Female athletes head to college and beyond

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Male Coaches

I know what you’re thinking, what an odd title for a women’s sports blog!  What does it mean to have two male coaches in the women’s final? was featured this afternoon on the NCAA Double-A Zone blog.  The article opens restating the statistics released earlier this year by the NCAA in the Perceived Barriers Study, that we covered in Gender Barriers in Athletics.

Until reading this article I had not realized that this is just the second time in history that two male head coaches meet on the stage of the women’s final.  (the first time coming in 1988.)    

Now, I’m hoping that Marta Lawrence wrote this article just to get a rise out of people like me.  And if so, congratulations!  The questions asked really got me thinking, and caused me to react!  I want to make sure I am not misunderstood, I have had multiple good male coaches, and I know MANY good male coaches of female athletes.  I have nothing against men who coach women.  How many people are going to assume that Louisville and UConn met tonight in the National Champioinship game because they have male coaches?  How many people are going to belive that the Geno Auriemma and Jeff Walz  are more qualifed, more successful, more talented, than Pat Summit, C. Vivian Stringer, Tara VanDerveer, Sherri Coale, simply because they are men. 

So, does the game tonight work to reiterate the subconscious notion that men are better suited to coaching than women?

In one word: No.  

Do women still need to climb the gender equity hill or is tonight’s game an indication that we’ve moved to a post-gender time in women’s athletics?

1) It doesn’t bother me that the coach of the UConn Huskies and the Louisville Cardinals are men.  It doesn’t bother me that the top two women’s basketball teams in the country are coached by men.  We know the facts.  Only 42% of women’s college teams are coached by women.  In 1972, the birth of Title IX, 90% of women’s college teams were coached by women.  It upsets me that people will look at tonight and say “men are better suited to coaching than women.” 
2) Women definitely still need to climb the gender equity hill.  The worst thing that we can do as women, as leaders, and as mentors to young children, is to think that “we’ve moved to a post-gender time in women’s athletics.”  If we believe that, if we allow that thought to creep into our minds, we will lose everything our founding mothers fought for when Title IX was enacted. 

“There’s always going to be another mountain
I’m always going to want to make it move
Always going to be an uphill battle,
Sometimes I’m gonna to have to lose,
Ain’t about how fast I get there,
Ain’t about what’s waiting on the other side
It’s the climb”

(I SWEAR I chose this quote before that little tribute to the women’s tournament…even if it’s sad to admit!)

WHOW

WHOW … Women Helping Other Women.

These were the opening words spoken by Judy Sweet at the NCAA Women’s Leadership Symposium in Boston, MA on March 20th and 21st.  (I apologize for the delay in this blog!)

Let me just start by saying there is no way that I can sum up the information shared over the course of these two days in the space of this blog, nor do I want to!  If you are a female athlete interested in collegiate athletics, then you MUST get yourself to one of these events and experience it for yourself.  Cheesey or not, this symposium changed my life!

Since, I’m not going to go into detail about the events of the symposium, I’m going to try to put into words what it did for me.  Two and a half months ago I posted a blog titled, Gender Barriers in Athletics.  At the time of this post I was feeling extremely discouraged in my career path.  I was wondering if I would ever break through the glass ceiling to find that dream job in college athletics.

After this symposium, I know that I will continue to do what I do, no matter how long it takes me to find that dream job!  The most valuable session in the symposium, for me, was Value Your Values.  I learned what it is that I love most about working in college athletics, and why I could never leave the field.

This symposium completely motivated me; I felt empowered to change the world when I left Boston, MA on Sunday, March 22nd.  I spent two days with 165 female – Athletic Directors, Coaches, Student-Athletes, etc. all working towards the same goal, all needing that same bit of inspiration, and all leaving feeling connected to each other.

NCAA, NACWAA, WLS, speakers/presenters, attendees:  THANK YOU!!

“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has.”
- Margaret Mead

Practice makes Perfect

Uncharted waters for the Lady Vols. Tennessee suffered a first-ever, first round loss to Ball State 71-55 on Sunday. Tuesday afternoon, the women were back at Tennessee, and back on the court. Pat Summit discusses her reason for holding practice, how she plans to develop her young team, and of course her disappointment in the first round loss. The women can continue to practie until April 15th, as per NCAA rules.

Really just an amazing personal interview with Pat Summit. Watch this! I didn’t play much basketball, but I ALWAYS respected Pat Summit. She is the epitome of a strong female warrior, an amazing leader and coach, and extremely knowledgeable of the sport. She is obviously struggling with the loss and some of her younger players. It seems like she is dealing with some commitment issues from her freshmen, and maybe the effort they are not putting into the sport. It sounds like the next 3 weeks are going to be some of the most grueling and challenging practices Tennessee has had this season. Best of luck to her as she tries to get through to her team.

As a coach, there’s nothing worse than feeling like you want the victory more than your team does.

Women’s Tourney Update

down to the wire basketball games, defensive battles to the end, physical battles, gotta love march madness!

just a recap of some impressive victories over the last two days:

• UConn remains undefeated beating Florida 87-59
• California scored a crazy 99 points to defeat UVA
• 2 – #6 seeds advance over #3 seeds: Arizona State edges out Florida State, while UNC is no challenge for Purdue.

Most exciting for me, being a Jersey girl, was Rutgers just absolutely destroying Auburn after coming out to a 22-4 lead early!  Rutgers finished the game 80-52.  I can’t wait for the Purdue-Rutgers match-up!!

Definitely some other exciting games over the course of Monday and Tuesday, and you can find the most updated bracket at ESPN.  The Women’s NCAA Tournament returns on action on Saturday.

Mascots and Masculinity

So the idea from this blog came in response to a previous post that got me thinking.  I have been on teams that have used the term “Lady” in front of our schools mascot in order to somehow feminize our image.  Although this argument may seem trivial or like a small issue, it is important for women to start realizing these examples are preventing women from truly being seen as equals in the sports arena. 

According to the Handbook of Sociology of Gender, more than 50% of 4-year colleges in the United States use sexist names for women’s teams, such as adding “Lady” to the mascot name, adding the suffix “ette” (Yellow Jackettes or Thorobrettes), or using a diminutive version of the mascot for women’s teams (Kittens or Belles).

In my opinion, we are feeding into stereotypes of women, by altering a mascot name in any of the aforementioned ways, to pertain to a women’s sports team.  Why does the mascot have to have any gender at all?  Why is the default gender male?  Does it make a difference if the hawk, bulldog, lion, professor, volunteer, cardinal, etc. is a male or a female?  Does the gender predict how we act when participating?  God forbid men are forced to compete with a female mascot, therefore all mascots must be inherently male.  As female athletes we should want to embody the same ferocious and competitive characteristics as our male counterparts.  What are we gaining by feminizing the mascot?  Do I want to be described as lady-like on the court, field, in the pool, inside the batters box? 

Obviously I do not want to get off topic, but something that just came to mind, “you throw like a girl.”  Well, #1 – I am a girl, and #2 – why is that a bad thing?  Why do these stereotypes still exist, and why, as women, are we contributing to this image? 

In my research I found two noteworthy articles relating to this topic, “We’re not bitches, we’re Bulldogs,” and “‘Lady’ Interrupted.”  Both articles use the Lady Vols as an example, and I cannot think of a better one.  Now, you don’t need to follow Women’s Basketball or even watch SportsCenter to know that the Lady Vols are one of the most known icons in Women’s College Basketball.  They are a FORCE, from all-time winningest college basketball coach, Pat Summitt, to first pick in the WNBA draft Candace Parker.  The Lady Vols have won 8 National Championship titles and have competed in every single NCAA Division I Women’s Basketball tournament since the NCAA began sanctioning the sport in 1981.  I don’t know many men that would argue the toughness that these ladies show on the court day in and day out.  I might go as far to say that the Lady Vols could compete with numerous men’s college basketball programs.  Why do we need to feminize their mascot?  The term lady is used to describe a women who is refined and polite.  I can assure you that the Lady Vols are not worried about being refined and polite on the basketball court.  Nor should any other female student-athlete be portrayed as refined and polite while competing in their respective sport.  And we, as a society, need to realize there is nothing wrong with female athletes WANTING to be competitive, ferocious, intimidating, strong, and powerful. 

In 2007, C. Vivian Stringer and Pat Summitt shared their conflicting opinions on this topic.  Summitt’s stance, “That Lady Vols logo is known throughout the country and throughout the world, I just can’t see that changing.”  Stringer’s viewpoint, “basketball is basketball, and you don’t need to make a distinction.”  The times are evident, and it’s time WE make a change!

Team Dynamics and Lifelong friendships

  This is not a political or even a current event topic, but I thought I would share a little personal story about friendships and the value of being a member of a team.  Although I am describing my relationships on my basketball team, I do recognize that there are many other “teams” other than relating to athletics. 

  Recently, I received a phone call from a former basketball teammate of mine announcingher engagement.  After pausing to let the shock sink in, I started reminiscingon the friendships I had made with my basketball teammates.  Even though there are many former teammates that I do not speak with reguarly, I still do have contact with a good number of alums.  Only after I graduated from my New Jersey college did I really begin to grasp the sheer privilege of being on my basketball team with 15 or 16 others.  I gained valuable communication skills, leadership qualities, important time management skills, as well as numerous other priceless life lessons. 

 To this day, I regularly communicate with a handful of my former teammates and consider those women to be some of my closest, if not the closest friends I have.  Many go to college, but few leave with the lifelong friendships that were formed from athletic teams.  I cherish my time in school and that I had my basketball family members with me every step of the way and for that I thank each and every one of them.

Her Sports Rounds… The Best of Women’s Sports

Below is my roundup – hope you enjoy!

Lauren at Feministe discusses the beauty and power displayed in the image of female bodybuilders – an image that “isn’t that of a delicate orchid.”

Jane from Pretty Tough gives a great recap of what’s happening in the women’s figure skating industry. I know I’ve said this before, but I think Jane probably has the best coverage of women’s sports out there.

Diane from Women Who Serve talks about “who’s hot and who’s not” for women’s tennis in ’09. This is a very interesting read, and a great blog – I’m so glad Diane decided to start this blog – a life-long fan of women’s tennis… what a great way to express her passion.

Rob from the Athletic Women blog discusses the importance of strength training for female athletes.

Apryl Delancey from Women Like Sports discusses how Lisa Guerrero from Inside Edition and TV Guide has decided to become a sports blogger!  I hope she takes the lead in covering women’s sports!!!

Ted and Sara at the Women’s Hoops Blog give great recaps of what’s happening in college hoops – check out their post from November 23 – what great coverage!

Lyndsey from Girls Dig Sports (B5 Media) says that Alicia Sacramone, from the Olympics gymnastics team, is considering a reality show with Lou Reda Productions.

Erica Ortiz discusses what she’s thankful for at Horsepower & Heels.

Keri Mikulski heads back to Texas for a book signing at The Ronald McDonald Tournament which benefits the Ronald McDonald House in Houston.

Our Bodies Our Blog linked to me this week – blogger Christine took a liking to a YouTube video I posted this week about five year old basketball phenom Milan Simone Tuttle.

Sara from Rock Climber Girl is attempting to bring together the rock climbing community by to making a directory of climbing-related Twitter-ers.  I think Twitter is awesome – I’d love to see a community of female athletes raising influence on Twitter.

Stanford FBC gives us the back story on how a musician (Bud Anderson) and a graphic artist ( Sarah Boruta) are the new videographers for the Stanford women’s team.These two seem to be responsible for Stanford’s viral videos and possibly a music video for the team.

Adam Jacobs at The Final Sprint discusses corruption at the top of the track and field industry. He came out with Part III and Part IV of his Dysfunction Run Amuck series. I highly recommend you read them – very, very interesting.

Female athletes and ACL injuries: preventable?

If you are a female and you played sports through puberty and beyond, changes are pretty good that you either suffered an ACL injury or some of your teammates did.

A recent NCAA report says that females are two and a half to four times more likely to tear their ACLs then men. And new research says it’s preventable.

Luckily, I never suffered one of these awful injuries. But many of my old teammates did – all the way through both high school and college. Many of them found themselves sitting on the sidelines watching for at least six months, along with weeks of excruciating therapy and a huge knee brace slapped on their legs.

But how (exactly) is it fair that the ACL injury (for the most part) seems to target women? Turns out, when women hit puberty, we have a different way of landing on our knees than our male counterparts. (Has to do with hormones and the way our bodies change).

But here’s the exciting part: Researchers recently have figured out a training regimen to prevent this from happening. That’s right – prevention, and it all comes down to neuromuscular training that our bodies need to learn at an early age.

From NCAA,

“Boys are running around and athletic and are being trained from a neuromuscular perspective early on and women are later to get into that, and they never develop the same neuromuscular training as boys do even if they’re incredible athletes,” says Dr. Craig Levitz, chairman of the Department of Orthopedics, Orthopedic Surgery and director of sports medicine at South Nassau Communities Hospital in Oceanside, New York.

While Levitz says neuromuscular training programs that teach the muscles how to protect the knee are critical for girls, they don’t seem to be necessary for boys.

“For some reason, that’s something that seems ingrained in the male genetics and has to be learned in the female genetics,” Levitz says.

Apparently, implementing programs that target young female athletes is key.

The NCAA Web site, the ACL Feature – where I got all of this information – is an incredible step in the right direciton. They’re utilizing social media to tell us exactly how the injury happens and how we can prevent it. It utilizes flash media, audio and video – I highly encourage you to check it out and pass it along.

It’s very promising to see the NCAA not only taking an interest in female sports injuries, but also utilizing new social media platforms (and even message boards!) to encourage discussion and the expansion of knowledge about injury prevention.

Great job NCAA!

Do female athletes prefer male coaches?

A study was recently conducted about the perceived gender-equity barriers in college coaching and administration. In this study, which will be available on the NCAA website in November, it was found that 51.7 percent of female student-athletes said they would prefer their coach to be a male, with only 40.7 percent preferring their coach to be a female.

In a blog posted on the Double-a Zone, the writer skims the surface for what may be the cause of this, (at first glance), alarming finding:

“Before Title IX, sports were the jurisdiction of men and boys.  … Without early encouragement, which often came from fathers, many women may never have picked up a glove or shot a basket.”

Good point, Marta!  If it weren’t for my dad and the competition and influence of my male cousins, I probably never would’ve been as interested in sports as I eventually became.  By the age of 10, I was playing basketball, soccer, softball, and swimming all year round.  As many of my coaches as I can remember were male.  The only female influences I had as an athlete were my teammates, an assistant high school softball coach, and the men’s high school swim coach.  (Yes – the men’s team had a female coach, and the women’s team had a male coach, in 1996 nonetheless!)

It wasn’t until I got to the college level that I had my own personal experience with a female coach.  As a competitive, enthusiastic, and athletic female I was starving for female leadership.  The little interaction that I had with female coaches in high school was enough for those women to become my mentors and people that I idolized, not only as women, but as coaches, and leaders.  It is the lack of female leadership and mentoring that I had growing-up that has driven me to coaching and teaching.  To be able to influence a females life through athletics can provide one with great confidence, opportunity, self-esteem, and the strength to carry that female athlete through the rest of their life.

As a collegiate assistant coach of females and males, what is alarming to me is the low number of representation of females as coaches of women’s team.

In a study titled Women in Intercollegiate Sport, Linda Jean Carpenter, and R. Vivian Acosta, update an ongoing their longitudinal national survey, spanning 31 years.  The website also includes a one page synosis of Title IX, and other interesting information.

The two women, both professors emerita of Brooklyn College of the City University of New York, have been involved in Title IX and gender equity issues for over the last 30 years, and have also published a book titled, Title IX.

Now for the findings …

“42.8% of women’s teams are coached by a female head coach.
57.2% of women’s teams are coached by a male head coach.
2 to 3% of men’s teams are coached by a female head coach.
20.6% of all teams (men’s and women’s) are coached by a female head coach
WHEN TITLE IX WAS ENACTED IN 1972, OVER 90% OF THE HEAD COACHES FOR WOMEN’S TEAMS AND ABOUT 2% OF THE COACHES OF MEN’S TEAMS WERE FEMALES”

Don’t get me wrong, there were favorable findings to this study.

For example, participation of female athletes is at it’s highest ever, with 9101 teams across the board.  Also at an all-time high are the number of paid assistant coaches of women’s teams, the highest representation of female athletic directors since the mid 70s, and the highest ever number of females employed in intercollegiate athletics.

The study goes on to research the difference in number of female coaches per division, and the impact the sex of the athletic director has on the percentage of female coaches.

This study was reported on in Time magazine and the Associated Press in the summer of 2007.  The article in the Time’s, Where are the Women Coaches?, provides some answers.  There has been an increase in the attractiveness of coaching women’s teams with the increase in funding, publicity, and prestige, these jobs have become much more desirable to men.

Because of 80% of college athletic directors are men, this leaves these men, who decide to entire the world of coaching women, with a clear advantage over women.  When we fill these roles with men, we are not showing women that they can do anything.  We are showing women that they can succeed and excel in a male dominated world.  As a result:

“Their own expectations, their own aspirations are limited and distorted as a result,” says Marcia Greenberger, a co-president of the National Women’s Law Center.

In the Associated Press article, Deborah Rhode, a Stanford University law professor states: “Title IX opened so many more opportunities for women athletes, but it also made positions coaching women’s teams much more attractive to men.  Often women are facing barriers to getting those jobs that weren’t there when they were competing with other women and running those programs.”

From Where Are the Women Coaches?:  When the WNBA started in 1997, seven of its eight head coaches were women.  Now nine of its 13 coaches are MEN.  “Just as opportunities are opening up for women coaches, [these jobs] seem to be escaping them,” says NCAA president Myles Brand. “It’s ironic, even a bit cruel.”

Why is this happening?  Is this because the female athletes PREFER male coaches, or because the administration and the corporate offices PREFER male coaches?

I will be interested to read the complete findings of the NCAA gender equity survey, and you can be sure to read a blog here when those results are released to the public!

NCAA 2008 Woman of the Year

Sunday night in Indianapolis the NCAA announced Nkolika “Nicky” Anosike 2008 Woman of the Year.  Anosike led the Lady Vols of Tennessee to back-to-back Women’s Basketball National Championships.  Being an avid watcher of the NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament and regular season play, I could not be happier with the NCAA’s decision!  Not only is Anosike a household name, at least in my house, but a woman with tremendous talent, who carries herself with such pride and confidence!

Anosike’s success spans across much more than the basketball court.  Anosike has many noteworthy achievements.  Her academic and athletic success combined is incomparable to most, and I do not think anyone will disagree on how deserving she is of this award.

Academic achievements: Graduated in May 2008 with a triple major in political science, legal studies and sociology. SEC Academic Honor Roll, 2005-08. ESPN The Magazine Academic All-American second-team, 2007-08. Boyd McWhorter Postgraduate Scholarship winner for Tennessee, 2008.

The recipe for determining the winner: “The annual Woman of the Year award recognizes outstanding female student-athletes who have excelled in academics, athletics, leadership and service. A committee composed of representatives from NCAA member schools and conferences selected the top 30 – 10 from each division – from 130 conference and independent nominees. From the 30 honorees, nine finalists – three from each division – were chosen.”

The NCAA Committee on Women’s Athletics selected Anosike from nine finalists:

“1.  Susan Ackermann, Salisbury (lacrosse), Capital Athletic Conference
2.  Nkolika Anosike, Tennessee (basketball),Southeastern Conference
3.  Jennifer Artichuk, Delta State (swimming and diving), Independent
4.  Shanti Freitas, Smith (swimming and diving), New England Women’s and Men’s Athletic Conference
5.  Arianna Lambie, Stanford (cross country, track and field), Pacific-10 Conference
6.  Samantha Mitchell, Mount Olive (volleyball, track and field), Conference Carolinas
7.  Lindsey Ozimek, Charlotte (soccer), Atlantic 10 Conference
8.  Sarah Schettle, Wisconsin-Oshkosh (track and field, cross country, swimming), Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference
9.  Heather Walker, Georgian Court (volleyball, softball), Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference”

I think that this is an amazing award and a great way to showcase female athletes.  Only ONE winner of this award has been a Division III Athlete.  EVERY other winner competed at the Division I level.  Now, I understand Division I is the highest level of competition, thus you are going to find the most successful and talented women competing for Divisioin I.  HOWEVER, having been a: 4 year varsity athlete, 2 time NCAA All-American, team captain, 4 time All-Conference, and a 4 time NCAA qualifier, in Division III swimming, something is to be said for the Division III student-athlete.  Where is the recognition for non-scholarship athletes?  The athletes that compete simply for the love of the game.

The athlete that gets out of bed every morning at 5:30am for swim practice, goes to class all morning, comes back to the pool to swim again, and then hits the weightroom, just to go home, eat dinner, do some homework, and wake up to do it all again.  All the meanwhile, maintaining a 3.95, still finding time to volunteer for various activities and programs, not to mention being a darn talented swimmer!!  This swimmer I am referring to was one of the 30 finalists in attendance Sunday night, Michelle Coombs.  Coombs, a 2008 graduate of SUNY New Paltz, was the 2007 NCAA Division III National Champion for Women’s Swimming in the 100 freestyle, and the first female National Champion at SUNY New Paltz.  As an assistant coach at SUNY New Paltz, I had the pleasure of coaching Coombs for the 2007-2008 swim season!  Much like all of the candidates for Woman of the Year, Coombs excels in academics, athletics, and in the area of service and leadership.  Congratulations to Coombs and all of the other finalists on their amazing honor to be nominated.  Most importantly, congratulations to Anosike for winning the title of Woman of the Year, and best of luck as you all go forward in your lives and look to excel outside of your specific sports arenas.

Kelcy McKenna Named ITA All-American Tennis Champion

According to the NCAA, on Sunday, Kelcy McKenna of Arizona State defeated  Auburn’s Fani Chifchieva to become the ITA All-American Champion for women’s tennis. McKenna beat Chifchieva 6-4, 6-3 in a straight-set win.

This is McKenna’s second season with the Sun Devils. The 5-9 sophomore from North Bend, Oregon had a stellar first season with the Sun Devils… was ranked #27 this season… recorded a total of 33 wins in singles play, most on the team.

McKenna is ASU’s third ITA All-American in two years.

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