Barbie partners with pro golfer Brittany Lincicome to inspire girls

Even as a young girl, Barbie was never my go-to doll.  Though not a huge Barbie  fan, I’ve admired some of the marketing moves Mattel has made over the years in an effort to keep the old girl relevant. Tattoo Barbie may have been my favorite.

As part of Mattel’s latest campaign comes this piece of press:

For more than five decades, Barbie has been a perfect reflection of fashion and culture and has served as an inspiration to girls of all ages. This year, as part of the Barbie brand’s I Can Be… campaign, Barbie is empowering girls to dream it all, try it all and live it all. As part of this commitment, Barbie has partnered with 10 women who continue to serve as ambassadors of dreams and role models for girls. Named earlier this year as one of Barbie’s 10 Women to Watch in 2010, Barbie has forged a partnership with LPGA player Brittany Lincicome, the defending champion of the 2009 Kraft Nabisco Championship (KNC), to excite girls about the sport of golf and encourage them to live an active lifestyle.

Other women on Barbie’s 10 Women to Watch in 2010 list include snowboarder Gretchen Bleiler,  race car driver Danica Patrick and author J.K. Rowling.

So with the announcment of Brittany Lincicome as a Barbie partner, here’s what you have to look forward to: Throughout the year Brittany and Barbie will be hosting several clinics to further girl’s education and involvement with the sport of golf. This summer, Barbie is also introducing a new line of branded golf clubs with Accu-length and additional golf accessories bringing Barbie’s signature pink style to the course in a fun way. Barbie branded Accu-length clubs will be available online timed to the KNC. Together, Brittany and Barbie are paving the way for future generations of girls to tee up.

Can’t wait to see Barbie demonstrate the perfect backswing.

This is not the first time Barbie has tried to inspire girls to take to the tee.  They licensed the name for a line of kid-sized  Barbie  golf clubs replete with “girl-favorite features and detailing including lots of pink, flowers, hearts and butterfly graphics.”

We can’t really argue with Barbie’s choice of Lincicome as a role model or their effort to inspire girls to live an active lifestyle by encouraging them to get out on the course.  The Pepto-Bismal pink? That’s another story.

And the latest “Mad Men” Barbie collection? Don’t get me started.

About Brittany Lincicome
A golfer since she was nine-years-old, Brittany Lincicome is a professional golfer playing on the LPGA tour. Prior to going pro in October 2004, Brittany was a five time Rolex Junior All- American, winner of 3 AJGA titles and a two time PING Junior Solheim Cup Team member. As a professional, she is a 3-time winner. Her wins include the HSBC Women’s World Match Play Championship in 2006, the Ginn Open in 2007 and her first major victory at the Kraft Nabisco Championship last year.. Brittany has represented the United States in 2 Solheim Cups and is the only player to have finished in the top 3 in driving distance each year for the past 5 years. Later this month, Brittany will be defending her title at the 2010 KNC being held in Palm Springs, Calif.

Female jockey Julie Krone is a “Freak”

I was delighted to read that award-winning filmmaker Katherine Brooks (”Loving Annabelle,” 2006, and “Waking Madison,” 2009) is making a film based on legendary female jockey Julie Krone.  The film is called “Freak,” which refers to a racing term for horses who win over and over, even when they shouldn’t.

When it comes to horses, Krone is indeed a freak of nature. The film is an adaptation of her autobiography, “Riding for My Life”, which chronicles her rise to fame and unparalleled success as a jockey. A vivid look at the world of horse racing, “Freak” aims to explore one woman’s battle against sexual inequality in a classic tale of an underdog’s passage toward victory.

Dubbed the winningest female jockey in history, Krone is the only woman to be inducted into thoroughbred racing’s Hall of Fame.  She won 3,704 professional races, totaling over $90 million in prize money.

Krone is still the only woman to have won a Triple Crown race, flying across the finish line atop Colonial Affair in the 125th running of the Belmont Stakes in 1993. She’s also the only woman to ever compete at Belmont, where she raced on five occasions.

To achieve success, however, Krone had to overcome fierce obstacles. During her career,  Krone faced intense chauvinism in additon to suffering major injuries, including six fractures in her vertebrae, broken hands and cracked ribs.

For a long time, women didn’t even have the option of competing professionally because they weren’t legally allowed to ride at a track.  It wasn’t until 1968 that women were finally allowed to race, but they were prevented from doing so when male jockeys threatened to boycott the races.

Following in the footsteps of a handful of women before her, including Diana Crump who became the first woman to race professionally, Krone blazed her way to success. It wasn’t easy making a mark in the male-dominated “Sport of Kings” and for a long time no one took the petite (4′ 11”)  blonde-haired, blue-eyed girl seriously.

When a guy slashed Krone’s ear with a whip, she broke his nose. When people called her names, she looked the other way.  To the world, she was fearless. But inside, she was alone. The hardship fueled her desire to succeed even more. “Freak” is Krone’s heartfelt story.

According to IMDB, Brooks was initially against adapting Freak because she is a PETA member and spent much of her life rescuing injured horses off the track. It wasn’t until she met Krone and read her auto-biography, that she felt she could focus more on the intimate struggles of the character than the sport of racing. This is clearly a multi-layered story which promises lots of action and drama.

“Freak”, scheduled to shoot on location  in New York and Louisiana, is being produced by Sophie Watts of Gravity Films with an anticipated release around spring 2011. You can follow the progress via the film’s Facebook page or Twitter.

Official Website

Hellz Bellz meets Vans

Fans of Hellz Bellz, the New York street fashion brand, will be keen to know that they recently collaborated with  Vans for a limited edition pair of kicks that are in stores now. The re-imagined Hadley and Sophie shoes were introduced a couple weeks ago at an epic NYC launch party. Check out, the ‘Tomboy Chic’ Hadley (leather, zipped High Top) and ‘Edgy Femme’ Sophie (glittery, die-cut lace up) retailing at $85 and $65 respectively.

File this under Pretty Chic.

Another shoe review: MBT

Guest Post by Shelley Miles

I have been an MBT shoe fan for years, but my last pair was worn beyond repair and I was MBT-less for the last year.  So you can imagine my joy when I recently received a new pair of MBT M.Walks.

MBT stands for Masai Barefoot Technology and these shoes were designed to simulate walking barefoot (without the stones and thorns) – stimulating the body to actively balance itself.  This encourages better posture and better fitness because more muscle groups are engaged in balancing the body while walking.  The company’s marketing materials refer to these as the “anti-shoes.”

Rather than a flat sole, MBTs have a curved sole that rocks from front to back, and allows movement from side to side.   Inside the shoe, your foot stays fairly flat.  As you walk, the motion of the shoe simulates the way you have to adjust your body while walking on sand, engaging many muscle groups and improving posture, and reducing stress on joints.  A number of studies have been conducted showing the effects of walking in MBTS on knees, ankles etc.

When you first try on MBTs, the first thing you’ll notice is that the sizes run really small.  You’ll usually need a pair a full size larger than you usually wear.   These are not cute shoes – they are clunky and heavy looking.   The curved sole takes some getting used to and you need to adjust your walking techniques to get the most benefit out of them – taking short strides.  And they are expensive – at Zappos, they range from $130 to $275.  The Model I have, the M. Walk is for $168 on Zappos.  However, Resole America can resole your MBT’s to protect your investment.

Once you get used to them, your feet never want to take these shoes off.  They are the most comfortable shoes I’ve every worn.  They feel great to walk in.   I can feel the muscles in the backs of my legs, my back and stomach engaging when I walk.  It feels good to rock on them when standing still.  They really do take the strain off your knees even when walking on concrete.   These are the shoes to wear walking around any city, or any time you will be on your feet for hours.  And as an added boost for those of us on the short side, the thick soles add some coveted inches.

Over the last few years, a large variety of new styles have been added to the MBT line, everything from sandals to boots. The new women’s lasts are slimmer and a little less clunky looking than those in the past. .  In fact, they have their own kind of cool.  I’ve been stopped many times by people asking me where I got my MBTs.

(Disclosure:  A pair of MBT’s were provided to this writer by the manufacturer for the purpose of reviewing them. All comments and opinions are personal. )

Running a football pool

Now we’re not suggesting that you actually bet on the Superbowl game, but football pools can make watching the game a lot more fun. There are a variety of ways to set up the pool and to pick winners but we’ll tell you how the simplest and most common game is played.

Square Football Pool – Create a 10 x 10 grid with a place for numbers along both the top and left sides of the page. The top row of numbers will represent one team and the side row will represent the other team. The numbers are not actually placed on the top and side, however, until the grid has been filled with the contestants’ names or initials.

You can sell the squares for any amount you wish. If the price is $1.00 per square this puts $100 in the pool. You can also wager pieces of candy, gum, or other novelty prizes.

Once all the squares have been selected, randomly pick numbers from 0-9 and assign them to one team’s rows. Now do the same for the other team. These numbers represent the last number in the score of each team. In other words, if the score at the end of the game (or quarter if you’re breaking it up) is Saints 17 – Colts 14, then the winning square is the one with a Saints number of 7 and a Colts number of 4. Since no one knows what numbers each square will represent, the odds are the same for everyone.  You can divide the winnings and award funds at the end of each quarter, at the half or just at the end of the game. So good luck and enjoy.

There are plenty of websites that offer software or online versions of football pools but it’s just as easy to do it the old fashioned way and draw it on on a piece of paper. If you need a template, click here.

FYI: Most states in the U.S. regard this as a form of entertainment as long as 100 percent of the funds in the pool are paid back out to the contestants though (this is the fine print)we strongly suggest you check your local laws before participating.

Red Hot start to Fashion Week

Beginning today, with National Wear Red Day, millions will celebrate the Red Dress as the national symbol for women and heart disease awareness. Everyone can participate in the national movement by wearing their favorite red outfit, or Red Dress Pin.

And beginning next Thursday, February 11, 2010, The Heart Truth will bring the Red Dress to life once again on the runway at New York Fashion Week with the debut of the Red Dress Collection 2010.

Fashion Week is an eight-day preview of the fall looks of 100 or so designers. And for the sixth year in a row, the Heart Truth’s Red Dress Collection fashion show will feature celebrities on the catwalk in red designer dresses promoting the anti-heart disease campaign.

The event, which features singers, actresses and supermodels in red designer dresses, is held to raise awareness about heart disease — a leading killer of women. The show uses the glamour of fashion to highlight risk factors such as high blood pressure, raised cholesterol levels, and lack of exercise which are leading causes of heart disease.

In the past Uber-model Heidi Klum, who rarely graces the catwalk these days outside “Project Runway,” walked in the skimpiest dress – a short two-layer slip dress by Marc Jacobs with thin spaghetti straps.

Last year, The Fashion Show paired America’s top designers with 20 “Women with Heart”, including  (above) Daisy Fuentes for Pamella Roland, Vivica A. Fox for Jenny Packham, Hilary Duff for Donna Karan, and Lynda Carter for Carolina Herrera.

Look for heads to turn at this year’s event as well which will feature participating designers such as: Badgley Mischka, Betsey Johnson , Calvin Klein, Marc Jacobs, Max Azria, Vera Wang, Zac Posen and others.

See InStyle’s slideshow of the 2008 collection for ideas on how to “Dress Red” this week and give yourself an early Valentine’s Day gift.

Ladies night at the Grammys

Last night’s (January 31) Grammy show was a hit and from beginning to end it was Ladies Night.

Among the ladies that ruled was Beyoncé who scooped up six awards – a record for a female artist. The R & B superstar had ten nominations and walked away with trophies for Song Of The Year, Best Female Pop Vocal Performance, Best Female R&B Vocal Performance, Best Traditional R&B Vocal Performance, Best R&B Song, and Best Contemporary R&B Album.

Beyonce missed out on the album of the year, after Taylor Swift became the youngest artist to win the coveted Grammy. In doing so Taylor broke a record held since 1996 by Alanis Morissette, who was 21 when she won for Jagged Little Pill.

The 20-year-old was also the first solo female country winner ever of the award, and the first female pop winner since Celine Dion won in 1997 for Falling Into You. She also won the Grammy for best country album, and a pair of awards for her song White Horse – female country vocal performance and best country song.

Fans were treated to a number of incredible collaborations between modern marvels and living legends  such as Lady Gaga & Elton John and Taylor Swift & Stevie Nicks) and stunning set pieces including a memorable one by Pink.

So who had the best performance? Gaga and John performed “Poker Face,” “Speechless” and “Your Song” in an over-the-top spectacle that fit both of their massive personalities. Beyoncé’s take on “If I Were a Boy” and Alanis Morissette’s “You Oughta Know” showcased  incredible vocals.

Taylor Swift’s performance of “Today Was a Fairytale,” “Rhiannon” and “You Belong With Me” presented elements of country, straight pop, bluegrass, folk and classic rock.

For me,  the best peformance of the night was Pink who proved she’s Pretty Awesome.  She wowed the crowd singing”Glitter in the Air” while suspended in the air, spinning and singing like something out of Cirque de Soleil.  I think I read that she was a gymnast when she was younger but whether or not that’s true,  her athleticism was apparent.  By this time, CBS has probably pulled all the YouTube versions down for copyright infringement, but if the one below still works, be sure to check it out!

Doritos Crash the Super Bowl contest

For the fourth year in a row, Doritos presents the “Crash the Super Bowl” contest, incorporating user generated videos and potentially shelling out a lot of do-re-mi.

Six finalists have been selected from more than 4,000 entries and the stakes this year are bigger and bolder than ever. Contestants are not only competing to have their self-made Doritos commercials aired during the Super Bowl XLIV broadcast, they are shooting to make history by beating the ad pros and garnering the top three spots in USA TODAY’s annual Ad Meter. If they can do it, Doritos will award the winners a shared $5 million cash prize.

Online consumer voting will determine which three of the six finalists will air as Doritos’ Super Bowl commercials during the big game on February 7, 2010.

Not sure why there aren’t any female filmmakers represented. C’mon girls where are you? In any case, we kinda like House Rules by Joelle De Jesus. Fans  can vote for their favorite finalist once a day at www.crashthesuperbowl.com until January 31, 2010.

Shoe Review: MBT the Anti-Shoe

I’ve always loved sports.  I would play basketball on the driveway with my brothers Jim and John.  I would hit baseballs with them – and am still proud of the day I sailed one clear over the top of our 100 year old 2-story house.  I would postpone dates to watch Notre Dame football games and Oakland Raider games when an old friend from high school, Dave Casper, was a star tight end for them.  I have fond memories of sitting near the ice behind the penalty box at Chicago Blackhawk games with Patty Henderson when her husband was traveling on business and couldn’t use his ticket.  And, don’t get me started on the Chicago Cubs!

Unfortunately, none of my love of sports morphed into me actually wanting to play any of them.   Well, maybe golf, but accidentally swinging a golf club through a glass door in our family home as a teen put a crimp in that desire.  Truth be told, athletics and exercise just hasn’t been a priority for me.  So, why am I blogging on a women’s sports blog?  Age, gravity and maybe a little vanity has caught up with me and I knew I needed to find something to motivate me to get moving.

For the past 8 weeks I have been the proud owner of a pair of the most amazing shoes – MBT M Walk.  I’d been reading about all the new shape up shoes on the market and did my homework.  The MBT shoes are based on Masai Barefoot Technology.  I wanted to walk tall and have great posture like this magnificent African tribe.  The science appeared sound, so I took the plunge.

I’ve always wanted to be taller – and now I feel my posture has improved as a result of walking – yes, I am finally moving and not glued to my computer working all day long.  The results are encouraging.  Even sitting, I am more conscious of my posture.  As a result of my daily walks, my calves are getting firmer.  I’ve noticed a strengthening in my leg muscles.  One of my favorite things to do in New York or London or Paris is to wander for hours sightseeing or window shopping.  That had become harder due to hip and knee pain.  Now, I can walk much longer than I have in recent years and I have no ill effects.  It’s a real joy.

There have been some amusing moments in my MBT’s – the first time I walked down a flight of stairs…or was on an escalator.  That will get you to know where your center of gravity is real fast.  But that’s the whole point of the shoes…to work your body by keeping it slightly off balance so that you keep correcting to get to your center and strengthen yourself.

I still love to watch sports.  More and more, I am out walking by the beach, wandering favorite neighborhoods and moving.  As I begin to see the results, I am motivated to add more to my routine.  Maybe I will even try out the helpful exercise regimen on the MBT website…soon.

~Erin Martin

(Disclosure:  A pair of MBT’s were provided to this writer by the manufacturer for the purpose of reviewing them. All comments and opinions are personal and not influenced by any outside source. )

Kick in Iran: Female sports documentary premieres at Sundance

The Sundance Film Festival, beginning today in Park City, Utah,  is the 26th annual showcase of independent film.  While distributors are on the lookout for breakouts  like “Paranormal Activity”  and “Little Miss Sunshine”, we’ve got our eye on a powerful documentary called “Kick in Iran.”

Kick in Iran is a look at contemporary life in Iran. It is a portrait of a talented Muslim athlete, a young woman coming of age, a female friendship, and the big dream of Olympic Gold.

Filmmaker Fatima Geza Abdollahyan was born in Germany and raised by her Iranian parents speaking Persian, German, English and French. She studied Political Science and earned a Master’s in International Relations before deciding, in 2001, to study film at the University of Television and Film Munich.

While working at a German television station in Tehran in 2005, Fatima covered the Muslim Women’s Games, a female sporting event that took place every 4 years (but are no longer running). Organized by the Iranian government, Muslim women from every corner of the globe – including the US – would descend on Tehran to compete for a week in a variety of disciplines.

Sara Khoshjamal-Fekri

At the games Fatima met Sara Khoshjamal-Fekri, a Taekwondo expert who hailed from a lower middle class family in Southern Tehran.  In 2007 the twenty-year-old Sara became the first female Iranian athlete to qualify for the Olympics. The young athlete and her strong-willed coach, Maryam Azarmehr, had left such a strong impression on Fatima that she began documenting Sara’s journey over a nine-month period in the run-up to and the aftermath of the 2008 Beijing Olympics.  After difficult negotiations with the governments of both Iran and China (neither receptive to open media and non-state-controlled cameras) nine months of filming, and another year and a half of editing “Kick In Iran” is finally complete.

The Story

The film follows Sara and Maryam as they navigate their way through an unappreciative society to the Olympics and back. The backbone of the film is the relationship between shagerd, pupil, and ostad, master, which extends beyond the realm of the gymnasium at which they train. The bond that has been built between the two is the result of the environment they operate in – a paternalistic one that’s not entirely receptive to their accomplishments, which are nothing short of history-making.

Throughout the film, Fatima shows how the cards are stacked against female athletes in Iran – and especially Sara. At one point, the Friday Prayer Leader of Tehran is heard stating his disgust at sending female athletes abroad to partake in competitions. Sara and Maryam, however, are not so easily deterred. While commentators and clerics debate the “Islamic legality” of female athletes in competition, the two women continue working towards their goal of being the best, and, in some ways, are sheltered from this by keeping to their routines.

In making the film, Fatima’s goal was to  deliver performances that allow the audience to identify, connect, and really comprehend the matter at hand, which can be a real challenge. Sara and Maryam are people – women – just like any other. They may wear roosarys, headscarves, but their identities go beyond this.

In a male dominated society based on a rigid interpretation of Islamic laws, a professional female athlete like Sara constantly stretches limits. Thanks to the film “Kick in Iran”  portraits of women like Sara and Maryam can emerge.

Here’s hoping this film finds a distributor and an audience.

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