Kick Like a Girl to air on HBO tonight

I screened a short documentary called “Kick Like a Girl” a couple months ago and was delighted to find out that HBO is airing it tonight (6:00 ET).  Anyone who sometimes feels jaded by the state of sports these days needs to tune in to the adventures of the Mighty Cheetahs, a third-grade girls’ soccer team in Salt Lake City.

After two undefeated, largely unchallenged seasons (with scores like 11-0 and 16-1), the Mighty Cheetahs decide to join the boys’ division in an effort to experience some real competition.

The move to the boys’ division makes sense in terms of sports skill. But it has repercussions for the league, particularly for the boys they play against. “Kick” takes a gentle look at how gender roles are stereotyped — and how parents sometimes have trouble looking past them. Sure enough, there are the soccer dads in the stands who have a hard time watching their boys lose to girls.

The documentary is as much a girl-power story of triumph as a sociological look at the different ways boys and girls approach practice, play and teamwork. We get to know the Cheetahs themselves – both their skill at the game and their views on soccer and life. It’s not so much about winning and losing as it is about teamwork and taking on challenges.

“Kick Like a Girl” was filmed and produced by the coach, Jenny Mackenzie, whose daughter, Lizzie, plays on the team and serves as the film’s narrator. Mackenzie obviously shares a close relationship with the girls allowing for some open, and incredibly realistic dialogue. In addition to being a volunteer youth coach, she is a social worker whose family is involved in the entertainment industry so helming a documentary film came somewhat naturally.

The last segment of the documentary tracks the Cheetahs through their first couple of games in the boys’ division, with enough on-field action to confirm that the Cheetahs belong there. They play well, with a remarkable grasp of teamwork.

The players interviewed have interesting things to say about how the Cheetahs triumphed by planning, passing and working together while the boys often lost because some insisted on hogging the ball in order stand out as a lone star.

Mackenzie interviews some of the boys, too, after their matches with the Cheetahs. Sure, they admit, it’s a little awkward at first to play against girls, but once the game starts, the only real issue is skill.

“If one of my friends say, ‘You kick like a girl,’ I’d be, like, ‘Yeah, that’s nice. Thank you,’ ” one of the boys says in the film.

“Kick Like a Girl” doesn’t pretend to document some dramatic gender divide. But it does suggest a few attitudes may have shifted.

I recommend this film to viewers of all ages, particularly older girls now competing at elite levels. It will remind them of why they started playing and how to celebrate the pure joy of a game well played. It would be interesting for the filmmaker to follow the players as they grow up and apply the lessons of the soccer field to high school, college and professional life.

Be sure to tune in tonight – it will be one of the most enjoyable 30 minutes of your day.

Alford-Sullivan: Head Coach in a Male-Dominated World

Beth Alford-Sullivan is one of only a few female head coaches in the male-dominated profession of track and field head coaches. She has been at Penn State for 10 years (7 years as the women’s head coach, 3 years as men’s & women’s head coach) and before that was an assistant coach at Stanford.

In this insightful interview from FloTrack, she talks about the challenges of her job and the transition that took place when Penn State combined their men’s and women’s programs and she was the head coach for both.

Watch the video below and visit Flotrack to see two more interviews with Sullivan, on “Special Moments at PSU” and “Getting Started as a Coach”.

Track and Field Videos on Flotrack