Would barring non-US citizens from US National Doubles Tourney kill the women’s game? (I’m worried)

Tuesday, January 24th, 2012

By Sarah Odell What does it mean to be the best? I pondered this recently while studying the lacquered hardwood board at the Greenwich Country Club listing past winners of the North American Open Doubles Tournament. How many winners – spanning more than 50 years – were American? Most. It wasn’t until ...

Posted in Squash, The Athletes | 1 Comment »

Four thing we learned in 2011 (that are worth remembering in 2012)

Sunday, January 1st, 2012

By Laura Pappano SOMETIMES YOU LOSE – AND IT’S OK. The Women’s World Cup championship game between the U.S. and Japan honored the rise and intensity of women’s soccer. The back story was compelling: The U.S. Team’s dramatic run-up with Abby Wambach’s YouTube-play-it-again (and again) headers versus the determination of a ...

Posted in GenNext: Sport Girls, Money, Power & Politics, Running, Soccer, The Athletes | No Comments »

Quiet challenge: Transition from HS star to college team contributor

Tuesday, November 29th, 2011

By Ashleigh Sargent The 2011-2012 NCAA basketball season has just kicked off, which means thousands of women are making their debut at the college level. Even the most talented recruits, however, need more than raw skill to make an impact. College presents new obstacles: increased intensity, expectations, and pace. Players must figure out ...

Posted in Basketball, The Athletes | 1 Comment »

Young and hungry: URI Women’s Basketball looking to its freshmen

Wednesday, November 9th, 2011

  The Playbook: Year 3  An occasional series about University of Rhode Island Women's Basketball Head Coach Cathy Inglese and her quest to turn around a program. By Laura Pappano The URI Women’s Basketball team opens the season Friday at the University of Delaware and enters Year Three of the Inglese Era squarely in ...

Posted in Basketball, The Athletes, The Coaches | No Comments »

Men are breaking marathon records; women are building contenders

Sunday, November 6th, 2011

By Laura Pappano Lately, major marathons have become a showcase for record-breaking male performances and today’s New York City Marathon was no exception: Kenyan Geoffrey Mutai finished in 2:05:05, setting a new course record (all three top male finishers broke the record). So much men’s record-breaking has been going on, in fact, ...

Posted in Running, The Athletes, The Data | No Comments »

New 3-point line? Top NCAA shooter says no problem.

Monday, October 24th, 2011

  By Ashleigh Sargent Think of it as one step – literally a 12” stride – toward gender equity. This year for the first time, women and men will shoot from the same 20’9” three-point line. The NCAA Playing Rules Oversight Panel decided to move the women’s three-point arc from 19’9” after tracking ...

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The IAAF has a Bunny Problem (not just in women’s marathoning)

Tuesday, October 18th, 2011

By Laura Pappano The international track federation’s (IAAF) decision to nullify women’s marathon records from mixed-sex events reflects a crude double standard: Men can have rabbits; women can’t. The use of pacesetters is common in running, from short track distances to marathons. Boston and New York no longer allow pacesetters, but many ...

Posted in Money, Power & Politics, Running, The Athletes | 1 Comment »

Playing against boys: Nour Bahgat is first female on Pro Squash Tour

Friday, October 7th, 2011

  [caption id="attachment_2593" align="alignnone" width="300" caption="Nour Bahgat is first female on the Pro Squash Tour"][/caption] By Sarah Odell Egyptian squash player Nour Bahgat is doing what women at the top of their game do: Challenge the guys. Bahgat, who won the 2009 Women’s Collegiate National Championship her freshman year, recently became the first female ...

Posted in Squash, The Athletes | 1 Comment »

Sport parents: Should you bribe your kid to play?

Tuesday, September 6th, 2011

By Katie Culver Most parents have been there: Wanting your child to try or do something so badly, knowing that she or he would just love the activity, sport, or food that you just might do anything to get them to do it…even bribery. Is bribery OK? Recently, for example, a mom bribed ...

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Friends again? After World Cup, your rival is your WPS teammate

Friday, July 29th, 2011

By Megan Wood Nearly two weeks after an intense World Cup tournament and a riveting US-Japan final that captured international attention, Women’s Professional Soccer has settled back into its season. On Wednesday, the Boston Breakers and the Philadelphia Independence met at Harvard Stadium for a league match in front of over 3,000 ...

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