Audio interviews: Women’s Sports Foundation’s red carpet event

Check out some of the interviews from the Women’s Sports Foundation’s Annual Salute to Women in Sports red carpet event last night… (Click links below pictures to listen to the interviews).

Apologize in advance for the lack of “depth” in my questions (interviews are very short). Please understand I was being trampled upon by other media personnel and didn’t have enough time to prepare. However, that said, there are some great quotes here and definitely worth listening in.

Jessica Mendoza Interview
Softball left fielder and Women’s Sports Foundation President Jessica Mendoza discusses the importance of social media in female athletics.  Jessica is an avid member of WomenTalkSports.com and is responsible for inviting me to the red carpet event.

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Nancy Lieberman Interview
Nancy Lieberman, ESPN women’s basketball analyst/Olympian discusses the “family” of female professional athletes and the importance for women to continue to support the Women’s Sports Foundation.

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White House Roundtable Celebrates Title IX’s 37th Anniversary

Today, the Women’s Sports Foundation represents the female athletes of the United States in a celebration of the anniversary of Title IX by visiting the White House for a special roundtable discussion.

“At 2:30 p.m. on Tuesday, June 23, the White House will be holding a 37th anniversary of Title IX roundtable featuring Senior Advisor Valerie Jarrett, Education Secretary Duncan, Foundation founder Billie Jean King, first Foundation President Donna deVarona, former Foundation President Dominique Dawes, current President Jessica Mendoza, Foundation Government Liaison and former Trustee Lillian Greene-Chamberlain, Ph.D and CEO Karen Durkin.”

You can watch the roundtable at 2:30pm EST here. Also, the White House’s Facebook application will be streaming to the roundable live, here, where you can participate by adding to the chat.

To convey the message even further, check out the below video… which is….  frankly – awesome. I highly encourage other female sports bloggers to post this on their blogs as well today.

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Stars raise over $1 million at WSF’s “Solute to Women in Sports”

The Women’s Sports Foundation (WSF) held the 2008 Annual Salute to Women in Sports last night in New York City.

I would have loved to have gone to this, but unfortunately, I’m not exactly “financially inclined” enough to afford the $1200 seat at the table.

Regardless, this is a great event that supports an incredibly important cause, and I’m so glad it was a success. Thank you, WSF, for all that you do.

According to the Women’s Sports Foundation,

“More than 70 of the planet’s top athletes and a handful of celebrities — including award-winning CNN reporter, Christiane Amanpour and Jill Hennessey, star of the television series “Crossing Jordan” — gathered at the Waldorf=Astoria to celebrate the achievements of girls and women in sports. The event raised more than $1 million that will be turned into grants and educational and advocacy-related programming.”

Click here to see a photo show of the event.

Below are those who went home last night with awards:

- Sportswoman of the Year (Individual): Nastia Liukin

- Sportswoman of the Year (Team): Jessica Mendoza

- Wilma Rudolph Courage Award: Patience Knight

- Billie Jean King Contribution Award: Women’s Tennis Association

USA Softball, Knicks, Liberty at Sports Museum of America

The Sports Museum of America forwarded me some pictures of the event they held this past Monday. Check them out (below). Looks like it was a cool event!

The USA Women’s Softball Team at the Sports Museum of America.
From left to right; front row: Tairia Flowers, Natasha Watley, Vicky Galindo, Andrea Duran and Kelly Kretschman. From left to right; back row: Crystl Bustos, Jennie Finch, Cat Osterman, Alicia Hollowell, Monica Abbott, Jessica Mendoza, Lauren Lappin and Caitlin Lowe.

Former New York Knicks All-Star John Starks and Liberty standout Kym Hampton hosting a skills and techniques clinic for kids

Mascots from the New York area
From left to right, the New Jersey Ironmen’s IronDog, Maddie from the New York Liberty, the Fordham Ram, New York Shark’s Sharkie and in the center, Mr. Met.

Celebrate Columbus Day at the Sports Museum

Jennie Finch, Jessica Mendoza and the USA softball team will be at the Sports Museum in New York city this Monday.

They will be meeting sports fans and signing autographs from 11am-1pm. This is a unique opportunity, so if you’re in the area and have off on Columbus day (or even if you don’t) you should go check this out!

Also present will be Kym Hampton and John Starks of the New York Knicks; the duo will be meeting fans, signing autographs and holding a basketball clinic from 1pm-3pm.

I’ve never been to the Sports Museum, and unfortunately, I have to work on Monday.

However, I am definitely planning on making a trip up there because they are home to the first and only Women’s Sports Hall of Fame, built in partnership with Billie Jean King’s Women’s Sports Foundation.

Can’t wait to see it!

If anyone goes to this event, please post how it was. I’m interested in hearing about it.

WSF Sportswoman of the Year Contest

The Women’s Sports Foundation is holding a poll/contest on their Web site to select two champion athletes (one team, one individual) for their Sportswoman of the Year Award.

Award winners will be announced on October 14, 2008, and honored at the Annual Salute to Women in Sports Awards Dinner at the Waldorf-Astoria in New York City. Cast your vote by midnight, September 2, and you’ll be entered in a drawing to win one of five items autographed by your favorite sportswomen.

The nominees for the “team” category are:
- Patty Cisneros
- Anastasia Davydova and Anastasia Ermakova
- Sandra Kiriasis
- Jessica Mendoza
- Hannah Nielsen
- Candace Parker
- Misty May-Treanor and Kerri Walsh
- Marta Vieira da Silva
- Hayley Wickenheiser
- Venus and Serena Williams

The nominees for the “individual” category are:
- Mao Asada
- Veronica Campbell-Brown
- Natalie Coughlin
-Ashley Fiolek
- Allison Fisher
- Yelena Isinbayeva
- Nastia Liukin
- Lorena Ochoa
- Lindsey Vonn
- Rebecca Ward

I guess I’m a fan of the Olympics (or that’s what’s on the top of my mind) because I voted for Misty-May Treanor for the “team” category and Nastia Liukin for the “individual” category. I know the contest is based on more than just Olympic performances, but I just couldn’t help myself.

I encourage everyone to vote!!!

Saving Women’s Softball

Softball has been voted out of the Olympics after the 2008 Beijing Games. This is a hard blow to the sport, which rarely receives such international attention as it does at the Olympics. It crushes the dreams of girls on an international level.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wnq1YM7VjXM]

Incredible. REALLY, REALLY incredible. I’m sorry it took me so long to figure this out – special thanks to the Athletic Women Blog for posting about this.

It seems IOC members had another agenda with their decision to eliminate softball, or so some claim. Apparently, IOC members may have voted to eliminate softball and baseball as a way to protest the United States‘ involvement in Iraq.

But, in a true testament of faithful dedication, girls have been writing letters, and the IOC has been receiving their thoughts. Check out this video of Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel, which aired on June 24. Jessica Mendoza is pissed.

If you would like to see softball re-instated in the Olympics, check out Save Women’s Softball. Become involved. Let them hear your voice.

Saving Women’s Softball

Softball has been voted out of the Olympics after the 2008 Beijing Games. This is a hard blow to the sport, which rarely receives such international attention as it does at the Olympics. It crushes the dreams of girls on an international level.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wnq1YM7VjXM]

Incredible. REALLY, REALLY incredible. I’m sorry it took me so long to figure this out – special thanks to the Athletic Women Blog for posting about this.

It seems IOC members had another agenda with their decision to eliminate softball, or so some claim. Apparently, IOC members may have voted to eliminate softball and baseball as a way to protest the United States‘ involvement in Iraq.

But, in a true testament of faithful dedication, girls have been writing letters, and the IOC has been receiving their thoughts. Check out this video of Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel, which aired on June 24. Jessica Mendoza is pissed.

If you would like to see softball re-instated in the Olympics, check out Save Women’s Softball. Become involved. Let them hear your voice.