TOP POWER FEMALE ATHLETES OF 2011

Apparently Bloomberg BusinessWeek creates an annual Sports Power list by choosing the 100 most powerful athletes on and off the field. This year's Power Sports 100 was pretty disappointing in regards to the number of women that were selected. In fact, only five women were chosen to be a part of the 2011 Power 100. Why is it that men are the ones always selected for sports awards? And what, exactly, is power in sports? According to Bloomberg BusinessWeek: It's not simply the ability to bench-press a truck or crush a golf ball down the fairway. While such talents are impressive, there are other attributes that fans — and advertisers — value just as highly. It's the combination of athletic achievement plus the ability to connect with an audience on a deeper, more personal level that separates mere jocks from the stars. This year, Peyton Manning replaced Tiger Woods for the top spot and#40;Woods dropped to No. 3 while Shaun White nabbed the second spotand#41;. So without furthe [Read More]

published February 8, 2011 at 12:19pm CST

KIM WINS SPORTS AWARD AS WOMAN OF THE YEAR

Korean figure skater Kim Yu-na became the first Asian to earn the Sportswoman of the Year honor yesterday at the 31st Annual Salute to Women in Sports gala held by the Women’s Sports Foundation. The annual event, held at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in New York City, honored female athletes who have exemplified excellence in their respective fields and have been role models for females worldwide. The winners were selected based on an online poll held on the WSF Web site. Kim edged out Sanya Richards, a world 400m runner and Alana Nichols, a Paralympic wheelchair basketball player, to win the Sportswoman of the Year as an individual. Kim had a dominating season winning all three International Skating Union Grand Prix events that she entered and adding a gold medal at the 2010 Vancouver Olympic Winter Games in March. At the 2010 games, Kim blew away her competition with a record-setting performance of 78.50 in the short program, 150.06 in the free skate and a 228.56 total. Kim had als [Read More]

published October 14, 2010 at 4:52pm CDT

LADY GAGA, OPRAH AND DANICA PATRICK TOP 100 MOST POWER WOMEN - FORBES

Forbes just launched its very diverse and mixed bag, Power Women Issue, which is lead by first Lady Michelle Obama. Forbes divided the power women candidates into four groups: politics, business, media and lifestyle and#40;that is, entertainment, sports and fashionand#41;. Then ranked the women in each group, and then group against group. Quote:"Not easy, but that's today's reality: an incongruous, diverse mash-up of hard power and#40;currencies and constitutionsand#41; and dynamic power and#40;audience and audacityand#41;." Here are a few that caught my attention and admiration: Ranked #93 is 28 year old Danica Patrick women race car driver! Profile: In 2010 Danica Patrick took a calculated risk: to split her time racing between the IndyCar racing that she's competed in since 2005 and NASCAR's second-tier Nationwide Series stock car circuit. And as the season draws to a close, despite middling performances on both circuits, she sees her decision as a good one and is up for a repeat next [Read More]

published October 8, 2010 at 12:46pm CDT

AMERICA SELECTS GRAND PRIZE WINNERS IN THE SHELL V-POWER® 'FUEL MY PASSION' CONTEST AND SWEEPSTAKES!

  Five Contest Winners Receive One Year of Shell V-Power® Gasoline; and One Lucky Sweepstakes Winner Receives a New Ride Plus Five Years of Shell V-Power® Gasoline! Shell concluded its annual search for the ultimate automotive enthusiasts across the country in the Shell V-Power® "Fuel My Passion" Contest and Sweepstakes. The five grand prize winners were selected by the online community after all entries were narrowed down with the help of expert guest judges from Road and Track, Car and Driver and Cycle World. To enter, Shell asked people across the U.S. who are passionate about what they drive or take pride in their ride to enter the contest by submitting a photo of themselves and their vehicle along with a few sentences about how Shell V-Power® premium gasoline fuels that passion. The vehicle categories included: Luxury and Vintage, Sports and Performance, Motorcycles, Trucks, SUVs or Minivans and Other Premium Rides. This year, Editors-in-Chief Matt DeLorenzo from [Read More]

published September 28, 2010 at 6:56pm CDT

AUSTRALIANS SET RECORD FOR FASTEST STILETTO RACE

In the wake of last week’s LIVE’s  High Heel-a-Thon to benefit the Heart Association, four Australian women have just nabbed the world record for the fastest relay race in stiletto heels. The quartet from the Australian capital of Canberra completed a 100-meter and#40;330 feetand#41; course near Sydney’s Opera House in about one minute and four seconds on Tuesday, Sept. 28 2010 — while wearing 3-inch heels. A record keeper from Guinness World Records confirmed the women had set the record and presented them with a certificate. The women — known as the Pinkettes — say they plan to use their 10,000 Australian dollar and#40;$9,600and#41; prize for a trip to Thailand. About 100 women — and one man — competed in the race, which helped raise money for the National Breast Cancer Foundation. [Read More]

published September 28, 2010 at 6:38pm CDT

FORD VP SUSAN CISCHKE TO RECEIVE TOP HONORS FROM WOMEN'S AUTOMOTIVE ASSOCIATION INT'L

BIRMINGHAM, MICHIGAN…The Women’s Automotive Association International and#40;WAAIand#41; will present the prestigious Professional Achievement Award to Ford Motor Company Group Vice President Susan Cischke during its annual awards dinner at the Automotive Hall of Fame in Dearborn, Mich., on Wednesday, October 20, 2010, according to a recent announcement by Lorraine Schultz, WAAI founder and CEO.The Professional Achievement Award recognizes professional women for their commitment, professionalism and success in the automotive industry.  “Sue has had a distinguished career and is most worthy of recognition,” noted Schultz. “She has been a leader in business and her community throughout her career, and we are privileged to honor her many achievements.” As group vice president, sustainability, environment and safety engineering, Cischke is responsible for establishing Ford’s long-range sustainability strategy and environmental policy. She also serves as Ford’s chief liaison w [Read More]

published September 24, 2010 at 1:29pm CDT

HOLLYWOOD FEMINIST OF THE DAY: REGINA KING

Regina King Rutina Wesley Regina King kicked a little Emmy butt in a piece on the Huffington Post.  First, she talked about the lack of people of color nominated.  She cited stats from the NY Daily News the that only 53 people of color were nominated in nearly 1,000 categories.  Ouch. People, especially those in the business, don’t usually bring up these issues so she gets major points for taking a stand. Several other things pissed her off especially when they mixed her up with Rutina Wesley an actress from True Blood.  When Wesley entered the ceremony they said she was King.  I mean they both have a name that starts with the letter r. Seriously.  That’s just bad form.  These women look nothing alike. The Emmys: As White As Ever and#40;Huffington Postand#41; [Read More]

published September 7, 2010 at 10:21pm CDT

WOMEN’S SPORTS FOUNDATION’S “SPORTSWOMAN OF THE YEAR”

It’s that time of year again. To celebrate the world’s top female athletes, the Women’s Sports Foundation nominated elite athletes from 20 different sports for individual and team Sportswoman of the Year awards. The 2010 finalists have distinguished themselves from the field by their record-breaking, historic or simply amazing athletic performances on the world stage. Fans can vote for the Sportswoman of the Year now through Aug. 31, 2010, at www.WomensSportsFoundation.org. The winners will be announced October 12 at the Women’s Sports Foundation 31st Annual Salute to Women in Sports Awards gala in New York City. The following is a list of 2010 finalists: Individual Sport Torah Bright and#40;Australiaand#41; – Snowboarding Won the halfpipe event at the World Cup in Switzerland as well as the superpipe event at the Toyota Championships of the Winter Dew Tour in February. Won gold at the Olympic Winter Games in the halfpipe and silver in the women’s snowboard superpipe [Read More]

published August 29, 2010 at 12:04am CDT

THE CREATIVE EMMY WINNERS 2010

Lisa Coleman and Wendy Melvoin The Emmy folks like like the Oscar folks give out their technical and “smaller” awards on a different night from their high profile TV event. The big Emmys are next weekend. Betty White who killed on Hot in Cleveland all season won an Emmy for hosting Saturday Night Live and Ann-Margaret won for guest actress on Law and Order SVU. But most importantly, another glass ceiling was broken by composers Wendy Melvoin and Lisa Coleman who won for title theme music for Nurse Jackie. They are the first women to win on that category. Congrats. [Read More]

published August 23, 2010 at 2:31pm CDT

FEMALE KNUCKLEBALLER HONORED BY HALL OF FAME

A few weeks ago we wrote about Chelsea Baker, a 13-year-old Florida girl who’s in a league of her own. Now Chelsea, a knuckleball pitcher who has thrown two perfect games against Little League boys teams, has been honored by the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum. Chelsea  donated the Brandon Farms jersey she wore in her April 9 perfect game to the Hall of Fame as an artifact noting the importance of women playing baseball. Her jersey joins one in the hall worn by another young female knuckleballer, Eri Yoshida, 18, whose play in the pro Golden Baseball League also earned her the honor this year. Baker’s jersey will be on display in the Today’s Game exhibit before moving eventually to the Diamond Dreams exhibit for the rest of the year. The museum accepts about 400 artifacts a year from all levels of baseball, including the major leagues. Another female little leaguer, Katie Brownell, donated her jersey to the hall after she threw a perfect game in 2005. “When you [Read More]

published August 17, 2010 at 10:43am CDT