FIFA CALLS ON YOUNG FEMALES TO “LIVE YOUR GOALS”

As the Women’s World Cup is about to begin, the international governing organization for soccer launched a new initiative aimed at inspiring women and girls all over the world to participate in the game. Featuring some of the stars of this summer’s FIFA Women’s World Cup™ in Germany, “Live Your Goals” will target the next generation of women’s soccer players around the globe. The launch took place at the Olympic Stadium in Berlin and was attended by German national team player Kim Kulig, Canada’s captain Christine Sinclair as well as FIFA’s Head of Women’s Competitions Tatjana Haenni. Women’s soccer has established itself as a force to be reckoned with and can now claim 29 million active players worldwide. This year’s FIFA Women’s World Cup, widely predicted to be the most successful edition ever of FIFA’s flagship women’s event, was selected as the launch pad for an initiative which FIFA hopes will continue to inspire more and more girls and [Read More]

published June 27, 2011 at 11:28pm CDT

DEAR SO AND SO: MY BLOG

Dear Tipsyreader.com, I haven’t had my morning cup o’ joe yet, so this could get ugly. Sometimes I wish this were one of those blogs where I could write about my life at least a little bit. But there are two things wrong with this picture. One is that I always feel too narcissistic and negative whenever I do this. And I’m not funny on command. I totally admire the guys and gals who can blog well with wit and substance, but I am not one of those people. I have so many ideas for you, but they’re in its infancy of production. And then there’s logistics. I have a ton of time now, but when things get busy? You poor thing is the first to get neglected! Time management is a bitch like that. Oh Time Management, I feel a letter to you is in the near future. Yours Not-So-Faithfully, Tipsyface P.S. Have I mentioned I haven’t had my coffee yet? I don’t know who came up with “Dear So and So” first, but I like the long-form concept and I’m bringing it to Tipsy Read [Read More]

published March 2, 2011 at 4:49pm CST

DR. KING'S VISION OF HOW WE CAN ALL BE GREAT

A moving part of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.s "The Drum Major Instinct" speech talks about servanthood.  It is something that Coach Don Meyer speaks of often at his clinics and academies.  it is something that was spoken to our team and staff at LSU by Coach Dale Brown who taught me that basketball and coaching is simply a means to do a greater good for as many as we can reach. But it has never been more eloquently framed than in Dr. King's speech:"If you want to be important, wonderful.If you want to be recognized, wonderful.If you want to be great, Wonderful!But recognize that he who is greatest among you is your servant.That’s the new definition of greatness. This morning, what I like about it is that by giving it the definition of greatness it means everybody can be great because everyone can serve."You don’t have to have a college degree to serve.You don’t have to make your subject and your verb agree to serve.You don’t have to know about Plato and Aristotle to serve.You [Read More]

published January 18, 2011 at 2:10pm CST

WITH A FLAT TIRE, BLOODY SHOES AND A SMILE, CHRISSIE WELLINGTON SMASHES WORLD IRONMAN RECORD

This was her Kona. Chrissie Wellington, who had to pull out of October's Ironman World Championships in Kona due to illness, made up for it and then some today at Ford Ironman Arizona. Wellington set a new record for an official Ironman course of 8:36:13, smashing the old record of 8:47:26, held by Sandra Wallenhorst. Wellington is unbeaten at the Ironman distance and also holds the record for the ironman distance on any course and#40;8:19:13and#41; and the course record in Kona and#40;8:54:02and#41;. She was 8th overall, meaning all but 7 men in the race got "chicked" as they say in the sport and#40;you learn something every dayand#41;. One of the men who did not get chicked was her boyfriend Tom Lowe, who finished an impressive 3rd in his full Ironman debut. "I'm more than happy to do the washing up and the cooking for the next year because he beat me," Wellington quipped. Not only did Wellington break the world record, but she did so in chilly 60-degree water, in occasional hail and rain, w [Read More]

published November 24, 2010 at 6:06pm CST

LESSONS CHICKS SHOULD UNLEARN

Our whole lives center around one thing - lessons. In our childhood, we learn how to grow into mature and able adults. In school, we learn reading, writing, and arithmetic. In our social lives, we learn how to function with other people in a civil and productive manner. Along the way, though, there are a lot of things we chicks learn that aren’t particularly building to our growth as women. In fact, they’re pretty detrimental. Here are a few lessons we shouldn’t be afraid to un-learn:  It’s Not Okay to PMS Really, chicks, we shouldn’t be upset on our periods? Come on. Whoever says that, normally someone with different equipment, obviously has no idea what it’s like to become a slave to your own body. All of those commercials aren’t exaggerating for sales’ sake; Mother Nature can be a pain. It takes a very strong, possibly imaginary, chick to smile and carry on pleasantly while her uterus threatens to fall out. Speaking of smiling, that reminds me of another lesso [Read More]

published October 31, 2010 at 5:53pm CDT

WOMEN TALK SPORTS WEEKLY RADIO SHOW #3 - SUNDAY AT 6PM ET - SPECIAL GUEST GABRIELE ANDERSON

Sunday afternoon, MarQ Piocos and Ann Gaffigan will host the weekly Women Talk Sports Radio Show at 6pm Eastern/3pm Pacific.  They will be discussing: Bellator 34: Megumi Fujii vs Zoila Frausto - did Frausto pull off an upset against the greatest pound-for-pound fighter in the world Thursday night? Special Guest Gabrielle Anderson - a top NCAA miler last season and emerging elite who has been diagnosed with two different types of cancer and yet has managed to finish 2nd at the NCAA meet as a senior at the University of Minnesota and then embark on a successful rookie season as a pro.  Tune in for some inspiration to start the work week! If you don't catch us live, you can listen to the show below and/or download it for iTunes. We will be hosting the show every Sunday afternoon. Feel free to give us your feedback as well as ideas for upcoming show topics and guests.   [Read More]

published October 29, 2010 at 4:57pm CDT

‎THINKING ABOUT LOMBARDI ON BROADWAY

I have had a lot of coaches in my life. I have only recently begun to understand why they matter so much. Or, not why they matter. Everyone knows why coaches matter – they tell you what to do, they organize teams, teach plays, make judgment calls and all that necessary stuff that comes with training and athletic competition. It’s more like how they matter that has come into light. On Tuesday night, I had the privilege of seeing  Lombardi at New York City’s Circle in the Square Theatre.  I was initially drawn to the play by producer Fran Kirmser, a single mom who seems an unlikely advocate for this project. I do not want, however, to take away from the value of the story, especially as it pertains to female athletes, by focusing on the gender of the producer. Let’s just say that the show was seamless, powerful, and, gasp, a woman is more than capable of producing a play about a male football coach. The casting of the show was spot on according to people more knowledgeable t [Read More]

published October 22, 2010 at 10:53am CDT

IRANIAN WOMAN CHASING HER RACING DREAM

Noora Naraghi recently traveled 1500 miles from Iran all the way to Tallahassee, Florida to learn motocross from Stefy Bau, former two-time women world motocross champion and owner of 211 MX school, the elite world wide motocross academy for women. Naraghi already made news world-wide when she decided to go against her country laws and create the first ever women motocross championship in Iran. The race was held last year at the club that Naraghi and her family own, and despite the skepticism from most people, it was an incredible success. Eight female participants and#40;one of them being Noora’s momand#41; competed in a five lap race and opened the eyes of all Iranians present. The racers were covered from head to toe, as per Iranian law, but that didn’t discourage them from giving it their best. Naraghi says: “we have to wear our “hejab” everyday so it was no different for us, just another day.”  She wants to be a motocross racer, and was granted permission by her husband [Read More]

published September 27, 2010 at 10:31am CDT

FEMALE ATHLETES WHO PAVED THE WAY FOR WOMEN IN SPORTS

Male athletes usually take the sports spotlight, for both their looks and their athletic abilities. But they’re not the only ones competing. Even before Title IX became law in 1972 and helped women gain access to equal opportunities in sports, women were active on a myriad of athletic fields. Some had huge obstacles to overcome, not the least of which was breaking into arenas considered the exclusive domains of men. Now, women play collegiate and professional sports, coach men’s sports teams, and embark on careers in sports broadcasting and management. In the early 20th century, women such as Lula Olive Gill and Eleanora Sears regularly competed against men.  At that time,  many sports were not specifically off limits to women, but all it took was one woman to win against the boys for rules to change. Such was the case with Madge Syers who won a silver medal in figure skating in the World Championships in 1902. “The International Skating Union immediately changed the rul [Read More]

published September 15, 2010 at 12:18pm CDT

VENUS WILLIAMS OFFERS GIRLS ADVICE ON TENNIS AND LIFE

Tennis legend Venus Williams returned home to Los Angeles Monday to offer an incredible tennis experience to girls from her hometown while helping to launch new POWERADE PLAY™, a sports drink geared for the young athlete with less sugar and more vitamins than traditional sports drinks. Venus met with youth members from the Greater Los Angeles chapter of the YWCA and#40;an organization that aims to empower their members to achieve their life’s goalsand#41; at the Beverly Hills Country Club on the Westside of LA. The day’s visit  included a heartfelt message from Venus about the importance of setting goals and establishing good, healthy habits early in life. Then, it was  off to the courts as the young women learned from the tennis queen herself. Venus, 29, ascended as a teen tennis prodigy from humble roots in Los Angeles County and has since dominated the women’s scene and#40;along with her younger sibling Serenaand#41;. Venus graciously answered the girls questions and [Read More]

published July 20, 2010 at 7:53pm CDT