Inspiring Sports Women

Talking women's sports at espnW

2012-01-30T08:00:00.000Z

American sports channel ESPN launched their espnW channel at the end of 2010 and have been doing some great work in promoting women's sports. Have to put my hand up and say I was a bit cynical at the time but the espnW summit held this month has wiped my worries.

Great panels for fans of women's sport like women and (sports) journalism content, mentorship, female executives, female fans of male sports and their role. And one of my favourite bloggers Dr. Nicole LaVoi talking on the 'sex sells' panel. Obviously all from an American perspective but interesting points raised for us over here as well.

You can find videos from these panels and more on the espnW Summit page. *One slightly annoying note - you can't forward the videos so if you accidentally log out of the page, you have to start again at the introductions each time!

Buffalo Girls - child boxers

2012-01-27T21:48:00.000Z

How young is too young to fight?

Director Todd Kellstein says: "Their faces beam with youthful innocence. Like other young girls, they laugh and play, in spite of their hardscrabble existence. But on Saturday nights in rural villages throughout central Thailand, some of the nation’s 30,000 child boxers enter the ring, where their tiny fists, elbows, knees and feet fly, pummeling one another in pursuit of prize money as strangers, neighbors, and even their own families, wager on the outcome. Is it exploitation, empowerment or economic necessity?"

Wordless Wednesday

2012-01-25T00:02:00.000Z

Not so Wordless Wednesday today:

Thanks to photographer and footballer Melissa Vuong from the Bondi Shamrocks Australian Rules Football Club for sending these great shots from pre-season training this week on Coogee Beach in Sydney.
Read more about the club here in this interview with Sandra Ryan (in green above).

Time for the Paralympics too

2012-01-24T08:54:00.001Z

It's an Olympic year, true true but it's also time for thousands of others to get ready for the London Paralympic Games.

The Irish Paralympian Team got their first official outing this month - interviews, profiles and news about the games. Includes some stories on how the games work, what the different classifications mean as well as interviews with paracyclist Catherine Walsh and profiles of Polish woman Natalia Partyka, Briton Ellie
Simmonds and the rest of the Irish team.

A reminder this morning that no matter what limits you think you are facing, there is a way to be better. (ahem, corny thought of the week but have a read and see how cynical you're feeling!)

You can find the Paralymics Ireland supplement online here now.

Taking your dog surfing?

2012-01-23T08:30:00.000Z

Bruce takes to the waves as Raquel watches!

Anyone’s who has spenttime on a surf beach will have seen bored dogs, lying on the sand waiting fortheir owners to come back in. Surfer Raquel Noboa has found an unusual way tokeep her dog occupied – she takes him with her on the board.

Raquel has been surfing for six years, and a dog-lover allher life but it was only last year that she thought to put the two together.

“We used to walk on Lahinch beach with the dogs. There aretwo big worlds on any beach – the surfers and the animal-lovers,” she says.“Then I just had the idea, looked it up online and friended a few Americans whoare big into it. They helped me get going.”

Lahinch (on the west coast of Ireland) is one of the mostwell-known surf beaches in the country so she was in good company. But she saysthe first time she approached a local surf school about doing a doggy day outon the waves, the owner thought she was mad.

Apparently the trick is to get your dog used to the board –don’t just take him into the water and think he will love it.

“We fed Bruce his meals on the board, so he started toassociate it with something good. That gets him used to it,” she says. “So hewas up on the board first day then in the water. But he only surfs with me, hestill hasn’t surfed with another person.”

And it seems there are surf-styles for dogs. Raquel says ifyou have a long board, you can take the dog at the front – sitting or lying –and you both balance the board together on the waves. But for regular boards,you need to push the board out to about chest-deep in the water with your dogswimming along side and help him to jump up on the board. Then push and hopefor the best.

Raquel and Bruce on dry land. (check out the shades to the left)

She organised the first Doggy Surfing Day in Ireland lastyear through her non-profit site My Pet Review, raising money for guide-dogs inthe process. And says she has plans for an international day, hoping to join upwith surfers from California.Who knew?

“Any dog can be trained to do this, but some are easier thanothers. You don’t need to be a surfer to do this either, it’s just another wayto get off the couch and get healthy,” she says.

More pics from the first Doggy Surfing day are on Dog Surfing Ireland. And if you have any questions about how to get going, leave them here (or there!) for Raquel.

A girl, a rope and a canyon

2012-01-20T08:30:00.000Z

This is incredible. Doesn't matter how busy you think you are this weekend, take a few minutes to see just how crazy sport can be. Emily Sukiennik is a slack-liner (nope, me neither) and this you need to see.
Have a great weekend!

Bumps, bruises and rugby with Dani Bachmann

2012-01-19T08:30:00.000Z

From au-pair to rugby player Dani Bachmann has had an eventful decade living in Ireland. I was watching a men's game a few weeks ago when she was pointed out as 'someone you should talk to for that blog.' So here she is ...

Dani with her team (back row, 3rd from right)

So for anyone wondering just how much contact is involved in a contact-sport like rugby, Dani’s injuries tell a good story – broken nose nine times, one black eye so nasty that passers-by on her university campus suggested she dump him now and bumps and bruises too many too count. She’s been playing for four years but says the damage “hasn’t stopped me.”

Having moved to Ireland as an au-pair from her home near Frankfurt in Germany, she initially continued playing the lacrosse she'd played at home. That’s not exactly a gentle game but far from the pressure of a scrum. “I was playing away, but it didn’t click with me. There was a bit missing,” she says. “A friend said to try rugby, as a joke really. I wasn’t sure but then decided to give it a go.”

This coincided with going to university as a mature student at University College Dublin. So with college as the traditional place to start something new, Dani signed up with the team. Lots of other ‘newbies’ around gave her the confidence to get out on the pitch, and with the encouragement of her coach she found herself taking part in her first game days after the first training session.

“Women’s teams are always short of people. So I spent 45 minutes running around, not knowing what I was doing, just following the ball really,” she says. “It was fantastic, and the team was brilliant to be with.”

Thinking about it now, she says the physicality (this is a word you hear a lot when rugby players talk sport) brings the players closer together than in other sports she’s played. With the ball moving at speed between the 15 players, and potentially serious injuries never more than a mis-step away, she says it’s not for everyone.

“I think that people would have an image of a women’s rugby player would be of a big girl and all that so that if you say you are a rugby player, you are openly admitting to be a bit of an outsider, to being a bit odd. So when you show up and meet the other 14 women who also love rugby and they think like you think, it’s brilliant.”

Dani (extreme left in blue stripes) looking for the ball

She played with the college team for a year, and then switched to club team Blackrock about three years ago, where she togs out as second row backrow. On a year out from matches to complete a Masters in Human Rights, she’s already counting down to the pre-season training in July.

And she’s no stranger to local passions - now a staunch Leinster fan, Dani jokes that she only watches rivals Munster when they’re not playing her home team.

She says: “It’s hard to explain, but I just found the sport that suits me to a tee.”

If you have any rugby questions, leave them here for Dani!

Wordless Wednesday

2012-01-18T07:00:00.000Z

Des is fund-raising feet first ... here

Wordless Wednesday is a group of bloggers who give words a rest once a week. And today the WW page is blacked out to protest the SOPA and PIPA internet laws being debated in the US.

More bling for boxer Katie Taylor

2012-01-16T01:00:00.000Z

Katie Taylor took home Boxer of the Year from the Irish Amateur Boxing Association at the weekend. Yes, that's 'boxer of the year' not 'female boxer of the year'. Great to see her achievements - world champion for the third time, European champ for the fifth time and fourth European Union gold medal - getting some serious recognition.

She was also voted Top Amateur Boxer of the Year over on the WBAN site by public vote.

Her father Pete, who trains her at their gym in in Co Wicklow as well as at the National Stadium in Dublin, was interviewed at the IABA event."Katie is absolutely delighted with the award. The previous twelve months were a big year for Irish boxing and 2012 will be crucial with the Olympic qualifiers for men and women and the Olympic Games just around the corner," he said here.

Katie Rowland was also recognised for her bronze medal at the World Youth Championships at the Irish event.

Any other awards ceremonies going on?

Fighting time in Thailand

2012-01-13T08:00:00.000Z

One of the stranger things about taking part in a sport like Thai Boxing is that non-Thais are always seen as the outsiders - and no matter how big the sport grows, there's always an Us against Them attitude. So of course promoters milk this for all it's worth.

I've interviewed Australian fighter Caley Reece a few times now for this blog - last time here - as her career continues. She's sent on a link to a great fight she had recently in Thailand, part of the Elite Boxing Thailand Vs Challengers series. For anyone who hasn't seen many fights, this is a great introduction. Commentated by Rob Cox, owner of Kiatphontip Gym in Bangkok it's a learning experience as well as being an exciting bout. And nice to hear a shout-out to my old employers the World MuayThai Council for their progressive work in promoting women's fighting.

Thailand is represented by Ayadet Sor Sawaddee. And yes, that's Caley's husband Darren 'The Riddler' Reece in her corner.

Unfortunately the video is not downloadable so you have click over to the Elite Boxing Channel here to Ayadet Sor Aawaddee vs Caley Reece.

Women's ski jumping at the Winter Olympics

2012-01-12T19:52:00.001Z

Taylor Henrich, Canada

The 1st Winter Youth Olympic Games start tomorrow in Innsbruck, and for the first time in any Olympics the ski jump competition is open for women.

Sixteen year old Taylor Henrich from Canada was the first down the jumps - a trailblazer as she was described here.

"It was quite smooth for a first jump of the day. I trained here last year for three days just before the World Junior Championships in Estonia in January 2011, so I already know it a little. Today went well, but there's definitely stuff I can improve."

The first women's World Cup ski jump took place in December, won by another teenager American Sarah Hendrickson with French women Coline Mottel in second. The sport had been rejected twice for the Vancouver 2010 games, and will be a full Olympic sport in 2014 for the first time.

Good to have some happy news to report!

The Winter Youth Olympics run from tomorrow until January 22nd.

Wordless Wednesday

2012-01-11T19:26:00.000Z

Wordless Wednesday is a group of bloggers who give words a rest once a week. ( and ahem, sometimes post a little later than they should! Apologies if you've been waiting for this post)

Kyra Gracie on starting in BJJ

2012-01-06T13:57:00.002Z

Kyra Gracie

"They said: 'that's good, that's enough for you but you're taking it too seriously. It would be hard for you to make money from Ju Jit Su. You're a girl, leave this to us."

Kyra Gracie's cousins and uncles weren't exactly over the moon when she started BJJ but now that she's been World Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Champion, Pan American, Brazilian and and Asiatic BJJ Champion on multiple occasions, she says they're changing their tune. Now, it's more like this: "Now fathers come to me and say: 'Hey Krya my daughter's training, she's wants to be a black belt like you' And they are very excited about it."

This is a great interview with her talking about how she got started, the inspiration she got from her mother - also a fighter - and of course from the famous boys in her family.

Thanks to Carlo at SHOCX in Brussels for the link!

Catherine Walsh, Paralympic cyclist

2012-01-05T11:13:00.001Z

Longer post than usual - this interview I did with cyclist Catherine Walsh ran in the Irish Independent today, a supplement for the Irish Paralympic Team.
(too big for my scanner, will upload the paper later as it's not online!)

Catherine Walsh, with racing partner Fran Meehan

Glance into Catherine Walsh’s windows and you might see her powering on a stationary bike, counting off the miles from her living room. But you’ll have to be fast if you want to spot the Paralympic cyclist out on the roads around North Dublin.

Clocking over 80km an hour on a good day, Walsh says she’s amassed a “collection of bling”. Bronze at the Sydney Olympics, silver and two bronze from the World Championships, World Duathlon champion and she’s not done yet.

Walsh is partially-sighted but shrugs off any suggestion this might be a drawback in high-speed cycling, uses the word “lucky” many times talking about her life.

“You know the board the eye-doctor uses? I can read the top line of that,” she says.

“I’m very sensitive to light so I’d have difficulty in bright conditions. And the changeover - say riding down a road with trees and then back into the sunlight - that might make me hesitate. But in a racing situation I’d just focus on cycling.”

Supported by her sports-coach parents, Walsh’s competitive career started at the Community Games running in ‘able-bodied’ races. She went on to run internationally, doing the 400m without guide-runners she points out.

From there, she made the leap to the Pentathlon at the Paralympics - fencing, swimming, showjumping, running and shooting all done on one day. Winning bronze in this competition from Sydney in 2000 remains one of her most treasured memories.

Having gone as far as she thought she could, Walsh figured the triathlon might fill a gap. But for that, you need to get on your bike.

That was in 2007 and she hasn’t stopped pedalling since. Although she does add she was ‘terrified and not even sure I wanted to do it. But I wanted to compete.”

Walsh (38) competes in tandem-races with team-mate Francine Meehan acting as her eyes at the front of the bike. She says the bond between them has to be strong as one mistake from either could over-turn the heavy bike.

Seemingly not bothered by being unable to see corners coming, Walsh says: “I just look at Fran’s body position. I know if she is moving left or right, I know there is a corner coming up.”

She adds they’re so close that when her teammate crashed in a solo race she couldn’t even look at their bike for a week.

Her own first year in the saddle involved a broken wrist and fractured thumb from two accidents but they weren’t enough to keep her away. Walsh just shrugs narrow shoulders, says you have your helmet so nothing too bad can happen and you just get on with it.

“You have to be committed, you have to squeeze everything out of the corners - you could lose by a fraction of a second. I’m not saying it’s dangerous but there is an element of danger in the sport,” she says.

Away from the glamour of racing, there’s training sessions six days a week on the bike, either indoors or on the road with the tandem. And up to three specialised gym sessions to build power for those explosive starts at the Velodrome.

But what is it really that keeps her out on the road in an Irish winter?

“Oh, the speed,” she says laughing. “When you run you might feel you’ve done as much as you can. But with cycling there is always another gear, there is always something new to learn.”

She refers to “technical corners”, says you just don’t think about it too much, crank up the speed and power through.

Behind that power is a team of supporters from her husband to the team mechanic Gerry Beggs. A living-room strewn with bike-parts is the norm for her two children, aged five and eight. Apparently Olympic medals don’t impress them much, not big enough or shiny enough they say.

Walsh says the elderly patients she cares for in her other life as a physiotherapist are among her most devoted fans, something she puts down to childhoods spent on bikes.

Not that Walsh’s bike – costing anything from €10,000 to 11,000 - is anything like a High Nelly. Balanced and weighted for two, she says they’re “a real pain” to carry around.

And she carries them a lot. In the next few months Walsh and the squad will hit Holland and Majorca to prepare for the Para-Cycling World Championships in Los Angeles in February.

Joking she would make a great logistics manager, she says balancing training with family and work is “a fantastic nightmare” that’s getting harder as her children grow older. As Walsh is unable to drive, her father is the main driver and using that stationary bike means she spends more time at home than you might think.

Together with Meehan, she races in the 1km and 3km on the track, the time-trial and road race outdoors. Their target is the 3km for February and she says they’re not yet sure which race will suit them best for London 2012.

“It’s great that it’s so close this time. We are really committed to London, we need to get on that podium,” she says. “Hopefully we will be able to ride the course before, we’ll have that preparation. I perform the best when I feel totally prepared.”

But in spite of competing at every Olympics since Barcelona in 1992, Walsh still has room for one more ambition.

“At the world championships, the winner gets to wear a rainbow jersey. When you race, you can wear it afterwards. I really want to get that in Los Angeles. I have a silver (medal) and two bronze but I still don’t have the rainbow jersey. We’re gunning for that this year,” she says.

If you're in Ireland pick up the supplement, some other really inspiring sports women in it too!

UPDATE: the Irish Independent Paralympics Ireland supplement now online here.

Wordless Wednesday

2012-01-04T09:30:00.004Z

Running through Dublin in snow - oldies but goodies

Wordless Wednesday is a group of bloggers who give words a rest once a week.

Women in sport talk new year's resolutions

2012-01-03T12:31:00.000Z

I just heard a medical expert on the radio here in Dublin telling us that giving up alcohol or ...(fill in with your choice of vice) for one month isn't enough - you need to change your approach during the whole year. Well, duh! Now if only it were as easy to do as to say. Thanks mainly to the power of Twitter, here's what some of women in sport are planning for 2012.

Surfer Claire Bevilacqua says her mission for 2012 is to "encourage and inspire" starting with teaching her 9 year old niece to surf.

Wombat Sports: Lots of ambitions for women's MMA here, they plan to re-organise the weight divisions and bring European + Japanese fighters to train in the US. More plans here.

Like so many Olympic athletes swimmer Femke Heemskerk is looking to the Olympics saying it's her dream and "go for it, never surrender" is her message to other hopefuls.

Snowboarder Tara Dakides left this slightly crptic thought for us: "When changes come I close my eyes and see a door. A door that opens to another world another chapter and chance 2 grow n discover greatness."

Women Talk Sports: Over on one of my favourite sites, Rebecca says "ditch the dieting".

Boxer Laila Ali looks like she's planning a nutrition overhaul with lots of links to Healthy Eating sites.

Cyclist Deborah Atkinson lays out her plans on Snowcatcher to keep up the 60-mile bike-ride. (96.5km)

Katarzylna at A Runner's Life is planning big changes to her running and fitness routine - summed up as "Train harder and smarter. In 2012 I need to be more systematic." Details here.

Surfer Stephanie Gilmore: "Christmas is about celebrating the year past with the ones you love, but it can drag on to a few days of over-indulging, so I try to pace myself, and make sure the day is full of physical activities so I can enjoy myself – eat like a king and then dance it all off!" from Body and Soul

I loved snowboarder Helene Olafson's wish - "May the new year bring you all sparks!!" with a link to this gorgeous photo

And me? If you've been following for a while, you know I'm on a long-term mission to get fit again having had some nasty stuff happen about 2 years ago. So the small steps continue! What about you - what are your healthy resolutions for 2012?

Inspiring Sports Women in pics 2011

2011-12-30T11:02:00.000Z

And the end of the year is almost here. Thanks to the mysteries of download counter, these are the photos and the women you loved the most this year. And yes, Wonder Woman was one of them - this pic held the top position for months, was beginning to get a bit worried!

As always, if you are downloading pics from here, please link back to the photographer's site if it's not mine or at least to here where people can follow back to the original sites.

What you loved on this blog 2011

2011-12-29T08:00:00.000Z

They say a week is a long time in politics so a year ... So much happened in 2011 that events from January or February seem to have happened in another decade not just a few months back. And scrolling through the stats for this blog to see what you liked reading isn't any different.

Diana Nyad

The most popular posts were the attempts by American swimmer Diana Nyad to swim between Florida and Cuba last summer and again this year. Like many of you I was disappointed for her but also impressed that she even thought of attempting the 103 mile swim at 62 years of age. That's complete with sharks and jelly-fish.

Following close behind numbers-wise were the stories of Australian surfer Steph Gilmore and Kyrgyzstan MuayThai fighter Valentina Shevchenko.

You also loved the personal stories from American cyclist Deborah Atkinson, and fighter Melissa Ray's retirement interview. Australian fighter Caley Reece just keeps popping up in the stats and lots of you were inspired to get climbing by Alaskan mountain-lover Ti Conkle.

Irish women you enjoyed reading about included soccer- goalie Emma Byrne, Down Under Aussie rules player Sandra Ryan and listening to MuayThai fighter Siobhan Foley prepare for competition.

Martial arts and boxing pages definitely strike a cord which maybe says something about where I promote the blog, but it seems you're happy to take inspiration from anyone as long as she's doing something she loves - that's where the real passion lies.

These great photos from the World Freestyle Kayak Championships by Emily Wall were a huge hit - pun intended - as were the photos from Siobhan in France.

As the seasons turned, the snow queens have been sneaking up the list again. I haven't interviewed them (yet) but profiles of Swiss-French champ Anne-Flora Marxer and American veteran Tara Dakides are your favourites.

Getting fewer hits but making you stick around were women like Egyptian rower Heba Ahmed, the story of the Palestinian soccer team and this short film on soccer in Brazil.

Have I missed any of your favourite posts? Leave a comment, share why you loved it.

Tomorrow: your favourite photographs (thank you download counter)

Torah Bright, Australia

Merry Christmas!

2011-12-23T11:51:00.001Z

Hard to believe it's holiday time again but in spite of the warm weather in Ireland it is indeed Christmas. Inspiring Sports Women will be taking a break for the rest of the year.

I have some great interviews from snowsports to equestrian to all kinds of boxing lined up for 2012. And of course a review of the sportswomen and sporting events we loved in 2011.

The journalist in me says do the review now but the sister welcoming home her expat family says turn off the computer! So I'll leave you with a link here to photos from the Irish Sportswoman of the Year awards and
one of the great photographs which Swiss-French snowboarder Anna-Flore Marxer sent ISW yesterday.

Merry Christmas to you and yours everyone!

Irish people loving their sport

2011-12-22T07:00:00.000Z

Katie Taylor pic courtesy Lucozade

So life just got a little complicated for advocates of women's sport in Ireland. A new survey found that a lot more men than women love sport. Oops.

They found that almost one-third of people living here "love and follow sport on daily basis". All good until I got to the next bit - "substantially higher for men at 47.9 per cent versus only 11.9 per cent for women". Not quite what I was expecting.

No women found a place in the Iconic moments but that's not such a surprise really - not quite there yet.

And another reminder that team sports are The Thing here, as managing director of the company put it: "Our research clearly underlines the enormous popularity of rugby, Gaelic Games and soccer as they dominate the hearts and minds of the Irish public amongst both males and females and across all age groups."

But there was lots of good news too - in the hunt for the 'greatest current sports star', boxer Katie Taylor came in third just after rugby star Brian O Driscoll and golfing genius Rory McIlroy. That's really great when you think of the high profile both those men have. Taylor headed up the list of female sports stars, keeping good company with jockey Nina Carbery, swimmer Grainne Murphy, hurdler Derval O' Rourke and high jumper Dee Ryan.

And looking to 2012, the Olympics were in the top three events to get excited about. Good news for women's sports 'cause they'll get so much more coverage in the next few months. It's already happening, you've probably noticed it as well in your area?

This research was conducted by research agency AskChili, on behalf of Pembroke Communications sports and sponsorship division, amongst a nationally representative sample of 502 respondents with quotas imposed on gender, age, region and social class. Fieldwork was conducted online between the 12th and 15th December 2011.

Wordless Wednesday

2011-12-21T16:24:00.000Z

Where phone-boxes go to retire ...

Wordless Wednesday is a group of bloggers who give words a rest once a week.

Time to get the snowgear out

2011-12-20T07:00:00.000Z

It's coming up to reflection and look-back-at-the-year time. Let's start today with a post on snowboarder Tara Dakides - who holds seven medals in her Winter X Games collection and was also the first snowboarder profiled on this blog 12 months ago.

Dakides didn't compete in this month's games but still loves everything about her sport. In an interview with Kidzworld (yeah, surprise title there) she said: " It's amazing how far girls have come in snowboarding. There is still a large gap between girls and guys but it's closing every year. It's just amazing to see girls out there cause they love boarding - instead of being out there looking cute and getting into snowboarding because of their boyfriends.

They're out there because they love it, they're ripping it and really taking it to the next level. I think in the next couple of years you're going to see the gap close even more. There's a lot of young girls coming into the picture and it's just going to keep getting better."

And if you need a motto to stick on your fridge-door for 2012, try this out this definition of a confident woman: "Somebody that's not afraid to be themselves and be the individual that they are. Someone that can tumble and not be afraid to make a complete idiot of themselves - just someone who's not afraid to be themself."

Not to mention that posting about Dakides is the perfect excuse to browse (that means working) her Flickr stream of stunning snow pics. Lots of cute shots of her with her dogs (dog?) but you have to have snow on Christmas week.

Cheerleading and pole-dancing?

2011-12-16T07:00:00.000Z

I posted a while back about cheerleading and how it fits into what we call sport. This video from Reuters really tackles that question head-on. It's up today 'cause a boxing promoter recently inflicted some pole-dancing on us as part of the 'entertainment' at his show here in Dublin. We were talking about that last night so when I saw this cheerleading-behind-the-scenes footage, just had to share. They're not exactly the same of course as we talked about in the first post, but there is a certain element of voyeurism, of the male gaze that just makes me uncomfortable.

Let me know what you think!

Naming sportswear sites

2011-12-15T07:00:00.000Z

It might be all about location for housing but when it comes to sportswear sites, that name just has to stick in your mind. These are some of my favourites - though I should point out I haven't shopped in any of these so don't take this as a recommendation. Just a bit of fun on a chilly Thursday when it's time to think about stocking up on warmer running gear.

Sweaty Betty

There's just something perfect about it. I used to hang out with a woman in Bangkok who referred to herself as Bangkok Betty so everytime I hear the name of this UK clothing company it makes me smile. Don't think I've ever actually used their products but the name alone makes me want to send some money their way.

Bitch Boards

I kid you not - this one is an Australian company making snowboards for women. Well, for the "empowered and beautiful female snowboarder." I'm wondering what their sponsorship logo is - do you tear down the mountain with BITCH emblazoned on the board? Or do you go for a more subtle BB?

ChicaBomb

Yes, not quite sure if I'm missing something obvious here because of a lost-in-transatlantic issue - does ChicaBomb scream women's surfboards to you? But it did make me stop scrolling so ... and I liked the idea of the Mermaid Board on their site. Cute.

Do you know any others?

Wordless Wednesday

2011-12-14T08:09:00.000Z

Wordless Wednesday is a group of bloggers who give words a rest once a week.

What good news do you have?

2011-12-13T00:13:00.000Z

It almost feels redundant to post today as so many Irish and British newspapers have suddenly been overcome with the need to fill pages with women sports-stars. It's great she says,*sighs in a my-work-here-is-done- manner* but because we still need even more coverage I'll just keep going.

The big news in Ireland is that Fionnula Britton returned home last night with a European Cross Country gold medal - almost one year after posting about her 4th place position. Interviewed last night at the airport, she said her sister shouting out "you want it more than the others" (or words to that effect) got her over the line.

And there was:

olympiccouncil Olympics Ireland

Great weekend for Irish women; Annalise Murphy & Chloe Magee qualify, Fionnuala Briton wins Euro X Country and Melanie Nocher bronze @ euros

13 hours ago

That would be sailing for the first two and swimming for Melanie. Plus a rumour has been doing the rounds that boxer Katie Taylor could carry the Olympic Torch when it detours on its way to London next year. Finally, if you're on Twitter, there's a brilliant new hashtag #womeninsport which you can use to follow positive stories from the print and broadcast media.

Not a bad blast of positivity to finish off the year. Can you add some more from your part of the world?

The final hours before a fight

2011-12-10T01:12:00.000Z

Irish MuayThai fighter Siobhan Foley talked to me about fighting Scotswoman Sophie Gallagher on Sunday evening - what it takes to get ready and why she can't eat chips.

More details on the show available on Sitjaipetch MuayThai and Martial Arts Centre

Siobhan Foley MuayThai Cork December 11 2011 by niamhg

Girls kick it

2011-12-09T00:07:00.001Z

This is another short from charity Women Win - this one was made in Uganda with a group of inspiring young women using soccer to help rebuild their confidence after traumas suffered during the civil war.

Girls in the ring

2011-12-08T08:26:00.001Z

Always happy to talk about boxing shows with women fighters on the card. And this weekend an event in Cork showcases two up and coming fighters, nicely displayed on the poster too.

I interviewed both Denise O' Connell and Siobhan (Shiv) Foley when they fought in March. And hopefully will get to talk to them again this weekend. You can find their interviews here - Denise - and here - Siobhan - to find out how they got started in fighting. You might be surprised!

Full details of the show on the Sitjaipetch website.

Wordless Wednesday

2011-12-07T00:03:00.000Z

"Here is race report: learn Japanese" a rather brilliant caption from musumemiyuki on Flickr

Wordless Wednesday is a group of bloggers who give words a rest once a week.

Adventure Links in Ireland

2011-12-06T07:00:00.000Z

Antrim Northern Ireland

There’s no such thing as bad weather, just bad clothes. That’s what my kayak-mad sister says whenever anyone mentions the water this time of year in Ireland is just a little chilly. Just a little you know.

And the people behind new Irish website AdventureLink would definitely agree with her. Stephen says the site’s aim is to open up the outdoors to people who don’t know where to start. It’s a pretty simple idea for a website, but seems to be working well.

And it saves on the hours we all seem to spend now trawling the internet looking for deals where before we would have just taken the first thing. “One of the key features is the easy access to all adventure links and tourism from every corner in Ireland, with the adventurer in mind. There are 44 areas of adventure activity, nine extra areas and we have sub-divided the country into seven regions,” says Stephen.

They have about 800 links up already – including this blog which is how I found them, thank you trackback – and cover pretty much anything you might like to try out. Plus he says their “long-term mission” is to encourage sustainable tourism. They’ve got links up to Leave No Trace and Rothar (um, that’s bicycle in Irish) as well as a few others.

So anyone feeling lazy, no more excuses! All details at Adventure Links

Beat the budget blues with sport

2011-12-05T19:25:00.001Z

This post is more for Irish readers but all are welcome of course! Two other sports-blogs here are hosting a broadcast celebrating Irish successes in 2011 ... Emmet from Action81 assured me that women like boxer Katie Taylor and the soccer team Peamount United would get a mention, saying:

Tired of the megatonne of misery dropped on the unsuspecting public every Monday evening, and knowing this week's budget will make things a whole lot worse, Emmet Ryan (Action81.com) and Lee Daly (cardboardshinguards.com) will focus on what's been good in the world of sports over the past year.

The live audio show is aimed squarely at giving people a reason to feel better for once. Now it's time to cheer people up by talking about highlights of the year from the Cricket World Cup to the Heineken Cup, with a dash of boxing and chess in between. Oh and there was also some success in football, we might talk about that.

The broadcast starts at 21.35 Irish time and can be found at this link: Action81

(apologies for not hosting it directly here but with the issues this blog has been having lately ...)

Nicola a woman who cycles

2011-12-05T06:00:00.000Z

Nicola Women Who Cycle blogger

Nicola from Sydney, Australia is behind the blog 'Women who Cycle'. A public relations consultant, she says she loves biking and racing for the exercise, socialising and a boost of self-confidence. We had an e- chat to find out more.

Reading Nicola’s blog at first I thought she was a pro cyclist – it’s packed with info on races, female pro-cyclists and tips on how to get going. But scrolling down, it became clear she’s just in love. She says it’s “a fantastic form of exercise” and credits feeling younger than 40-something to the buzz she gets from long-distance biking.

“Cycling changed my life”
Nicola says: “It’s been wonderful for my social life. I’ve lived in the same Sydney suburb for 20 years and it’s only since I took up cycling in the past three years that I’ve met like-minded local people. I’ve lost count of how many friends I’ve made through cycling.

Many of them I see socially away from cycling and we even talk about things other than just riding our bikes."

But it goes much further than that for her. Nicola goes on to say that cycling has meant facing down fears about her physical ability and of course that leads to mental changes. “This has increased my self-confidence which has filtered down into all aspects of my life. I constantly surprise myself with cycling. I feel like I go over one big mountain and then actively look for the next challenge. A pro cyclist I interviewed a few months ago said she believes cycling is a metaphor for life and I certainly agree with her. My own personal mantra is the cycling has changed my life.”

Race Time

Far from being a life-long hobby, Nicola only started biking three years ago. Like a lot of us, she cycled as a child and teenager but then stopped when she got her first car. But now she heads out for over 100km a week.

“I started only riding once per week and then within a year I’d changed that to twice a week. Probably another six months after that I started riding during the week when I was specifically training for a long ride – 210 km and I just kept it up once the ride was over. But I also like to maintain some balance so I jog twice or three times a week (three to four kilometres) and I do a weekly personal training session. That way I also exercise other muscles and help maintain my overall fitness,” she says.

Yes, that’s races of over 200km, you read that right. So although she’s being pretty casual about it all, when you break down her weekly stats, you get some serious road-time.

Nicola on Sea Cliff Bridge

Nicola explains her “typical training week consists of four early morning rides usually Saturday (about 40 km), Sunday (about 60 km), Tuesday (25 km) and Thursday (25 km). I’ve increased it a bit at the moment because I’m training for a 160 km ride in six weeks time.”

Feed me Seymour

And how does she fuel that? Takes a bit more than lettuce to through those kinds of distances she admits. “I’ve made very little change to my diet except to increase carbs a bit when I’m training harder. My body just needs the extra fuel. I spent my 20s and 30s on the yoyo diet treadmill and since I’ve started exercising more I have been able to stabilise my weight. In fact I’ve stayed the same weight for about three years but thanks to cycling my shape has changed and I’m carrying less fat and more muscle around my hips and thighs.”

Should you join her?
“I would encourage any women to take up cycling. It’s easier than you think and there’re so many options available. In Australia it is becoming more and more popular so it’s easy to find other people who are doing the same thing.

I challenge any women to at least give it a go. Borrow a bike to begin with and take it from there. The sky’s the limit.”

If you have any questions for Nicola, leave a comment!

Moving time

2011-12-04T19:43:00.001Z

Suitcases in France pic Malias on Flickr

Starting this week with an apology for the erratic postings last week. Serious levels of "technical issues" with Blogger - couldn't get into the posting section one day, couldn't get into the whole blog another and then unable to upload video successfully it seems. I could see Friday's video in the draft but not live - only realised that afterwards.

So, time to think about moving the blog to a new home.

I've used Wordpress for other blogs so that is the option at the moment. Not quite sure what the problem is, could be the number of videos? Could be ... well I don't really know but when the page takes longer to download than to write that's not good!*

I will give you plenty of warning and post lots of links when it's all ready to go. And open to advice and moving tips ...

*slight exaggeration for effect there

Snow is fallin'

2011-12-02T09:25:00.001Z

It's chilly, there's snow in the air. Lots of people leaving Ireland in the next few weeks for the snow season in France and Italy - people with sense or mad? Who knows. Have a great weekend!
Updated at the weekend - see above post on technical traumas.

That BBC Sports Personality list

2011-12-01T07:00:00.000Z

The BBC has named its shortlist for Sports Personality of the Year. But oops, looks like they really meant Sportsman of the Year. The ten finalists, whittled down from a list which did include some women, were chosen by 27 sports editors from national and regional newspapers.

It's not that I begrudge any of the men on the list their moment of glory. But in a country the size of the UK and as successful in sport as they are, was it not possible to find one woman worthy of this title?

Some of the women on the long list include world champion swimmer in 10km open water Kerri-Anne Payne; triathlete Chrissie Wellington World Champion for the 4th time this year; sprinter and Paralympian Stefanie Reid with 2 bronze medals from the IPC championships; World Taekwando champ Sarah Steveneson, cyclist Victoria Pendleton with 2 golds from the European championships, gold medal rower Kath Grainger, European champion boxer Nicola Adams and world champion swimmer Rebecca Adlington who has now spoken out to say well, let's just get on it next year.

But why wait? If these women are good enough to perform successfully on the world stage, then why not be recognised at home? You can find articles about all of these women in the British newspapers who have now snubbed them.

Ah, but not quite all - the nominating editors includes eds from Zoo and Nuts who both sent in all-male lists - no big surprise there if you've ever read 'em - but so did The People, The Independent (very surprised at this one), Metro, Irish News, the Evening Standard, the Daily Post, the Western Mail, and the Daily Star Sunday. That's ten of the 27 papers.

The Beeb announced yesterday they would review the process for 2012 in a watery statement that made no concessions to anything: ""It is too early to say what, if any changes will be made to the process..." Gee, thanks.

If it's this hard for women to get recognition in sport, what chance at work or in the home?

You can see the full list and shortlist here on the BBC Sports site.

Wordless Wednesday

2011-11-30T01:00:00.000Z

pic: Munster Dive and Canoe

Wordless Wednesday is a group of bloggers who give words a rest once a week.

Post-conflict recovery through sport

2011-11-25T07:00:00.000Z

This is another inspiring short from Women Win looking at different ways women find to recover from trauma suffered during conflict. It might sound a bit facetious to say sport can heal those kinds of scars but watching this, you see it can at least help women to find somewhere to forget for a moment.I'm going to a conference on Gender Based Violence in Dublin today, so seemed an appropriate day to find this film.

I posted on another Women Win project here.

Winter ladies

2011-11-24T07:00:00.000Z

So winter has decided to make it to Ireland, thankfully not as dramatically as last year - no snow so far - but still chilly enough to make posts about snowboarders a must again. This post is thanks to Snowboard Canada Women.

Canadian Marie-France Roy is on record as saying 'haven't had a real job in five years' but her not-real job involves six Transworld awards and 'multiple' Snowboarder awards for her brave approach to her sport. Twenty-seven now, she's been out on the snow since she was 11 and took a break recently to get over 'burn-out' as SBC reports. Another way to put that could be recovery from breaking a vertebrate in 2010 - yes, and she's out there again this season.

Marie-France told Mpora: "We found this ice wall at the blowhole and I tried to wall ride it and the speed didn’t work so we were just gonna leave and then I said I could just drop from the top over a lil cornice and land on the ice wall. I dropped in and it was pow. The take off looked soft but as soon as I got on it, it was rock hard ice. I was already going a bit too fast but that made me go even faster. I went 45 feet down to an ice flat landing." Makes you think twice about the photo below doesn't it?

MFR pic Gagnon

Wordless Wednesday

2011-11-23T01:00:00.000Z

On the fingers pic Kluck on Flickr

Wordless Wednesday is a group of bloggers who give words a rest once a week.

Musical Yoga in Sydney

2011-11-21T07:00:00.000Z

Sarah Trestrail

When someone says yoga helped her recover from fracturing five lumbar vertebrates in a horse riding accident, you have to think there's something to all this talk of healing and flexibility. Sarah Trestrail is one of only five Jivamukti Yoga teachers in Australia which means ...

When I interviewed her in Sydney she explained the secret to this type of yoga is in the tunes. "We use a lot of music as a feature in class; all styles with rock or jazz. It’ll have a philosophical theme for the class, the teacher works with the theme and sequences the class according to the theme. The teacher might be sitting there with a guitar leading a chant or playing the harmonium. It's good fun."

A former fitness instructor, she was taken to a yoga class when the pain from her healing back prevented her from working. And now she's "addicted".

But loving yoga is about more than flexing a few moves.

Sarah said it's all about losing that fear of re-hurting yourself or aggravating an old injury.

"The first time you do a headstand, it's like Oh my god, I just did my first head stand, I can do anything. It's amazing, you can do things you never thought you would do."

Snowboarding in Finland

2011-11-18T07:00:00.000Z

Scrolling through snowboarding films to find one showcasing women? Leave some time for that search. But there are some - like this one from Finland. "Shotgun" was produced by Suomen Naislautailijat & Optic Oy and filmed by Osku Tuominen & Olli Koivula. If you like this trailer, you can find the full 26 minutes here on Vimeo.

Enjoy and have a great weekend!

Arthritis and adventure racing

2011-11-16T16:49:00.001Z

Hip replacements and arthritis are things we usually associate with older people, people in their 60s maybe. But not always. American adventure racer Robyn Benincasa was diagnosed with osteoarthritis at 41.

Robyn from Project Athena Foundation

Robyn says on her website she was taking part in the World Championships in 2007 when it all came to a head. "I was in so much pain that I took one final step and fell to the ground on the fifth day of the race, the day that my team was climbing the biggest peak in the country, Ben Nevis. My teammates took all of my gear and put me on a tow line. Often during the last thirty-six hours of that race, I had to physically pick up my leg and move it forward because it would no longer respond to signals from my brain."

I'm sure lots of you reading have felt as if you were throwing a leg up the mountain from time to time but this was something else. With 15 years of adventure racing - if you don't know, they're the people that run, bike, kayak or climb for days over mountains, through rivers or caves and well over whatever is in the way - behind her Robyn was not someone you'd expect to be told both hips were disintegrating.

And this is where the story moves behind the usual athlete-gets-injured and overcomes. Obviously osteoarthritis isn't a death knell but it can be next to that for many people.

After two gruesome sounding operations involving dislocation of a leg by the surgeon, Robyn tried to find, well, find the meaning in the mess. First she started with two friends, who'd had rheumatoid arthritis and breast cancer, organising an adventure race-team. And from there, it grew into a foundation Project Athena that works with women who've been through disease and want to start living again.

The woman who sent me on the link (thank you Sandy) says it's an "incredible story". We all think when we're sick we will never forget how frustrating it is but usually once we get better, that's it. Illness packed in a box never to be thought of again. But Robyn Benincasa managed to hold onto that even while she started racing again - enough that she is able to get other women on their feet again.

I had to smile at the final line on her page from her book Team Works: "I guess the moral of the story is that none of this life changing and life affirming stuff would have happened had there been more cartilage in the world."

Do you know anyone else living with a disease usually associated with older people?

Wordless Wednesday

2011-11-16T07:00:00.000Z

Soccer breeds with Volleyball = Sepak Takraw Pic: Shabrilbadri

Wordless Wednesday is a group of bloggers who give words a rest once a week.

Can the ugliness be cleaned out of sport?

2011-11-15T07:30:00.000Z

Tribalism - it rocks the stands with excitement with a magical drop-goal slices between the posts, it raises the roof when a fighter lands a killer punch. There's nothing more contagious in sports than the instant bond of that shared moment. Perfection in a bubble.

But the bit we chose to ignore is how that bond can work against revealing anything bad, anything that could tarnish the sport. Or stop the money from rolling in for some people.Reading about what happened in the Penn State football team reminds people in Ireland of scandals involving swimming coaches, GAA coaches and innocent kids who just wanted to play sport. And once again, you just have to ask why so many organisations are unable to prevent pedophiles from taking positions of authority? When we are so aware of the "stranger-danger" why do we allow men like this to take charge of children?

From what I've read Sandusky's actions were well-flagged and people simply closed ranks. It's easy to jump on the high moral ground and tut-tut in disgust but it happens in so many places. The tribalism that can make your heart sing is exactly the thing men like him use to bind others inside their sick actions. Everytime stories like this break, you think Ok, this now will be the end of it but it doesn't seem to make any difference.

What do you think, can we reach a stage where crimes in the locker-room will be seen for what they are?

Beauty queens and kettlebells in Derry

2011-11-14T07:20:00.000Z

There can’t be too many beauty queens entering pageants to motivate students in their bootcamp. But that’s what Aoife Grant said at the Face of Ireland competition recently … I was curious.

Turns out the former netball player studied Sport Science and runs bootcamps on the beaches around Derry in Northern Ireland. Taking a laid-back attitude to fitness, she says: “A lot of people try to do everything at the gym, they’re there first thing Monday morning, drinking wheatgrass and things. I try to help people to do what they can, be realistic.”

It’s refreshing to talk to someone in the industry who’s not completely focused on weight-loss, Aoife talks a lot about having fun and finding ways to make exercise meaningful instead of a chore to be fitted into the rest of your life. “When athletes have a drive, they think they can always be better, that’s important to have that in your life,” she says. “Whether it’s for health or vanity.”

Aoife says she works with sportspeople from GAA, body-building and even traditional Irish dancing as well as women just looking to get healthy.

I still didn’t get the beauty pageant idea until she started talking about the links between the “healthy eating” plans she makes and looks. “The bootcamps are a normal weekly class, so I try to take away any barriers (to getting healthy) by taking away the need to cheat … (we) give them a takeaway lunch, and a snack and because they’ve paid for it, they usually eat it.”

“I try to instill in them the idea that they look as healthy as they are,” she says.

More info on Aoife’s classes at Hourglass Bootcamp

Dreaming Olympic Rings in Italy

2011-11-11T07:00:00.000Z

Italian boxer Romina Marenda is getting ready for London.2012 in this short from Tony Gentile. She says: "Sometimes they only show the worst of this sport but it (boxing) is also elegant, also technique. If you are clever, you don't break your nose."

Have a great weekend!

Sports Blog Karma

2011-11-10T17:06:00.001Z

Every now and then I like to mention the blogs and websites I read. It's can be frustrating that women's site seem to attract less traffic but maybe that's because we're too busy doing stuff to sit around reading about doing stuff? Either way, here's some great places to visit:

Sporting Sheilas

Everything you wanted to know about sports in Australia - but just women. I love the names of their national teams; diamonds, opals, mathildas and stingers, not to mention jillaroos and southern stars. Great read.

Sportsister

A magazine for women do actually do sport, not just pose in the gym. It's based in the UK but has general articles on nutrition and clothing that are good for wherever you are.

Cycles and Suffragettes

Ok, so this is a FB page not actually a blog but I think you'll love the idea. Dispirited by the lack of women cyclists in the UK, this group is reaching back to the first suffragettes who shocked people by cycling in those lovely bloomers. Great idea.

Womenwhocycle

Nicola is an Australian cyclist, great stories and she's a talented photographer as well so there's plenty to entertain. I love that she says "...not a feminist rant although I'm sure it will take on that tone occasionally".

I'm hoping to do some interviews with some of these women over the next few weeks, let me know if there is anyone else you think should be in the Karma list.

Wordless Wednesday

2011-11-09T00:06:00.000Z

Photographer Camilla Stoddart on the other side ...

Wordless Wednesday is a group of bloggers who give words a rest once a week.

No money for women in sport? Big Deal

2011-11-08T17:12:00.002Z

Wondering why female sports in the UK fly below the radar? Could be it because just 0.5 per cent of sponsorship money goes to all-women sports?

A report launched this week "Big Deal? The case for commercial investment in women’s sport", found that 61.1 per cent of sponsorship funding goes to men’s sports with remainder going to mixed-sports.
Chair of Commission on the Future of Women’s Sport and former Paralympic athlete, Baronness Grey-Thomspon, said she finds this “depressing”. Having commissioned the report, she said: “In just a few months, the eyes of the world will be on London 2012, the only occasion in our lifetime that we’ll be a global showcase for women’s sport in this country. It’s disappointing that more brands and rights holders haven’t seized the opportunity to benefit themselves and women’s sport, and help create a lasting legacy.”
Personally, I’d say “disappointing” is the least of the adjectives she could have chosen. Another survey – thank you to charity WSFF - showed that 61 per cent of those questioned would like to see more women’s sport, but advertisers just aren’t responding.
Some good news

Cyclist Victoria Pendleton

That said, a small number of brands do get a ‘shout-out’ in the report, including Investec (hockey), Continental Tyres, Umbro, Vauxhall, and Yorkshire Building Society (soccer), Invesco Perpetual and Price Waterhouse Coopers (sailing), Fiat (netball), Samsung, Speedo, Hovis, BP, British Airways and Virgin (Olympic sponsorship for women athletes)
Chief Executive of WSFF, Sue Tibballs, said: “Lack of investment accounts, in large part, for the absence of a female sporting culture in the UK.

"Women’s sport is not widely promoted and its competitors are not being publicly presented as fit and healthy sporting role models to inspire women and girls."

So what’s the problem?

The most worrying line, for me, came towards the end of the report: “The value of women’s deals recorded in the first half 2011 does offer a glimmer of hope, representing 1.5 per cent of the total market so far this year.” 1.5 per cent is hopeful? We have a long way to go. Companies sponsor winners but how can the appeal of someone like Zara Phillips or Victoria Pendleton be translated into support for local eventers and cyclists?

Learning about Cambodian martial art Labokator

2011-11-07T07:00:00.000Z

This is a guest-post from Cambodian blogger Sreyneath Poole. Sreyneath is a student at the University of Redlands in California but home isn't far from her heart. She keeps a blog Inspiring Cambodian Women, and is writing here about Eng Sou Mala who competes in traditional Cambodian martial art Labokator.

Growing up playing football in Cambodia, my relatives always try to convince me that I should play volleyball or tennis or something with less physical contact because it is much more feminine.

Contact sports are for men only. At least that is my interpretation. On top of that playing contact sports will build muscles in a women’s body and that is definitely not a good thing. My relatives were scared that I might look too masculine. I love football too much to care about looking like a man.

In Cambodia, you do not hear much about professional women athletes because of social and cultural views that prevents women’s participation in sports. Recently there are a growing number of profession women athletes. It is nice to see that Cambodia is slowly moving away from negative views of women participating in sports.

Eng Sou Mala is one of Cambodia’s woman athletes that embody the move away from traditional views. On October 12th 2011, Phnom Penh Post selected Eng Sou Mala as “Youth of the Week.” Sou Mala excels at Labokator, which is Cambodia’s ancient form of martial arts. Labokator consists of close hand-to-hand combat and weapon use. Unlike kickboxing, labokator was designed to be used during battles. (For details on labokator please refer to this Wikipedia article)

Eng Sou Mala faces many difficulties while training to become a labokator player. Her first obstacle was her family and friends’ objections. “In the beginning, they (Mala’s parents and friends) reproached me, saying a woman shouldn’t play a sport that leads to having a bad-looking body,” Sou Mala tells Phnom Penh Post. another obstacle that she also faces is overcoming injuries.

Eng Sou Mala

Despite the obstacles, Sou Mala excels at Labokator. She competed at Phnom Penh’s Olympic Stadium three times and won many prizes at the competition. In 2008 she entered the national competition and won one gold and two silver medals. At her second appearance, she won three gold medals, a silver medal, and a bronze medal. Her medals are displayed in a glass box at the Labokator Academy. This is an impressive achievement and her passion for the sport shows.

Sreyneath used this Phnom Penh Post article in her research.

Are there any other less well-known sports you are interested in? Let me know and I will search out some experts!

Need some inspiration for the weekend?

2011-11-04T09:32:00.000Z

Found this over on Athletic Women Blog and thought it just has to be shared! So much energy - two minutes of boxing, running, kickboxing, basketball, skating, and MMA.

Enjoy and have a great weekend!

Valentina Shevchenko talks Thai Boxing

2011-11-03T10:07:00.002Z

pic Contakomarcial

Valentina Shevchenko lives in and trains in Peru but her MuayThai career started in her home country of Kyrgyzstan. And right now she's back home in Issyk-Kul preparing for her Muaythai Premier League fight on Saturday in Holland.

Valentina, what's your fight record?
Professional fight record is 38 wins, 1 loss. And for amateur fights, I have more than 500 fights in different styles. (This includes gold at the IFMA championships in 2009, WMF champ in 2006 and various kick-boxing and titles)

pic Marca

But even though you started with Taekwando as a child, now MuayThai is your main sport. What's so special about it?
Because muaythai is an accessible and universal style.

You're up in the mountains now getting ready for your fight against local girl Ilona Wijmans. What kind of training are you doing?
I am training up for this Holland fight in the mountains of Kyrgyzstan at the very beautiful high mountain lake Issyk-Kul. I have two training sessions a day. Before the main morning training I do cross-running. Then I train for technique under the guidance of my coach Pavel Fedotov. My sparring partner is my elder sister Antonina and also some more fighters from Kyrgyz national team.
In the evening my training is at an outdoor place - from where there is a very beautiful view of the mountains and the lake. In the evenings my training is more physical, for example I like to use stones as weight for arms.

You travelled first to Peru in 2007 and now it's your permanent base. Can you do MuayThai professionally there?Peru is a very good country with interesting people living in it. There are different climatic zones in Peru. We live in the capital - Lima. And also we run our training in jungles near the Amazon river. We give Muaythai classes and seminars in different cities too.

What do you think about the MuayThai Premier League?
I think this project is strong and very interesting. In it the best Muaythai fighters in the world can show their best qualities. And people around the world can watch quality traditional Muaythai techniques.

The final round of the MPL takes place on Saturday, with Sandra Bastian Vs Julie Kitchen and Valentina Shevchenko Vs Ilona Wijmans ... and some boys.

Wordless Wednesday

2011-11-02T08:17:00.000Z

pic Siobh.ie on Flickr

Wordless Wednesday is a group of bloggers who give words a rest once a week.

Women's Australian Rules Football is growing

2011-11-01T07:00:00.000Z

The Banshees, the Shamrocks, Demons and Angels. Sounds like Roller-Derby day, but they're all women's football teams in the Australian Rules code. Played with an oval ball which one player says "lands in front of you and can go anywhere" the fast game has only opened up for women in the last decade.

Sandra Ryan for the Ireland Banshees

Irishwoman Sandra Ryan lives in Sydney, and has played with local team Bondi Shamrocks for three years. And yes, she's also a Banshee - an Ireland Banshee, world champions at the International Australian Rules tournament. Confused? I was too. So the deal is that outside of Australia countries are setting up their own leagues with teams only open to non-Aussies. But when teams travelled to the world cup Down Under, they picked up a few sneaky Exile players.

Sandra loves the game. "My life revolves around it really. It's played on an oval pitch, no goal-keepers. We can tackle from any side and it's one of the few sports where the rules for the women's team are the same as for the men's."

Physical is a word often used to describe a match, with most players clocking in at well over 1.8m (6 ft) and that's just the women. Sandra at 1.7m (5ft6) is one of the shorter players on her team but jokes she's also one of the fastest. "You'd be a bit sore after a game but it's great coming away with a good result."

The International World Cup

Joining up with the Ireland Banshees was one of the highlights of a successful year for Sandra. "I’ve been playing with the local team in Sydney for three years," she says. "Our coach said the Irish team might need some players for the world cup so I found them on Facebook. We clicked straight away for a team that hadn't played together before."

It was the first time the tournament hosted women's teams and Sandra didn't waste any time making her mark (pun intended) as this report says: "It took less than a minute for Ireland to open the scoring with a spectacular goal from Sandra Ryan." And people new to the sport might be startled to learn they have to sing too, each winning team sings a song after the games. The Irish team cranked out "On the one road" and Sandra adds: "A lot of people didn't know what a Banshee was but I'd say they did after we sang" referring to the traditional Celtic role of a banshee in wailing for the dead.

Future of women's AFL

But away from the highlights of tournaments, Sandra says it can be hard to get attention for the sport as it's vastly overshadowed by the more popular men's game. "You talk to (Australian) women and they're like What? You play AFL? I didn't know women could," she says. So in a seemingly counter-intuitive move, the women's league in Sydney is moving in with the men. Sandra says it's sad but all for the best, explaining "the men's side are very good at development and supporting us and their head guy's job is to develop the game. We're hoping to have the women's game televised by 2020."

In the meantime, she'll just keep on training. Winters are busy for her with AFL, and her first loves Gaelic football and camogie to keep her out most nights of the week for the Central Coast team. Heading into the southern summer now, she's playing a little soccer to keep things ticking over. Beach training starts in January when it cools down, pre-season in April and then the Shamrocks are back in action.

Canadian Sandra Bastian fights in MuayThai Premier League Holland

2011-10-31T02:00:00.000Z

Sandra Bastian, Canada

The MuayThai Premier League comes to Holland this weekend, and Canadian fighter Sandra Bastian takes on Julie Kitchen from Britain at 63.5 kgs. Sandra took some time out from training for a virtual-chat with us.

Her fight record stands at 31 wins 9 losses 16 KO as an amateur MuayThai fighter and 4 wins 1 loss 1 KO as a pro.

Sandra's trophy cupboard is just a little full with belts going back to her 2004 North American title and silver at the IFMA world championships. More space was needed in 2006 with for a gold medal at the IFMAs and ‘Best Female Fighter’. Three years ago she was WKA World Champion, and took bronze at the IFMA games.

Why keep fighting?
Tall with the rangy muscles of someone who punches a bag more often than she lifts weights, Bastian says the sport is so much more than fighting. “What other sport pushes you to your limits, lets you travel the world and meet the most amazing people?"

It is a community of people that come together as one. I am so thrilled to have found Muay Thai.” So even with all that bling, she still has the drive to compete.

Bastian adds the cultural aspect of MuayThai is important to her. “The spiritual side of Thai boxing mesmerizes me. I love watching and learning and this sport always has room to do both.”

Challenge of international fights
Women fighters get to compete internationally quite early in their careers, often due to a lack of fighters in their home country. This can be quite a learning experience, says Bastian who fights out of Mike Miles’s gym in Calgary, Alberta.
“I don't believe countries make styles. Everyone I have fought has had their own way of doing certain things and each one of them has taught me something,” she says.

Growth of women's fighting
At 42 Bastian has enough experience to remember when just meeting another woman fighter was special. Looking at the growing scene today, she sounds a little envious of the options opening up now.
“I am excited for the upcoming fighters,” she says. “They will have opportunities that I didn't. With Clifton Brown doing the MPL series I am hoping it will make Muaythai a sport that is bigger than the UFC.”
Working as an instructor, Bastian is playing her own role in growing the sport. She says: “I have had the opportunity to travel the world and I have been fortunate enough to be able to teach and share what I have learned.”

And after training ...
Outside the ring, Basitan is one of the growing number of mothers who don’t see any contradiction between parenting and fighting. “I have 3 boys: Dylan aged 20, Dawson aged 17 and Dalton aged 14. They are my biggest supporters and I love them dearly.”

And not to leave anyone out, she adds that she ‘also loves dearly” her boyfriend of four years, Chris.

That growing brood meant making a few adjustments to the traditional life of a boxer; balance had to find its way. Bastian says it’s gotten easier as her kids get older. She says: “I remember taking Dalton to the gym to train when he was 2. He would sit in his stroller, watch me train then get to run around after. Now Dawson works at the gym part time so I actually see him more and Dylan trains along side me.”

And while it might sound difficult, she grins and says: “It has been our way of life for 12 years. We work together to make it work for all of us.”

MPL in Holland

Sandra will get in the ring on Saturday with talented British fighter Julie Kitchen – who brings 13 world titles from different bodies to the table – and her final words are the ones every coach loves to hear.

“I think it will be a good fight. I'm looking forward to it.”

The other women's fight on Saturday at the MPL is between Valentina Shevchenko, Peru and Ilona Wijmans, Holland.

Let's play soccer Jalla, girls!

2011-10-28T07:30:00.000+01:00

Jalla! Jalla! means Let's go in Arabic. And that's what the women in this great short from Annalisa Vozza are doing - playing soccer (or should that be football?) in Bethlehem with the Palestinian team. Vozza has made some powerful films about parts of the world we usually associate with conflict. This award-winning short is the story of Honey and Jackline. Enjoy and have a great weekend!

IRB Women’s Personality of the Year

2011-10-27T07:30:00.000+01:00

So as many of you know the men's Rugby World Cup came to a half earlier this week. As well as the main focus on the matches, the IRB hands out Player of the Year and a host of other prizes based on performances during the year.

For some reason there isn't a female Player trophy but there is a Women's Personality prize. I know, I know, don't get me started. But this year's winner Ruth Mitchell has more than earned any prizes given to her, whatever the title. A former player in Hong Kong - where the scene is vital enough that a Blediscoe Cup match between Australia and New Zealand was played there - she is now the Director of Development.

Obviously she works on promoting the men's game as well, but she is better known for the huge amount of work she's put into the Women's Sevens tournament. Now in it's 14th year, the women's game is spreading parts of Asia very far removed from being traditional strongholds. And you need someone to push that kind of change, it doesn't just happen.

Ruth Mitchell, Hong Kong Rugby

Last year's winner was New Zealand player Carla Hohepa

PS - congratulations! to France and New Zealand for an exciting final game.

Wordless Wednesday

2011-10-26T09:13:00.001+01:00

What Moire sees when she runs ...

Wordless Wednesday is a group of bloggers who give words a rest once a week.

Report from European women's boxing champs in Rotterdam

2011-10-25T11:22:00.000+01:00

Michael O Neill is a journalist with SportsNewsIreland who is very supportive of women in sport. He sent me some thoughts on his time at the European Women’s Boxing Championship in Rotterdam at the weekend.

I was fortunate enough to be covering the semi-finals and finals in Rotterdam and it really was a great occasion. Fantastic atmosphere both days I was there. A “sell out” crowd of 2,500 at the TopSport arena. And a superb advert for women’s boxing with several notable performances.

60kgs Katie Taylor, Ireland Gold medallist

I’ve never seen Katie (Taylor) look so relaxed before a bout and naturally she was tremendously happy afterwards. She must be odds-on now for the Irish Times/Irish Sports Council “Sportswoman of the year” award.

(Looking at the fight) The Team Taylor tactics were to steer clear of trouble and not to mix it with Ochigava. A typical Peter Taylor comment is pretty revealing of their highly successful plan:
"We studied all of Ochigava's fights out here this week and the important thing was that Katie remained patient. The Russian girl wanted her to come forward but Katie stayed composed and implemented the tactics,” Pete who is Katie’s father and trainer said. "We had to hold her back at one stage as she wanted to go for her, but that would have played into her hands."

pic IABA

And a nice quote from Katie herself: "Sofya is one of the best opponents I have ever met and I'm absolutely thrilled with the win. I can't believe it really. Obviously, we are rivals inside the ring, but we really get on very well outside the ring. She's a lovely person as well as fantastic boxer”

60kgs Sofya Ochigava, Russia Silver medallist

I must say that Ochigava was very gracious in defeat and smiled and chatted happily after the bout. The Russian coaches were less pleased and could not understand at all what happened to Ochigava. Their many supporters in the audience were really shocked.
I have to say I think that Ochigava was physically fit but psychologically in far from the right frame of mind for such an important contest.

Two other points I think are relevant are that Ochigava has been out of action for more than nine months due to a serious knee problem and she is not in my opinion a natural 60kg lightweight. Her two world championships have been at 51 and 54kg.
Sure she will be in the mix for the Olympic qualifiers and the London 2012 Games if she qualifies along with Taylor.

Olympics: But Taylor’s main opponents (for the gold medal) may well prove to be Gulsum Tatar of Turkey and the USA’s Queen Underwood. Also maybe the British entrant who could be Chantelle Cameron or more likely Natasha Jonas. It appears there will be a massive Irish support for Taylor since it was vastly easier to get tickets for the women’s bouts than the men’s.

Irish Boxing team pic Alan Betson

Irish team

As far as the rest of the Irish are concerned some fine performances. We will be hearing a lot more in next few years of Co Mayo youngster Katie Rowland. True she had a heavy defeat here by Nikki Adams (UK) but the latter is the World No 2 and now the European champion. Rowland shows real promise for the future, a point that Peter Taylor was quick to make in his capacity as one of the Irish coaches in Rotterdam.

Thanks Michael!

Review: Run like a girl

2011-10-24T07:00:00.000+01:00

Any book that combines Goldilocks, outdoor divas and a trapeze has got to be worth a look. When it comes packaged with an author bio listing no less than nine sports, you know you're in good company.

Author and sports-fan Mina Samuels sent me her book Run like a Girl longer ago than I care to reveal. I've been reading chapters on the go and finally made it to the end. Finishing it this week was, shall we say, most useful. You could sum up her main theme with "If not now, when?" and just pull on whatever sports shoes you need and hit the road (or mountain, river, sea ....).

Unlike some motivaltional books, Samuels uses people you might know in her examples. Sure, some of them have run marathons at high speed but others are the women who finish the 10km and know they've achieved something. Some have survived shocking accidents or illnesses but others just come to sport at messed-up time in their lives and it solves a problem, fills a gap.

Samuels writes: "When I meet a goal I’ve set in sports nothing outward changes in my life. I don’t get product endorsements or coaching contracts or highpaid (sic) speaking engagements. I fit my sports in around my work and other obligations. Sometimes staying committed to the sports is an enormous struggle and I think, “I can’t wait until I’m too old for this.” At other times it is pure bliss and I know that I will be doing some sport for as long as I’m here. So it is for most of us."

It's inspiring reading the stories about women who set up clothing companies - Outdoor Divas - women who climb mountains or learn to ski at times in their lives when it seemed like it was all over. And readers, when some commentators say it's all over by 16, it's refreshing to hear someone say that sometimes you just have to wait until it's right. Could be 26, could be 66, it's up to you.

It's one of those books you will probably dip into again and again. A good book to keep on the shelf for when that old injury acts up again, when an illness comes by to say hello or just for when you need a little extra something to get out in the cold. Read it, share it and keep on doing sport.

A final thought from Samuels:

"What is running like a girl, anyway? It’s getting out there. Challenging ourselves. Finding new possibility within. Finding strength in our own accomplishments. It’s accessing our ageless girl spirit, where the enthusiastic “let’s go” of youth meets the “I can” of experience"

Have you read any books that gave you that kick-up you needed?

Boxer Katie Taylor is European Champion

2011-10-23T13:33:00.001+01:00

And the main post for today has to go to Irish boxer Katie Taylor. What a win - her fifth time taking the European title at 60kgs. She beat Russian Sofya Ochigava 10 - 5 in the final last night.

Taylor European Champ pic iaba

I watched the fight here on the European Women Boxing Championships site. It was a slow enough start with both fighters seeming to hand out the respect in shovels but once Taylor started landing with her right, Ochigava knew all about it. A full report is over on this post.

If you click through some of the other fights, interesting to see some of the women wearing the infamous skirts. These have been creeping into MuayThai too, not a big fan but some say it's progress so ... The commentary is in Dutch and you need to download Silverlight (link on the site). Some great fights, well worth the effort. But strangely seems to be just Dutch fighters up there now.

The other results are listed here on the EWBC website.

New look for Inspiring Sports Women

2011-10-23T13:04:00.002+01:00

Just a short post to say thank you to illustrator Katie Male at Flatsphere in Bangkok, Thailand for drawing this great picture for the blog!

I haven't changed too much; everything is still in the same place, just a little clearer. Love the determination on the faces of these women. Hope you can still find your favourite posts.

Women wrestlers in Turkey

2011-10-21T15:44:00.000+01:00

Wrestling always reminds me of reading John Irving's The World According to Garp. Strange but true. And in the week of the European Boxing championships in Rotterdam, it seems like a good chance to look at another contact sport for women. Enjoy and have a great weekend!

Wordless Wednesday

2011-10-19T11:02:00.000+01:00


pic by Luanda Smith

Wordless Wednesday is a group of bloggers who give words a rest once a week.

Review: Mud Sweat and Tears, on a mountain-run

2011-10-18T07:00:00.000+01:00

"It is 2 am on Saturday morning. I’m so used to being alone on the mountains by now that I presume that I’m the only one up here. But before I know it, I see three other head torches pointing right in my direction. “Who the hell would be up this mountain at this time of night?” I wonder. I start to panic"

For some people climbing a mountain means walking slowly and steadily to the summit and back. For others it means ropes and dizzy ascents. For some people in Ireland it means running 26 peaks totalling over 100 km with over 6,000m of climbing - all inside 24 hours.

Aid-worker and blogger Moire O Sullivan took on The Wicklow Round in 2009. And now she's put it down in writing for us to share.

"Mud, Sweat and Tears, An Irish woman’s journey of self-discovery" starts from the pain and humiliation of not completing the Round in 2008 to the painful joy of finishing in 22 hours 58 mins and 30 seconds a year later. As she says at the end: "I feel proud for getting back out there after that difficult first attempt. I’m proud that I learnt from my mistakes ... I’m proud that I’m a girl. I am a girl who was the first person to complete the Wicklow Round. So often us girls think that these things simply can’t be done. But at the end of May 2009, I’ve proved this belief totally wrong."

It's not a comfortable read, Moire takes us right into the bloody blisters and the things long-distance runners think but it's a book that makes you believe in the addictive power of mountain-running. And makes you see how powerful that feeling of achievement can be.

For the runners among you, her descriptions of how she balances her food-intake with running and works out a route to get her safely over the peaks in darkness is a great insight into the practicalities behind her triumph. Her support team had more than a small role to play in this.

Moire, at the end of the Wicklow Round

She writes: "Andrew, Lara, and Mark are also checking my bag at the transitions to make sure I am finishing the food. When I arrive off the mountains with a morsel of food left, I get reprimanded for not eating enough ... a psychological trick to ensure I consume enough calories for the journey."

As you read you feel you are there on the mountains - watching the sky change colour, looking out for the goats and munching on the chocolate muffin with Moire on another steep climb.

Having done much less strenuous climbs in Wicklow, I'm awestruck at the commitment and the fitness needed to get around every peak in sight. I love that some of her running friends tog out to run with her for a few hours here and there, that's friendship.

In a funny aside she remembers how she nears the end of her marathon, she passed a runner who had probably just woken up a short while earlier. The runner calls out a loud hello and is affronted not to receive a proper reply. " “Whatever”, she says as she whizzes past me ... “But, but... I did answer you,” I think. “It’s just that I’ve been running for 22 hours. I’ve been on my feet since yesterday. I’m doing the Wicklow Round.""

But it's something beyond the ken of most people, that anyone would undertake this. Moire was the first person to complete the Round, within a couple of weeks four men completed it in various times. But she was the first and you can race up those peaks with her.

You can buy the E-book here on Moire's blog Running over mountains and around the world

I interviewed Moire on this blog here and here

Have you read any other "I did this" books recently?

Blog Action Day 2011 Food

2011-10-16T00:00:00.000+01:00

When I saw the topic for Blog Action Day this year, at first I wondered what can a sports blog add to the UN World Food Day?

Maybe it seems right because I did most of my sport in Thailand, a country where MuayThai fighters come from the poorest section of society. A country where many of the fighters choose between working 14-hour days in the rice-fields or getting in the ring.

They fight to put food on the table.Boxers talk of training as young kids having only eaten a boiled egg and a handful of sicky rice for breakfast before school. That’s a three-hour training session on ice-water and an empty stomach.

After training, people sit – on the floor or benches – and eat together. Rice, fish, chicken, green veg and plates of hot chilli. It’s not the rich coconut-flavoured food you see in western Thai restaurants. This is cheap but healthy if you get enough of it.

There is no ‘my plate’. Everyone eats together, picking food from the main dishes onto their plate, sharing the green shoots.

The chilli isn’t there to just test your staying power either, chilli raises the metabolism, makes you feel full even when you haven’t eaten nearly enough.

Some of the bigger gyms attract lots of western boxers now, they come with expensive shoes to protect their feet and they bring tins of tuna or protein supplements to dinner.

They say it’s incredible the Thais can fight on so little food. Mate, it’s not a lifestyle choice, it’s not a variant of the Atkins Diet, it’s not some secret MuayThai technique.

It’s poverty.

Sawasdee mag 2000

Amy does Parkour in Melbourne

2011-10-14T07:00:00.000+01:00

This is great! Only a few minutes long, it's the best explanation I've heard for why some people are addicted to leaping buildings. Another sport I wish I had tried when I was 17 and thought I was invincible. Filmed in Melbourne, lovely shots of the city as well as Amy show us what she does.

Have a healthy weekend!

Sports Blog Karma

2011-10-13T07:00:00.000+01:00

It's been a while since I listed some of the blogs I read while floating around the internet.*

Muslim Women in Combat Sports

This is a relatively new blog, clue is in the title. Some fascinating stories from places like Bosnia, Australia, Iran and Pakistan. Brings a whole new angle to the posts I've written here about clothing for women in sport.

IFMA Female Commission

Ok, so it's a FB page not a blog but still a great place to get pictures of national team members competing in MuayThai. Lots of great shots from the recent World Champs in Uzbekistan.

Running over mountains and around the world

Incredible photos of adventure races in places like the Himalayas, Cambodia and Moire's homeplace of Ireland.

*working and researching I mean ...

Wordless Wednesday

2011-10-12T07:59:00.000+01:00

pic: Ms Dedi Reflex photos

Wordless Wednesday is a group of bloggers who give words a rest once a week.