• Lawn Tennis: The game of tennis as it is played today comes from Great Britain, where it originated as lawn tennis in the mid-1800’s.
• Wimbledon: In 1884 the Ladies’ Singles at Wimbledon was inaugurated, and from a field of 13 players Maud Watson became the champion.
• Tennis Balls: A new tennis ball should weigh two ounces.
• Bouncing Balls: When dropped from a height of 100 inches onto concrete, a new tennis ball should bounce about 55 inches.
• Grand Slam Titles: Margaret Smith Court holds the record with 24 Grand Slam singles titles.
• Record Holder: Martina Navratilova holds the record for most career singles and doubles titles with over 325.
• 1884/1885: Ladies’ singles tennis competition was added to Wimbledon in 1884. Maud Watson won in both 1884 and 1885.
• Lottie Dod: Lottie Dod won the women’s Wimbledon Championship five times between 1887 and 1893.
• 1897: The first Women’s French Tennis Championship is held.
• Ball Boys & Girls: There are more than 200 ball boys and girls used to fetch tennis balls during Wimbledon.
• Lawn Mower: Wimbledon is the only major tennis tournament still played on grass. The lawn there is cut every day.
• Tennis Dresses: The first women to play in the Wimbledon tournament wore full length dresses.
• Australian Open: Martina Hingis was the youngest Australian Open Women’s Single Champion (16 years, three months) in 1997.

Filed under: Fun Stuff, Tennis, fun facts by Pretty Tough
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July 3, 2008 -  Looking for something to do this holiday weekend? Jump from the runway to the fairway.  Barbie recently teamed up with Cougar Golf (Sports Source) to launch a line of golf equipment aimed at gals ages 4 + .  The Barbie Golf Set incorporates shorter shafts and “girl-favorite features and detailing” including lots of pink, flowers, hearts and butterfly graphics. The set also includes a driver, iron, putter, carrying bag and USGA-approved golf ball, as well as a visor, six wooden tees and three ball markers.

Finding a way to get girls involved in golf at early age is a good thing. Yeah - the pink may be overkill but in 10 years when we’re interviewing the next girl golf superstar she may well say, “my passion for golf started when my parents bought me Barbie golf clubs for my birthday.”

According to the National Golf Foundation, there are approximately 4.8 million junior golfers in the U.S. ages 6 to 17 and, of those, nearly two million are young females.  So there are plenty of young Annika wanna-bees out there that might be willing to trade up from a Barbie doll, to a Barbie driver.

It seems, however, that Paula Creamer may be a more appropriate role model for aspiring girl golfers than Barbie.  She does loves pink and all.  Now if Paula had HER name on a set of clubs, we’d be sure to buy them. Until then, it’s Barbie taking pink to the green.

Along the same lines, there are a number of organizations using golf to teach life skills to youngsters is the aim of many groups, among them:

The First Tee:  In 47 states and five international sites and largely for children 8-18, it has 1.5 million participants ( www.thefirsttee.org).

The First Tee National School Program: Designed to introduce elementary school students to golf in physical education classes, it’s operating in 1,600 schools ( www.thefirstteensp.org).

LPGA-USGA Girls Golf: Golf pros work with community leaders to introduce the sport to girls 7-17. The nationwide program is available at nearly 200 locations( girlsgolfonline.org).

Filed under: Entertainment, Fun Stuff, Golf by jane
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June 30, 2008 - Did you know the National Women’s Football Association is currently hosting playoffs? Last weekend, several teams advanced to the second round of playoffs. The Columbus Comets will travel to the Philadelphia Phoenix; the H’Town Cyclones to the St. Louis Slam; the West Michigan Mayhem to the New York Nemesis; and the Kentucky Karma to the Los Angeles Amazons.

The Kentucky Karma beat the Pensacola Power to advance to the second round of playoffs last Saturday. That gives Kentucky ONE WEEK to prepare for the Los Angeles Amazons. Not only does the Karma need airplane tickets and hotel rooms, they also need to do this during a holiday weekend. This is a daunting task for this unbelievable team. With gas prices high and travel accommodations desperate, the Karma is asking for help. Here’s where YOU can help.

The Kentucky Karma are currently seeking donations, large or small, via paypal.

If you would like to donate money to the KY Karma Los Angeles trip, please use www.PayPal.com and send to account wwwebby@yahoo.com

If you are not comfortable with using PayPal, please contact KY Karma General Manager Geoff Webb @ 502-640-3935 or email at wwwebby@yahoo.com
-or-
KY Karma owner, Tom Hawkins @ 502-773-2607 or email at mshtlh@bellsouth.net

**For additional information on all playoff games in the NWFA go to www.womensfootballcentral.com.

These ladies deserve a trip to the playoffs. Please help them out in their time of need!

Filed under: Charity/Cause, Events, Football, Fun Stuff, General, News Bytes by Saucy
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June 6, 2008 - Ever wonder how those kids running for balls on the tennis court during a tourney got such a great gig? If you have a good throwing arm, are quick on your feet and  have a thorough understanding of the game of tennis, you can do it, too. Most of the tournaments hold tryouts for young tennis players who want to be “ball kids” a few weeks before the action.

No other professional sport allows for this sort of involvement from the public, and for kids who know how to hustle, it can be the opportunity of a lifetime.  Contact the tournament director or coordinator for specific tryout info. Discipline, patience, speed, focus, following directions and knowing the game are some of the keys to success. There are usually minimum age requirements - around 12 or 13.

If you don’t make the cut, there are still opportunities for face time with the players. The best place to get autographs is just outside the player’s entrance where all the participants come and go on their way to practice.  Look for daily scheduled autograph sessions,too. Buy, or bring, a giant tennis ball to collect signatures.

Tickets to stadium or center court sold out? Explore the outer courts of the facility - that’s where you might find some of the world’s top players practicing with their coach or hitting partner.

Summer means tennis, the French Open, Wimbledon, and US Open. If you live in SoCal, there are some great smaller tourneys including The East West Bank Classic which features the top players from the women’s tour. So be sure to get out there and catch some of the action.

Ball Kid Tryout Info: Pacific Life Open (760) 200-8400, East West Bank Classic (310) 546-5656 x 383, Countrywide Classic - ballkids@countrywideclassic.com. Also, take a look at the Training Manual from the Pacific Life Open. Lots of great info.  

Filed under: Fun Stuff, General, Tennis by jane
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• Women’s water polo made its Olympic debut in the Sydney Olympic Games in 2000.
• Water polo players swim up to one and a half miles during the course of a water polo game.
• The water polo ball is the size and weight of a #5 soccer ball and is thrown at speeds of up to sixty miles per hour.
• The USA Water Polo Women’s National team has won a medal in each Olympic water polo competition to date, silver in 2000, bronze in 2004.
• Women’s water polo became a NCAA championship sport in 2001 with the University of California Los Angeles winning the first title.

Filed under: Fun Stuff, Playbook, Water Polo by admin
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Liz Tigelaar, author of PRETTY TOUGH and PLAYING WITH THE BOYS, movie producer, and television writer, was kind enough to take a break from her busy schedule to answer a few questions about writing, Hollywood, and sisters. 

1. What was your inspiration to write Pretty Tough and Playing with the Boys?
The concept!  I was impressed with the company “Pretty Tough” (prettytough.com) and their mission to support girls in their quest to be both strong and tough athletes without losing their sense of girlie-ness and femininity.  I loved the idea of writing books about teenagers for teenagers that sends a positive message.

2. Do you have a sister? If so, are you more like Charlie or Krista? Or are you closer to Lucy?
I do have a sister and our relationship actually inspired the first book.  Although neither of us are like Charlie or Krista, we’re very, very different and when we were younger, didn’t always see eye to eye.  So the themes and feelings are drawn from my own life, but not the characters.  I probably am the most like Lucy, in that I moved across the country for high school and it was hard to fit in right away.  But I’d like to think there’s a little of me in each of them – at times, I’ve been a rebel like Charlie, I’ve enjoyed fleeting popularity like Krista, and I’ve struggled to find my place and prove myself like Lucy, even when the odds weren’t in my favor.

3. Are you or were you an athlete?
I’m definitely more of an athlete now then I was as a teenager.  I liked theater and singing, and with the exception of tennis, didn’t do much else.  I did play soccer when I was a little kid, but got in trouble for doing cartwheels and picking dandelions in the backfield.  In college, I did crew which taught me about being on a team and I’ve played soccer (badly) as an adult.  Now, I love being athletic – with biking, spinning, hiking, kayaking, yoga, pilates, even trampolining – but I still don’t have a lot of team experience.

(more…)

Filed under: Book Club, Entertainment, Fun Stuff by keri mikulski
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Q: What do basketball players and babies have in common?
A: They both dribble!

Q: What’s harder to catch the faster you run?
A: Your breath!

Q: Why do basketball players love cookies?
A: Because they can dunk them!

Q: Why should you not play sports in the jungle?
A: There are too many cheetahs!

Q: What’s the difference between a dog and a basketball player?
A: One drools and the other dribbles.

Q: Why was Cinderella such a bad player?
A: Her coach was a pumpkin.

Filed under: Basketball, Fun Stuff, Jokes by admin
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March 11, 2008 - Enter to win a chance to star in your own Pretty Tough profile, plus win a copy of the brand new sporty book, Screwball: An Ashley Clark Novel and a subscription to Fastpitch Forever magazine.  

All you have to do is tell us your “screwball” story. Ashley, like many athletes, has to sacrifice for her sport. Tell us about a time when you had to sacrifice something (Prom, another sport, television time, party, friends, etc.) for your sport.  

How to enter:
Send your story to screwball@prettytough.com. Three winners will be selected at random. The contest runs from March 11 - March 31st, 2008. Winners will be notified by email on April 1st, 2008. You must have your parent’s permission to be interviewed for the profile if you are under age 18.  

Filed under: Book Club, Contest, Fun Stuff, Softball by keri mikulski
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Looking to friend some softball players on MySpace? Below are the links to friend your fave fastpitch ballers. 

Jennie Finch - http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendid=287204175 
Cat Osterman - http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendid=94002347&MyToken=a8affef8-d0ce-48b4-8ce9-520046104549 
Natasha Watley - http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendid=15978235&MyToken=42c645c3-eaed-4cf8-a5eb-ea4b8a078901 
Monica Abbott - http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendid=212900848 
Michelle Smith - http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendid=95008152 
USA Women’s Softball: http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendid=136753657&MyToken=20decb94-3ae3-438c-97c6-e59a553eb0dc

How many players can you find on MySpace? Let us know if I missed anyone. :) 

Filed under: Fun Stuff, Softball by keri mikulski
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Feb. 15, 2008 - If you waited too long to get tickets to tonight’s sold-out NBA All-Star Celebrity Game and Sunday’s sold-out 57th NBA All-Star Game, there’s no need to feel left out. You can catch the action on ESPN and TNT.

If you’re lucky enough to be in New Orleans for All Star Weekend, here’s a run-down of events.

Rookies vs. Sophomores - The best first and second year players compete against each other for Bayou bragging rights. This year the second overall draft pick Kevin Durant hopes to lead the Rookie team to victory. A win for them would be the first time ever the Rookies notch a W.

All-Star Celebrity Game. - 2008 Grammy Award winners Ne-Yo and Common, “Rush Hour 3″ star Chris Tucker, “Friday Night Lights” star Zach Gilford, 2006 “American Idol” winner Taylor Hicks, and two-time Super Bowl champion Deion Sanders are among 20 celebrities who will battle it out in the McDonald’s NBA All-Star Celebrity Game.

The Celebrity Game features WNBA All-Stars Ruth Riley (San Antonio Silver Stars) and Swin Cash (Detroit Shock). Former all-star high school point guard and actress Gabrielle Union and actress and Touch fashion designer Alyssa Milano, will serve as head coaches for the squads. Hip hop star Lupe Fiasco will perform during the exciting halftime show. The game will air live on ESPN, ESPN360.com and ESPN Mobile at 7 p.m.

(more…)

Filed under: Basketball, Events, Fun Stuff, WNBA by jane
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