By Lindsay Rico

After speaking with Urvasi Naidoo about the sport of Netball, only one thing occurred to me: Lebron James could never play this game. Naidoo is the CEO of the IFNA , International Federation of Netball Association, (check out her blog here) and gave me the rundown on Netball as a team sport in its purest form — and as a sport she has used to inspire young girls in India. The balance, agility, and teamwork required to play Netball are skills that Naidoo believes are key in encouraging girls build confidence and realize their potential. And it’s catching on in the U.S., too.

FGN: First of all, what exactly is Netball? How does it work?

UN: Netball is a team sport played by women. It’s essentially similar to basketball: there are two posts and one ball the object of the game is to score the most points by putting the most balls in each hole. There is a substantial difference in rules however. The main rule is that you are not allowed to move with the ball. You must pass it to your teammates and make that pass within three seconds. You are allowed to block on defense, but unlike basketball it is a non contact sport. There is a lot of quick thinking and strategy involved.

FGN: Is it a fast growing sport?

UN: Yes, absolutely. We are finding that it’s not just a commonwealth sport but that its expanding into other countries as well. It’s easily accessible and relatively cheap. You don’t need that much equipment. Just a few girls, a couple of posts and a ball. It’s also a school sport. Every girl has to play netball in school—at least in the commonwealth countries.

FGN: Why do you think Netball is so attractive to women and girls?

UN: It was created especially for women. It’s fun, dynamic and it’s a team game—you can’t have one star. There’s this camaraderie and team spirit that comes into it, which is healthy for girls.

FGN: Is this why Netball is such a good incentive for your program in India?

UN: Yes, the G.O.A.L program, started by the IFNA, targets underprivileged girls and uses Netball to encourage them to transform their lives as well as set and meet their goals. The girls enjoy playing Netball and, yes, it is like an incentive because they play the sport part of the time but the deal is that they also must take time to learn the curriculum that the program mentors have created for them. It’s a fair trade.

Lindsay Rico (R) interviews Urvasi Naidoo (L)

Nasrin Arbabzadeh

By Sarah Odell and Lindsay Rico

Nasrin Arbabzadeh, the leader of the Afghan women’s sports delegation, has been actively working for years for the rights of Afghan women to complete in sports. In 2001, she traveled from city to city recruiting women to compete in the the Third Muslim Women Games. At the time, she told the Minneapolis Star-Tribune that she wore a burqa so as not to draw attention to her work. “My life would have been in danger if the Taliban had learned of my activities and my purpose,” she said.

During the opening ceremonies of those games, organizers staged a black out and many athletes wore black mourning clothing and carried candles as a sign of support for the 48 Afghan delegates. Their participation was a symbol of political resistance. “I’m competing here to denounce the Taliban’s uncivilized treatment of women in the name of Islam,” Salma Hosseini, tae kwan do silver medalist, announced at the time.

Last week, at the Fifth World Conference on Women & Sport in Sydney, Ababzadeh stood in a question and answer period, and sought insight into how to develop, support, and train female athletes in Afghanistan. “Does anybody know about the women in Afghanistan?” she asked. The hall was silent.

FGN spoke with Arbabzadeh about her work and the challenges for female athletes in her native country.

FGN: In Afghanistan, what kinds of sports do women compete in?

NA: They play football (Soccer), badminton, basketball, taekwondo, and volleyball. But it’s very hard for them. At first, their families are not happy and they make it difficult for the girls to play. But when these girls bring home medals and awards, then their parents are happy for them.

FGN: What are some of the challenges these girls and women experience?

NA: The difficulties don’t end with the family. Most of our athletes don’t have the right clothes, shoes, or food. And athletes who have become successful are often threatened. Sixty percent of people are happy with them, forty percent are not. People think they are bad girls because they have chosen to participate in athletics.

FGN:What is your role in women’s sports in Afganistan. Who has been important to your work?

NA: I am the first woman to start sports for girls in Afghanistan. I am so happy with Faezah Hashemi, the Iranian president of the Islamic Federation of Women Sport. She has helped lots of young women within the federation, regardless of what country they come from.

FGN: How did you first get girls involved in athletics?

NA: In 2001 I collected young girls who wanted to play sports brought them to the Muslim women games in Iran. The girls competed in volleyball, tae kwan doe, shooting, tennis, running, chess, and badminton. I paid for everything so my teams could go to this competition. The girls and their families were so happy, because in Afghanistan, there are no teams that allow women. But leaders in Afghanistan  did not like what I was doing and I received threats, so [after the games] I went back to Iran.

FGN: Who was behind the threats? Why were you threatened?

NA: The Olympic manager.  He did not have a lot of experience. He saw that I had experience and knowledge. I saw many things I wanted to change. I saw the disabled athletes had terrible equipment. I wanted to help them. I asked him why they did not have better equipment and he did not like that. He told my husband that if I had any more things to say about the Olympic management or problems, he would kill me.

Arbabzadeh now lives abroad, in Australia, and serves on the Women with Special Needs Committee for the Islamic Federation of Women Sport.

FGN's Rico & Odell talk with Arbabzadeh

Ahlam Al-Mana, is president of the Women’s Sport Committee in Qatar, which was formed in 2000 and is part of Qatar’s Olympic Committee. Al-Mana, who played handball at Qatar University, earned her degree in physical education. FGN spoke with Al-Mana at the 5^th World Conference on Women & Sport held last weekend in Sydney.

Ahlam Al-Mana

FGN: Has it been hard to recruit girls and women to play sports in Qatar?

AA-M: In the beginning, it was very difficult for us. The culture didn’t allow girls to go out and play sports. We started by using the facilities in the schools because it is very easy to go to parents that way. For example, we say, “Your daughter is talented in the sport and we would like her to join us.” In Qatar [in the beginning] people didn’t know about the importance of sport for women, about the Olympic Games.

FGN: How can you change this?

AA-M: The Asian Games were organized in Qatar in 2006 and there were 11 sports for women. We had 46 players. It was very big. It made a huge change in the mentality of the parents. Now many parents bring their girls to participate. They say, “It is our dream to see our girls playing in the Olympics.”

FGN: Probably the issue that most crosses Westerner’s minds when Muslim women play sports is the matter of dress. Is it possible to compete while respecting religious rules requiring the body to be fully covered?

AA-M: There are now many countries that issue special clothes for the Muslim countries. There are many companies working on special [sport] clothes. We saw Cathy Freeman [she won the 400 meter race in Sydney in 2000 wearing a track suit that covered her head and full body, not for religious reasons but because it was her preference]. She covered all her body. And she won! She won the Gold Medal!

Here is the problem. The rules of FIFA [international governing body of soccer] they stopped the Iranian women’s team from playing one month ago. They had the qualifications, but because they wear a cover they could not play. That is not fair for the Muslim players. They should be able to participate in the World Cup with covering. You can participate if you want to wear shorts. You should be able to participate if you wear long covering. Maybe there is a difference for your results, but it should not be a technical rule. [FIFA has since agreed to an acommodation, allowing players to wear caps that cover their hair].

Olympic Gold Medalist Cathy Freeman

FGN: Will you have many athletes in the 2012 Olympics in London?

AA-M: I hope we will have girls in shooting and fencing. I have a very good shooter who is 14 and a very good fencer who is 16. But there is one thing about our country – we are the beginners in sport. Of course the Olympic Games is a dream for everyone. We have everything – financing, support – everything, but we may miss the qualifications. We have girls that are good but they are not at the level to qualify. I hope the IOC [International Olympic Committee] would give the beginner countries the chance – especially for the women. If girls have the chances to compete, they can be a model for the other ones.

FGN: Because organized sports are so new, how do girls decide which sports to play?

AA-M: We use the results of talent tests. Every year a girl takes a test. They have a special test with many parts. They test how she throws, how she runs, how high she jumps. This is the general test and through this they choose which sport.

FGN: Where do athletes train? Which sports do they participate in?

AA-M: We have three centers [Aspire Academy] and we have 11 or 12 sports. We have handball, volleyball, table tennis, basketball, and football [soccer]. And some others. (See photo of Hissa Darwish and Mayi Al-Mohammadi, who work with talented 11-year-old girls at Aspire Academy).

FGN: Thank you very much.

AA-M: Thank you.

Hissa Darwish and Mayi Al-Mohammadi work with talented 11-year-old girls at Aspire Academy

By Megan Wood

When umpire Perry Barber steps behind the catcher, fans often do a double-take when they glimpse the ponytail resting on the back of her uniform. Female umpires are not only rare, but practically unheard of.  Barber is one of only eight women to umpire professional baseball, officiating around 200 games a year for local, regional, state and professional leagues including spring training for Major League Baseball. After umpiring for over 25 years, Barber tells why there so few female umpires — and why calling balls and strikes is often viewed as something only a man can do.

FGN: When did you discover you wanted to be a professional baseball umpire?

PB: My early fascination with baseball had nothing to do with athletic competition and everything to do with being a trivia nut and former Jeopardy! champion who wanted to educate herself about baseball as a subject, not a game or sport. I needed to hold my own in trivia contests a friend constantly challenged me to.

I started going to as many Mets games as I could. At Veteran’s Stadium in Philadelphia this older couple sort of adopted me. They would let me sit with them right behind the Phillies’ dugout and take me back to the first aid room after games to meet their friends who worked there. The first aid room was adjacent to the umpires’ dressing room.

One time National League umpire #11 Ed Montague stopped in to say hello. The moment I shook his hand, it was like being struck by lightning, and I don’t mean in a romantic way, but something about him affected me so profoundly I couldn’t stop thinking about him. Until I met him, I was like everybody else and didn’t give much thought to the umpires as anything other than peripheral characters on the field, but that changed in an instant.

One night, I found a newspaper ad on my pillow that my mom had left for me. “Indio needs umpires,” it read. My first reaction was definitely not “Wow, I’m signing up tomorrow,” but confusion. When I asked why she had left it, she said, “Well, I thought it was something you’d like to do.”

So began my umpiring “career.” People were often hostile to me, but I attributed their vitriol more to the fact that I was untrained, meaning incompetent, than that I was female.

I never thought about the fact that I was a woman and women didn’t do that, or about the political implications inherent in my becoming an umpire, or anything except this is how I can stay connected to baseball and my mom… I loved baseball, and umpiring was my way of expressing that love and turning what had been a mostly cerebral attachment to the game into something tangible. If it hadn’t been for my mother, who knows if I ever would have found my way into a chest protector and shin guards. She made the connection I hadn’t; she connected the dots and saw something in me I didn’t see in myself.

FGN: Why did you decide to officiate baseball instead of softball?

PB: I didn’t “decide”; once my mom suggested that I umpire Little League baseball and I started doing it, softball just wasn’t an option. I’m glad softball exists as an alternative to baseball — even though from my perspective it also siphons off a lot of young girls who might otherwise be integrating baseball more fully — but I have no quarrel with any athletic endeavor that brings girls and women together to compete and play. I just don’t get the same charge from umpiring softball as I do from baseball. I’m baseball trained, and it’s my passion, so that’s what I stick to most of the time.

FGN: What is it like to step on a baseball field and umpire a men’s game?

PB: It’s a rush, an adrenaline charge, an affirmation of life and living and all things positive and hopeful. Just being out there on a ball field with other people running around sweating and frolicking about, it’s all so wonderful to me, even thirty years into my career. I think when I was a neophyte and unknown to many of the league and teams for which I umpired, the expectations others may have had of me might have been just a bit unrealistic (as in, they probably all thought I would stink!). But I never let anyone’s expectations deter me from pursuing my passion no matter what anyone said about how bad I was, or why was I doing this, or why didn’t I just get married and have children like a normal person and give up this umpiring thing. In other words, all the nay saying I heard (and still hear sometimes) about why I (or women in general) shouldn’t be out there with the guys. My interactions with coaches are always respectful on my part, although I can’t speak for them; I’m sure there are a few who have regarded my presence as in intrusion rather than as an asset, but that’s their problem, not mine.

FGN: How do fellow umpires and players treat you during the game? Do you feel more pressure because you are a woman umpiring men?

PB: I like to think I’m treated as an equal by my partners and fellow umpires, and for the most part, at this stage of my career, I honestly believe I am. There are probably some umpires (and players too) still opposed to sharing the field or the dressing room with a woman, but my attitude is always that I’ll be able to change their minds once they work with me and see I’m as capable as any other umpire. I don’t feel much pressure about being a woman or “representing” other women, although I may have when I first started.

FGN: Why are there so few women in umpiring? How can we encourage more?

PB: Women are not initiated into the baseball culture when they’re in utero the way boys are in this country. That’s one reason. Plus the few girls who do play baseball are often steered towards softball as an alternative. The same problem applies to umpiring baseball; there is no organized, sustained effort to recruit, train, and retain the services of women umpires.

Change will come as the result of a multi-pronged approach, including presenting umpiring as a career or a vocational option to girls and women.

For instance, we should be making a real, concerted, committed, and sustained effort to recruit, train and assign young girls to little leagues, youth leagues, high school and college games so they become a part of the culture when they’re young, the same way the boys do; and getting a lot of women to attend umpire school en masse so at least two or three get jobs in pro ball at the same time instead of just one at a time (the way it’s always happened up until now). That way there will be a support system for them, an infrastructure of sorority and women encouraging women, providing counsel and mentoring to each other.

The Tippett Sisters: Narelle and Natarsha

By Sarah Odell

This weekend, the Under 25 Doubles Championship takes place in Greenwich, Connecticut. Just yesterday I learned that there may not be enough women to make a draw. I have seen first hand the trend that US Squash is worried about: the rapid rate at which we are losing female players.

This week, I connected with two terrific women who happen to be amazing squash players. Former WISPA (Women’s International Squash Association) players turned teaching pros and turned moms. And yes, girls, they still play squash. Take note. Be inspired. Narelle Tippett Krizek and Natarsha Tippett McElhinny are here to prod you to pick up the sport they love.

FGN: You both are amazing squash players. How did you get started?

Narelle Tippett Krizek: Mum and Dad ran a squash club and we were little rats, hanging on the courts whenever possible.  Due to us being 16 months apart we were perfect play mates and always had someone to hit with.  We also played field hockey together on junior teams and representative teams.  Tarsh was a forward and I was her center half.

Natarsha Tippett McElhinny: First I have to say that when we played field hockey, Narelle used to pass me the ball, because she was my center half. I would then score. Now when we play doubles, it’s the other way around! Our dad was our first coach. He got us started and then we went off to the Australian Institute of Sports, and were working with the best professional coaches in the world.

FGN: You both were on the WISPA tour. How long did you play on the tour? Why did you retire?

NTK: I was on the tour as soon as I graduated high school.  I was on it for 5 years, reaching my highest ranking of 23 in the world.  I knew that it was a stretch to achieve top 3 and wanted to make some money so I wasn’t needing my dad’s support for my whole life.  So I took Tarsh’s teaching position in Philadelphia at Merion Cricket Club.  Playing on the tour was such a fantastic experience though, traveling around the world with my sister and friends, meeting so many different people from different countries.  It opened my eyes to a whole different way of life from Australia.

NTM:I played on the tour for three or four years, reaching my highest ranking of nineteen. That’s right, I was higher than Narelle! I’ve never lost to her and I never will. I’m never playing her again. I decided to make the move to the states when I was talking with another Australian guy when I was playing in tournament in Greenwich. I found out there was a lot more money in coaching in America, and I got the coaching job at Merion. When I left Merion to get married, I told them I had someone to fill my position who looked like me and sounded like me. Narelle took my car, my apartment and all of my white outfits!

FGN: Narelle, what was your goal with starting the WDSA (the professional Women’s Doubles Squash Association)?

NTK: I knew there was a need for women to be recognized in doubles.  We had sanctioned tournaments but not for prize money.  After seeing the ISDA men come to our clubs, I knew there was a way for the women to be recognized as well. There is also a lack of collegiate girls continuing to play squash after they graduate college.  I thought by growing the women’s doubles game this would help encourage them to play the sport as they would be social with their friends but keep them competing in a game they had once loved.

FGN: Tarsh, you’ve played doubles with your sister as your partner. What is that like? Does somebody have to keep the peace?

NTM: No, (laughs), nobody has to keep the peace. I don’t know if it’s because we’re so close in age, but we pretty much know what the other one is thinking. We know how to get the other one fired up; Narelle can give me a game plan, and I can kick her butt. I love playing with my sister because she’s so dang good.

FGN: US Squash is having a lot of trouble retaining female players after they graduate from college. What would you say to girls graduating this year to encourage them to keep playing?

NTK: Doubles is a fun way to stay fit and stay in a sport where it’s competitive but you are not stuck out there on your own chasing a little black ball around.  It is a totally new experience from anything you have been through as a junior or collegiate squash player.  Doubles will allow you to play squash for the rest of your life.  By supporting the women’s tour you are also helping to encourage young girls to play as juniors and be involved in a sport that we have all gotten so much out of.

FGN: Does the WDSA have any plans for events to encourage young women to pick up doubles?

NTK: The WDSA is working with US Squash to encourage young college players to play in the U25 doubles nationals. The WDSA is also working with a sponsor to host a doubles clinic in Sept/October in Greenwich where they get to play doubles, watch the WDSA play an exhibition followed by a manicure/pedicure afternoon.  It needs to be a fun, non-intimidating event to get them hooked.  Once we get them there, we can encourage them to play in the qualification of the pro events.

Narelle was the head squash professional at the Field Club of Greenwich, but has just relocated to Baltimore, Maryland with her husband Rob and their sons William and Blake. Natarsha lives in Las Vegas, Nevada where she is the head squash professional at the Sports Club Las Vegas. She lives there with her husband Jim and her boys Nicholas, Luke and Jake.

Boston Breakers Co-Captain Kristine Lilly with teammates after practice on the Harvard fields.

By Lindsay Rico

Soccer is — if you look at the rosters of Women’s Professional Soccer — a sport played by 20-somethings. When #13 Kristine Lilly takes the field for the Boston Breakers’ home opener against the Philadelphia Independence on Sunday she will be, at 38, by far the oldest player on the team and one of the oldest in the league. Many of her U.S. Team colleagues who won the world cup in 1999 — players like Mia Hamm and Brandi Chastain — have retired.

And yet, on the official media day last week, as players finished practice, showered and grabbed bag lunches in the Murr Center Lounge at Harvard Stadium, word filtered out that she was also the fittest. Yep, the athlete who in pre-season conditioning had come out on top. “She is Superwoman to me,” says Leslie Osborne, who with Lilly is co-captain of the team.

The point is that Lilly is not merely hanging in (understandable given her impressive resume, two-time World Cup and Olympic champion, second leader goal scorer in the world…). She is today a key playmaker and scorer on her team. She was named to the WPS All-Star team last season. Last month she was called up to play for the U.S. National Team against Mexico (US won 1-0 on a snow-covered! field), bringing Lilly’s world cap total to 344 (she was already the world’s all time leader in caps, man or woman).

Sure, her life is more complicated (married with a 20-month-old daughter will do that), but defender Stephanie Cox, formerly of the now-defunct L.A. Sol, says Lilly may be older, but that’s not necessarily a negative. “I’m almost jealous because she has had so long to figure out her body and she’s knows herself really well,” says Cox, 24. “She is probably the fittest she’s ever been.”

Age does matter. But it’s not the whole picture. FGN spoke with Lilly about how she gets the most from her body — and her experience.

FGN: What do you differently fitness-wise now than when you did years ago?

KL: The biggest difference for me now is an extra day off here and there. It’s not about over-doing it and doing extra, extra, extra. I’m more efficient with my time and I make sure to get rest. We practice five days a week, have a game on Saturday, and Sunday is for recovering. I might do a lighter session or take an extra day off here or there. Fitness has always been the backbone of my game. So I make sure I’m fit.

FGN: How do you approach the game differently now than when you started playing professionally?

KL: When you step on that field there’s a competitiveness. You want to win. It’s all the same. For me, the difference is my life off the field.

FGN: What does experience count for?

KL: Sometimes young players are still worried about everything. If you are out there, focus on two things you can do and do that well. Don’t try to solve the world’s problems in one practice. You see the eagerness in [young players'] eyes. It’s great to see that. You want that passion. But realize that everyone makes mistakes.

FGN: After the ponytail pull last fall in the college playoff game, there has been talk about how physical women’s soccer has become. Is it rougher?

KL: It’s physical. It’s been physical since I played in high school. Players today are better and stronger. But there is not a moment when you are not having some bodily contact. And it can teeter on the line of foul or no foul. That is just part of it.

FGN: How long do you plan to play? Any plans to retire?

KL: No! We’re just playing it by ear. I’m taking care of my body. I’ll know when it’s time.

FGN: Do younger players ever tease you about your age?

KL: Yeah, there are some comments out there, but it’s all in good fun. I just make sure to give it right back to them!

LA Sol's Allison Faulk (3) celebrates with Shannon Boxx (7) and Brittany Bock (11) over Washington Freedom's Cat Whitehill (4) and Alex Singer (21) after scoring a goal against the Washington Freedom's Briana Scurry at the WPS season opening game at the Home Depot Center, Sunday, March 29, 2009.

By Lindsay Rico

It’s been a year since the launch of Women’s Professional Soccer. Despite the loss of one of the league’s more prominent teams, the Los Angeles Sol, WPS has shaken the dirt from its cleats and is gearing up for a strong second season. Robert Penner, Director of Communications, shared with FairGameNews league views on the differences between WUSA (Women’s United Soccer Association, which folded in 2003) and WPS, how business looks (so far), and how women’s pro soccer is evolving (the ponytail pull not withstanding).

1. Last year, the new league launched in a serious recession. The Sol folded. Will WPS be around for a while?

On the business side, we’ve seen increases in important metrics already this season including an increase in season ticket sales of around 20% among returning teams, local sponsorship gains of about 150% — and another national founding partner for the league with Citi as a national jersey sponsor.  The franchise model developed for this league is the right model giving them flexibility. Local owners can make the adjustments they need at the local level and continue to reach the grassroots soccer communities in their markets. These are all positive factors towards the growth and development of the league.

2. Last fall, the pony tail pulling incident in New Mexico stirred lot of attention — and discussion about the physicality of women’s soccer.  Is WPS more physical than it once was?

The speed and quickness of the game in WPS is a step above college and should be even more exciting to watch in 2010 with the signings of more top internationals and incoming rookies. The sport has just gotten faster and athletes have become stronger through increased conditioning, fitness and nutrition. That also means that the game has become more physical. It’s something our officials and the league office monitor very closely. Fair play and protecting athletes from injury is of the utmost importance in WPS.

3. What is the biggest style difference between WUSA and WPS play?

The depth of women’s soccer across the globe has increased dramatically — even since 2003, the last year WUSA played. We’re seeing countries put more resources behind their national teams and countries that didn’t previously compete on the global level produce more talent. With WPS bringing together top players from 19 different countries, we’re seeing these top players improve the level of the play to a point that we didn’t see in WUSA. Many coaches, players and experts involved in both leagues say the game is of a much higher quality in WPS.

4. It is possible to buy a Marta or Abby Wambach jersey or T-shirt? I didn’t see player T-shirts last year. Isn’t this a key part of growing the team and marketing?

This year on ShopWPS.com, fans will be able to customize jerseys with player names and most every team in the league offered customization in stadium last year and will again this year – so it’s possible to get names on the back of the jerseys. Team logos are standard size across most soccer leagues in the world and we want to be consistent in that sense, so logos are similar to what you see elsewhere in soccer apparel.

Let’s take a breather. Time out from Lindsey Vonn and women in bathing suits. For me, one of the most frustrating aspects about Olympic coverage is that we usually can only watch sports that the United States dominates (or sports that are surrounded in controversy). As a result, many sports I know little about. So this week, I talked to Rosie Brennan, a member of the Women’s Cross Country Team at Dartmouth College. Rosie explained how the sport works, and that it’s much more than the image I had — of my father climbing the hill in my yard and skiing down it.

FGN: I need a crash course in competitive Cross Country Skiing…
RB: Cross Country skiing is made up of two disciplines, freestyle and classical. Like alpine, in order to win the World Cup, you have to be good at both. Although racers tend to be better in one or the other, they are forced to compete in both. There are six different events at the Olympics and the technique used, freestyle or classic, switches every Olympic year.

FGN: What are the events this year?
RB: This year the events are:

– The 10/15 km individual start freestyle. This race is a time trial event where racers are started every 30 seconds.  (The women ski 10 km and the men ski 15 km)

– Classic Sprint. In the Classic Sprint, men and women must pass qualifying rounds to make it into the finals. Only the top 30 men and women will move past the initial round. The course in Whistler is 1.7 km for men and 1.4 km for women. Classic Sprint races are very exciting because athletes crash as they dash for the line. The Whistler course has a big 180 degree downhill corner and a long finishing stretch. The United States has been very successful in this event.

– The 15/30 km pursuits. The 15/30 km pursuits feature both the freestyle and classic technique, with a mass start. Racers begin by skiing classic and finish skating

– Team Sprint Freestyle. The team Sprint freestyle uses the same course as the individual sprint, but the teams are made up of two skiers who trade skiing laps of the course until three laps have been competed. There is only a semi and a final because of the overall length of this event. Both distance skiers and sprinters come together in the Team Sprint.

– 4X5/10 km relay. The 4×5/ 10 km relay is a mass start as well, with each skier going 5/10 km before tagging their teammate. This event features a rivalry between the Italian and Norwegen men.

– The 30/50 mass start classic. The 30/50 km mass start classic is considered one of the best events. It takes place at the end of the games, and is a long and grueling event, but is often very exciting because a lot can happen through the length of the race.

FGN: How are events judged?
RB: All events are solely based on time. Obviously, there are rules as to what technique you can use and such, but it is purely who is the fastest skier.

FGN: Who are the American women to watch?
RB: Kikkan Randall.  She is the star sprinter of the women’s team. She was the first American women to win a world cup and to win a medal at world championships — both in the sprint event.

FGN What is the least known fact about Cross Country skiers?
RB: Cross country skiing athletes are truly remarkable. They are without a doubt the most fit athletes in the world. The top level skiers train 750-1000 hours a year. These are hours spent constantly in motion. Unlike soccer practice where time is spent learning plays, moves, and drills, every single one of these hours is spent creating a higher oxygen capacity and getting stronger. All courses are made off big climbs and fast downhills. Skiers can reach speeds of 30 mph which is remarkable because cross country skis do not have edges. Balance and coordination play a key role in being successful.

Rosie Brennan of Dartmouth in a cross country ski race

By Megan Wood

Sadly, the LA Sol have been dissolved, leaving one less professional women’s soccer team to inspire young players. But there is a team out there to root for: Utah’s Mighty Cheetahs. This film is not new, but if you haven’t seen it or heard about it, watch the trailer here. In it, Mighty Cheetahs coach (and filmmaker) Jenny Mackenzie documents a third grade girl’s soccer team which pushes the boundaries of gender segregation in sports by competing in the boys division (for the first time in 2005). Mackenzie — who does public speaking — is coming our way tomorrow so we took time to talk with her about the film. Inspired to make it by her own mother and the reaction of fans on the sideline when their boy’s faced all-girl competition, Mackenzie follows her dream team of 8-year old girls as they make clear that the insult “Kick Like A Girl” is actually a compliment.

FGN: What personal experiences triggered your interests in this topic and the Kick Like A Girl project?

JM: Sports have always been an important part of my life.   When I became a mother, I knew that I wanted to coach my girls in a variety of sports and I knew that having female role models in all areas of their lives was important- on the playing field, in the work place, in school, and at home.  It was my own mom who inspiring me to start filming Kick Like A Girl. She had come out to visit at the beginning of the season we were playing against the boys, and she heard some of the sideline comments from the parents, and she said “Jenny you have a great story here.”

FGN: Why do you think young boys and girls are separated by gender in athletics?

JM: I think gender segregation in any aspect of life comes from an historical context.  We’ve made tremendous progress with gender equity and integration, but there are everyday issues that remind me that there is still a lot of work to be done.

FGN: Was it as big of a deal to the girls as it was to their parents and other community members that they were playing soccer with boys?

JM: No.  The girls were really pumped and excited for the next challenge. They were ready to continue to learn and grow.

FGN: What effect did a co-ed team have on the female and male players? What lessons did they carry off the field from their experience?

JM: I think it had lasting effects on all of the boys and girls, as well as their parents.  They all learned from each other- the boys learned to respect the girls on the playing field, and therefore in other areas of their lives as well.  They also learned as they watched the girls work together on the soccer field,  that teamwork is much more effective than the ‘one man show’.  The girls learned that the possibilities for them at the age of 9 to grow as young athletes were not limited by gender.

FGN: What were the reactions of the community when you presented this documentary? Is there more co-ed play in your community?

JM: The community has wrapped their arms around this film.  They are very proud of it, and yes it has inspired more co-ed play.  We are in the process of working with local and National Youth soccer boards to have co-ed opportunities through elementary school.

FGN: Do you have any plans for another film? Are you left with any lingering questions after you produced Kick Like A Girl?

JM: I have two projects in development- one called Teen Love, an in depth look at the reality of teenage love, romance, and sexuality.  The other film is called Sugar Babies, and it looks at the public health epidemic of Diabetes through four children living with diabetes.

Kelly Kulick, barraged by press requests, and her mom Carol Kulick, just back to her Union, N.J. home from Las Vegas and hoarse (but elated) each spoke by phone with FGN about the experience  – and what the watershed win means.

FGN: How important was this victory?

KK: I think this is going to change the face of bowling as we know it. If there weren’t bowling fans before this happened, we gained some this past Sunday.

FGN: How much did you win?

KK: $40,000. It’s my highest prize money ever.

FGN: When you went out to Las Vegas, how did you feel about Kelly’s prospects?

CK: To be honest, at first I didn’t think she had a chance because she was bowling against these men and it is awkward to be the only woman [competing at the event].

FGN: When did you begin to think she had a shot at winning?

CK: Actually winning?  I noticed that she was striking and [Chris Barnes] wasn’t and I thought, ‘She’s going to do this! She’s really going to do this!’” The crowd was unbelievable. I really think they were behind her. They were so there for her that it pumped her up. They were cheering; it was awesome. It is amazing what the crowd behind you can do.

FGN: Kelly bowls with a 15-pound ball; many men bowl with a 15 or 16-pound ball. The pins, the lanes are the same for men and women. What makes people think the guys should always win?

CK: [The argument is that] because of their strength…they just have the power so they can scatter more pins.  It’s always been a question: Can women keep up? Can they do it? But it’s not about power anymore. It’s about precision. It’s about placing the ball. It’s about your timing. It also goes back to being told all your life that you can’t play with men. I always joke that if Kelly were a man, she’d be pitching for the Yankees.

FGN: You are saying that part of the problem is the message to women and girls…

CK: Women have been told all their lives that they can’t compete [with men]. And so they don’t think they can. It takes one woman breaking through. There is room in every sport for women. As long as they are told they can’t, they will believe that. But one by one, they are finding out that maybe they can.

KK: I always thought women could compete against men. It is more mental strength than anything else. Where men have an advantage is that as you play, the lane breaks down. It gets drier and it forces you to play a part of the lane that may not be a comfort zone. The men’s ball speed is usually faster and has a higher rev rate [more revolutions] than most women [which gives it more force against the pins]. My game is versatile enough that I can play the angles and I can usually keep up with them.

FGN: This sounds like a matter of technique and training. Are there more female bowlers who have this great training and technique?

KK: There are many more opportunities to learn now — the training and the coaching are readily available, compared to what it used to be. It has become more of an individual challenge – how far you want to perfect yourself as a professional athlete.
FGN:The women’s tour folded after the 2003 season (the year Kelly won the Women’s US Open). Since 2004, women have been allowed to qualify for the men’s Tour. Is there reason to revive a women’s tour (assuming the money is there) or should women continue to play with the men?

CK: What the women have been doing is having something like seven events just to try to get something going. But its not really an official tour. I don’t know if there will be a women’s tour again. If you could see the collegiate bowling out there it’s excellent — and these women have no where to go. HIgh school bowling is bigger than ever.

KK: I would like to see a ladies tour. We have to be marketable as people and athletes. Some of the best compliments I have received are from girls who say, “when I grow up I want to be like you.” I’m excited. I know I have affected a lot of lives.