboarding. (She swears it’s easy to get up and riding quickly.)

Sensi also tells a story about her kiteboarding community recently coming close to blows over pay equity. It’s been fascinating to watch men really dig their heels in as women ask for a fair share. Responding to Sensi, I said that it wasn’t true that men will lose out and there was enough pie for everyone. I should have said they won’t always lose out. Certainly, in some cases, some men will. In Episode 7 of the cycling podcast Off The Front, that I co-produced for almost a year, Katie Compton addresses just that. She has a very hardcore version of competing that I love and have always subscribed to. In a nutshell…. not everyone deserves a trophy. Paying men to 40th place while women are earning way less than 50% makes no sense.
 
I often find that during the interviews it’s really easy for me to sound as if I always live my best self, but the reality is I struggle with many of the things guests talk about. I’ve experienced the positives of meditation and still have trouble getting to it every day. Meditating in bed is a work-around, a hope for a solution to skipping it once I get out of bed. It was super fun to hear that Sensi found the same solution even if for different reasons. I eat lots of sugar. (I was eating licorice candies while editing the episode!) Sensi made sure to point out, “We don’t have all the answers!” She doesn’t eat packaged foods and yet admitted to that not being true 100% of the time. That’s what I love – lofty goals and being quite fine with not reaching them every time.

Go to the Show Notes for a more complete bio, but briefly, Sensi has been featured extensively in online and print publications including The Kiteboarder Magazine, Kiteworld, IKSURF Mag, The Kite Mag, KiteSpain, barefootkings.com and womenwhohustle.com.
 
Sensi has been nominated for AWSI kiteboarder of the year for the last four years and ranked 3rd on the Kite Park League World Tour in 2017.
 
Sensi Graves Bikinis has been recognized by Self Magazine as a top suit for sports and is the winner of the 2017 SELF Healthy Living Awards.

Ep61 ERICA AYALA Women's Hockey Now

Thanks to all you who subscribe and read the newsletter. It’s fun to write down a few things that cross my mind while researching, interviewing, and editing. So, I appreciate you joining me in discovering more female athletes and about the business of women in sports.

For a while now, I’ve been following this week’s guest, sportswriter Erica Ayala, and hoped to get her on the show to talk about women's sports in the media. With the recent folding of the Canadian Women’s Hockey league and #ForTheGame movement it was such a terrific opportunity to get Erica on the show to fill us in on that whole story with a bit of background thrown in. She's quite the expert on hockey and it's quite a story! I’m thrilled she agreed and can’t wait to have her back on again.

What’s important about our conversation is a dose of reminders that the battles in women’s sports are definitely about money AND about being treated as professionals. The Metropolitan Riverters who had links to the NJ Devils until very recently were one of the few teams who weren’t sharing a locker room with rec(reational) leagues. Gah! Seriously? I mean, it’s not like these professional athletes are asking for the world.

Emotions are hot, as Erica explains. There are two sides. Or more. She also points out that what’s happening in hockey is the same thing that happens in all labor movements. I like that she puts it in that context rather than keeping this fight for working equity in a separate sports arena.

Erica also points out, with actual numbers, that there is, in fact, an audience for women’s hockey and for women’s sports. (And this is without the marketing dollars + other support men’s sports get.)

Our conversation was recorded the day before #ForTheGame announced the formation of a players union so obviously we didn’t talk about it. You can head over to the Show Notes to find some links to an article about that development and a whole ton of other links to articles, podcasts, players, and topics Erica mentioned in the episode. A highlight is the 30 for 30, episode, Back Pass, which she highly recommends.

Erica is a sportswriter, broadcaster, and podcaster. She serves as a color analyst and ringside reporter for the National Women’s Hockey League and writes the weekly hockey column for The IX Newsletter. She covers women’s basketball for High Post Hoops and the new WNBA vertical at The Athletic. Erica has contributed women's sports coverage to espnW, The Guardian, The Hockey News, ThinkProgress, WBAI Sports Qualified (radio), and more.

In addition to sports, Erica is a youth justice advocate. She has worked for over ten years with the Children’s Defense Fund Freedom Schools®, a summer literacy program that seeks to fosters a love for reading and promote literacy in communities throughout the United States. She currently works as the Project Manager of the GPS4Kids Collective Impact initiative at the Westchester Children’s Association.

Erica received her B.A in Political Science, with a minor in African-American Studies from Elon University. She is an Elon Softball letter winner and a 2006 Arthur Ashe Sports Scholar. She completed her Master of Public Administration degree at the NYU Robert F. Wagner School of Public Service in May 2016.

Ep60 REBECCA ROSS Name Drops Mountains

This week's guest on the podcast is mountaineer, climber, and photographer Rebecca Ross who is on her way to the Republic of Georgia in less than a month. 

She's been adventurous since early on but her climbing career started only in May 2017 shortly after completing a Basic Climbing Education Program offered through the Mazamas. 

The skills and knowledge she’s gained over a short amount of time has led her to successfully obtain two international climbing grants: leading her first international expedition to the summit of Pico de Orizaba in December 2018, and another expedition planned in 2020 to summit three peaks in Mongolia.

Rebecca jumped right into leading climbs, which is really interesting and brings on a whole other set of issues and responsibilities. During preparation for the trip to Mexico she cut a team member and another left. Find out why in the episode. What struck me was how Rebecca knows how she wants to climb and sticks to that for safety and good team togetherness.

Big surprise we talk about equipment. She borrowed a backpack for Three Fingered Jack in Oregon but it was too big and had other fit issues. Her story reminded me of a hut to hut ski trip I did years ago with my husband and friends. One borrowed climbing skins last minute and didn't get a chance to test them out. They didn't work well and he ended up bailing days early. This all brings up something Rebecca emphasized was important to her. She takes lots of classes to keep upgrading her skills, increase her knowledge, and understand the equipment and tools. This can be particularly important for women who aren't always seen as knowledgeable in stores so can be steered in wrong directions. 

Rebecca goes over some of the mundane parts of expeditions like planning, grant writing, and negotiating. It's all good stuff. She certainly has made a mark for herself in a short time by working smartly and pushing past her own fears (she's afraid of heights!) and standing up for herself.