Degrassi in NYC Sweepstakes

If you’re a Degrassi fan (admit it – you know you are),  you can enter to win a chance for you and your BFF to fly to New York City to meet the cast of Degrassi, as well as a shopping spree with a TeenNick stylist!

With the new season kicking off this Friday (Oct. 9th) this is a great promotion to jump start the new school year.

Who’s your fave character? We’d want to meet Jane (Paula Brancati), whose football skills put her center stage. Some people act tough, but she’s the real thing.

If you’re from the Dallas, Austin, San Antonio area, click here to enter: http://www.timewarnercable.com/Dallas/promotions/teennick_degrassi.html

And if you’re from the Detroit, Minneapolis/St. Paul, MN, or Sacramento area, you can still enter here: www.comcastdegrassisweeps.com

(Sweepstakes ends on October 16^th, so submit your entry ASAP!)

No Teammates, No Problem

This story has been reported quite a bit the last couple days – and for good reason. It demonstrates the power of one.

Bonnie Richardson, from Rochelle, Texas (population 600), has accomplished what no other Texas high school track and field athlete has ever achieved: back-to-back team state championships – by herself.

The story of how tiny Rochelle High School — enrollment: 59 — won the Texas Class A girls team track championship last weekend sounds too good to be true.

For one thing, it was the Rochelle Hornets’ second straight title. For another, the only member of the team both years was Bonnie Richardson.

She successfully defended the school’s state title by outscoring 56 other schools.Her coach was interviewed for an AP article:

“I coached eight years, was blessed to have her for half of those and I doubt I’ll ever see anyone like her again,” said Jym Dennis, who also teaches history at Rochelle.

“But I’ve got to be honest,” he added a moment later. “You don’t start the year with one girl on the team and think, ‘Sure, we can defend our title.’”

Richardson is a tall, freckle-faced 19-year-old who is also the Class A, Division II high school basketball player of the year, valedictorian, National Honor Society member, and the McCulloch County Chamber of Commerce’s “Citizen of the Year.”

At this year’s championship, Richardson captured first in the long jump (17-04.50), second in the discus (126-09) and first in the high jump (5-8) on Friday for a total of 28 points. Returning to Myers Stadium on the campus of the University of Texas on Saturday, Richardson placed third in the 200 (25.78) and fourth in the 100 (12.51) .

Richardson personally won the team championship, compiling 38 points in her five events.

In winning an outright team track title by herself, Richardson joins James Segrest who won the 2A title for Bangs in 1954 and Frank Pollard who won the Class B title for Meridian in 1976 as the only Texans to win a team title by themselves.

That Richardson won the team title was a testament to her physical talent and internal drive. Her mother, Madelynn, who teaches science at Rochelle, said Bonnie has the most self-discipline she has ever seen.

The youngest of three girls, Bonnie grew up like her sisters, a tomboy in Texas Hill Country, riding horses, climbing rocks and building forts. From the family ranch, it’s 2 1/2 hours to the big city — San Angelo or Abilene — and a 45-minute drive just to see a movie.

Since Rochelle High School has no track, Richardson practices at nearby Brady High School. There she gets to experience the “big” city where there are gas stations and a Wal-Mart.

When Richardson ramped up her performance this season, the college recruiters followed. The call Bonnie wanted most finally came from coach Pat Henry at Texas A&M, where her father, sister and several other family members went to school. She’ll be heading to A&M on full scholarship in the fall planning to major in nutrition.

After two state titles, Richardson does have one regret.

“I wish I hadn’t stuck with the same five events, that I had branched out more,” she said. “I would’ve [liked to] have vaulted, but we don’t have the money or interest in Rochelle to have a pit. I’ve never done hurdles, and I want to.”

What? No relays?

(with info from ESPN, Rivals, & Rise)

California High schools embrace skateboarding as a competitive sport

Skateboarding is as diverse a sport as the athletes it attracts.  From doing tricks, riding in a skate-park, sliding, racing, or freestyle, there are lots of ways to ride and more and more girls are taking up the challenge.

While most schools don’t allow skateboarding on campus (big surprise),  there are some high schools in California that are embracing skateboarding as a competitive sport.

The idea of high school teams competing in skateboarding came from the 1970’s era of team skateboarding.  Like the surf culture had seen for many years, in the 70’s and early 80’s, skateboarders affiliated themselves with their local surf/skate shop.  Shop teams would travel up and down California and compete for bragging rights.  In the early days, the competitions were held for different types of skateboarding.  Freestyle, slalom, and downhill were among the most popular.  In the new millennium, skateboarding has seen the emergence of street style skateboarding.

Now, the National High School Skateboard Association,  respecting the history of skateboarding, is trying to build on those traditions.

The mission of the National High School Skateboard Association (NHSSA) is to provide a positive environment for the best high school skateboarders to showcase their talents.  The NHSSA allows skateboarders to realize their potential both personally and professionally.

The goal of the NHSSA is to assist the skateboarder throughout the high school years.  The skateboarder will be able to either take their abilities to the next level professionally or realize the potential to have a career inside the skateboard industry. Started three years ago with only seven member schools, the NHSSA now has 40. Skateboarding might not be sanctioned by state athletic associations, but it’s on its way.

Some girls are competing at the high school level – but there’s room for a lot more.

If you’re interested in pursing skateboarding, here are some tips:

Style: Figure out what style of riding you want to try. Just as mountain biking, trail riding, and road riding are different, with bikes specifically designed for each, there are different kinds of skateboards for different kinds of boarding.

Gear: Get your first board from a store where the sales staff are experts. Your best bet is a local independent skate shop, not a big-box sporting supply store. Talk to kids at the local skate park to find out where they buy their gear. Note: New boards can run you anywhere from $90.00 for a deck and another $100+ for trucks and wheels.

Safety:  Used equipment is okay but don’t buy a second-hand helmet if you can help it. Be prepared to replace the helmet when it no longer fits, or after about two years.

Lessons: Some skate shops offer lessons or clinics for beginners. Sometimes the lessons are free, just to help out new skaters; others are offered for a fee. The best way to become a good rider, of course, is to skate.

Blogderby Book Edition: Sporty reads for teens

Sports fiction for teens: As an athletic fanatic and sporty young adult author, I’m always on the hunt for an amazing book that features an athletic main character. And guess what? Some of the best teen and tween novels on bookshelves today feature a sporty protagonist.

Born to run? There’s a ton of great sporty books out there for cross-country and track lovers. Eileen Cook’s (http://www.eileencook.com) What Would Eileen Do? follows Emma on her quest to snag a track scholarship with some major boy bumps along the way. Pheobe in Tera Lynn Child’s (http://www.teralynnchilds.com/) sensation, Oh My Gods, is a die-hard cross-country runner. Even best selling author, Megan McCafferty’s (http://www.meganmccafferty.com/) main character Jessica Darling (Sloppy Firsts) runs cross-country in high school.

 Performancing enhancing steroids isn’t just for boys anymore. Kathy Mackel (http://us.penguingroup.com/static/html/blogs/guest-author/boost-kathy-mackel) tackles this controversial subject and more in her eye-opening basketball book, Boost.

 If soccer is your game, you’re in luck because soccer books are booming. Liz Tigelaar’s (http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/471527.Liz_Tigelaar) Pretty Tough is filled with plenty of soccer action, both on the field and off. Parker from Tina Ferraro’s (http://www.tinaferraro.com/) The ABC’s of Kissing Boys thinks she’s a sho-in for the varsity soccer team after two long years on junior varsity except she doesn’t make it. 

Are you a fastpitch fanatic? After moving to Texas, Ella learns to fit in through the softball team in Weezie Mackey’s (http://www.weeziekerrmackey.com/) Throwing Like a Girl. Keri Mikulski’s (http://www.kerimikulski.com) Screwball series follows superstar pitcher, Ashley Clarke, as she attempts to juggle serious softball with school, sports, and a social life, including a new boyfriend.

 Teen sports fiction doesn’t stop with softball. Alexa Young’s (http://www.alexayoung.com/) Frenemies series features gymnastics. Chris and Winston go on a post graduation cross-country bike trek in Shift by Jennifer Bradbury (http://www.jennifer-bradbury.com/). Boxing is Taylor Lucia’s sport of choice in Taylor Morris’s (http://www.taylormorris.com/) tween book, Total Knockout. And Liz Tiglear (http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/471527.Liz_Tigelaar) tackles football in the second Pretty Tough series novel, Playing for the Boys.

 Can’t find the sport you’re looking for? Or am I missing a great book? Let me know at www.kerimikulski.com. Keep reading.

Read On: Pretty Tough Book Club

Last month I received a note from a teacher at Apopka High School in Apopka, Florida who is a huge fan of  ”Pretty Tough” by Liz Tigelaar, the first book in our young adult fiction series. 

JoJo says, “I loved it as a teacher who sees students just like the ones in the book. I loved it as a sister who I did get along with growing up…”

At Apopka High School, there is a reading event called “Oasis.”  It has been going on for about 6-7 years.  Any teacher can select a book to promote.  The library makes a really nice poster of the teacher, the book and all the information so students can sign up.  The students read the book and then meet during lunch in a special room in the media center to discuss the book over pizza and coke. 

JoJo had never done an “Oasis” but since she  LOVED the book so much, she organized a discussion for each of the 3 lunch shifts.   Usually, teachers sign up anywhere from 8-16 students but more than 34 students read ”Pretty Tough” and wanted to take part.

Through a friend of a friend of a friend, JoJo contacted us and asked for some Pretty Tough goodies to raffle off during the event. We were happy to oblige.

Here’s JoJo’s recap of the “Oasis,” including the girls’ ideas regarding film casting!

Everything worked out perfect today. We got into some interesting discussions about sisters, coaches, and school. The girls loved the t-shirts and the next book (”Playing with the Boys”) and want to know if we can do this again. .

The group had a bit of a hard time with the casting of the potential movie…here are the ones they came up with:

Krista: Blake Lively
Charlie: Dakota Fanning
Martie: Jada Pinkett Smith
Noah: Mike Vogel
Cam: Zac Efron
Brooks: Brenda Song
Pickle: I have a girl in my class who said she wants to be Pickle. She is a cute girl; very animated and plays soccer! I told her to make a video and we would send it to you!!

Thank you again for making today very special and memorable…One more thing…I re-read the book and took some notes to prepare simple questions for the raffle ticket as they entered. And I cried…again! Tears in the coffee this morning as I finished the last 20 pages!

Time to grade some papers…thanks again for everything.

Joanna “JOJO” Lowe

If anyone wants to organize a book club discussion around “Pretty Tough” or “Playing With the Boys” (Penguin) let us know and we’ll try to help out.

Read on….

Double-Dutch a Varsity Sport?

Studies have consistently shown that on average, girls who play sports tend to perform better in school than girls who don’t. But the message that competitive sports also helps produce successful career women, hasn’t always been effectively communicated to urban parents.

Last year, New York city schools tried to do something about getting girls more involved in competitive activities. The popular urban street pastime called double dutch in which competitors jump between two ropes twirled eggbeater-style, became an officially sanctioned sport.

Unlike street jumping, in competitive double dutch two- or three-member teams follow national league rules and win points through precision footwork, speed, acrobatics and creativity.

It may look easy but its tough. And that’s partly why instructors across New York pushed to make this a varsity sport in the city’s public schools.

One of the originators of the program, Double Dutch Coach Ruth Payne says “they’ll learn to succeed in double dutch and they’ll learn to succeed in life also. Because it just transfers from the gym floor and, the competition into everyday. They learn how to talk, they learn discipline, self discipline, usually after a while they become self motivated.”

The Public School Athletic League, which prides itself on bringing novel sports into city schools, similarly introduced cricket to kids during clinics last year. That sport is now played by more than 400 students at 14 schools

So, beginning spring 2009, Double Dutch will officially become a varsity sport in New York City public high schools. 

School officials said they would work with the double-dutch league to develop rules and a scoring system for interscholastic competition. Double-dutch teams typically have two turners and one or two jumpers, and they earn points for their speed, technique in executing routines and acrobatic feats like flips and cartwheels.

The girls (and guys) on the teams think it’s going to be exciting going up against other schools. We think the state championship for this sport could be a lot of fun to watch. And stay tuned, the IOC is considering the inclusion of jump rope as an Olympic sport.

A High School Championship

If you haven’t been to a girl’s high school soccer game lately you might be surprised at the quality of play. Last weekend was the Southern California DII Championship game which pitted the #1 seed Harvard-Westlake against #2 La Jolla. I’ve been following the HW team through their entire pre-season, league and post-season play. Yeah – it seems excessive but it’s my daughter’s team and I’m the consummate soccer mom.

High school athletics are a special breed of competition. It’s as much about the game as it is about the school, class pride, and friendships. It’s about wearing the team uniform to school on game days and passing the torch of responsibility from one senior class to the next.

Most of the girls on the HW team have played since they were young kids, the majority play at an elite club level during the off-season, a couple are even ODP players so there’s no shortage of team experience. But playing for their school is a wholly different experience.

Most athletes don’t compete because it’s fun (though winning certainly is). They don’t love the suicide sprints, the getting up early for games, the staying late to finish practice. The blood and sweat from training, the constantly aching, tired muscles aren’t enjoyable nor are the extra laps the coach makes them run. But for those who see it through, there is great satisfaction in the way they play and the work they do. They learn to never back down. Never let up. And to have each other’s backs.

Interscholastic rules prevent high school and club seasons from overlapping so the girls can focus on one team at a time (as well as one coach). The club vs. high school coach debate is the subject of an entirely different post. While club teams practice 2-3 days a week, the varsity girls get together and practice daily after school. During the off season they’re encouraged to work together on strength and conditioning. The high school team shares a bus to and from games creating additional bonding time.

But the biggest difference between high school and club soccer is probably the level of support the girls get during their games. Club and tournament season usually involves a lot of travel. Fields may be hours from home. Lots of time it’s a weekend in a hotel room away from friends and in some cases boyfriends. Spectators usually include parents and the odd sibling or grandparent. The girls make a commitment to the team often at the expense of social time.

At high school games the bleachers are filled with classmates and teachers. They may be doing a reading assignment or grading papers while watching the game but they’re showing support. They’re cheering and applauding great plays. Games against long-time rivals or championship games draw even bigger crowds. At HW a group of red-clad Fanatics root loudly. Signs and handmade posters promote favorite players. Alums and parents of alum often show up.

The games leading up to the recent state championship grew larger and larger with each round. There were spirit days at school. Homemade cookies passed around to students. Balloons. Bouquets of flowers. And a real sense of pride.

When Harvard-Westlake won the state championship last Saturday it was a moment each and every girl will remember for the rest of their lives. Sure, they’ve won other tournaments with other teams. A lot of these girls have rooms filled with trophies and medals. But this moment, with this group of girls, at this school, was a moment they’d worked for and dreamt about all season long. And our side of the stadium couldn’t have been filled with more appreciative fans – families, friends, classmates, administrators, alumni, former coaches and teammates – who will also remember the moment forever.

Great job girls.

Here’s a highlight reel of the game – HW is in white. If you don’t have time to watch the whole thing, go to 5:14 to see co-captain Maddie Lenard’s beautiful, game-winning goal.

ESPN: The High School

Why wasn’t a school like this around when I was in high school?

ESPN and the New York City Department of Education announced they are teaming up to create a new high school focusing on the business side of sports.

The Business of Sports School, or BOSS, will open in September with 81 ninth grade students.

The school plans to emphasize real world skills through mandatory internships at companies like ESPN The Magazine and ABC Sports.

The Disney/ABC-owned ESPN is no stranger to marketing and licensing opportunites (as a former Disney employee I can attest to their brilliance in this area) so it’s not a huge surprise they would undertake this partnership. 

The big question is: What kind sports teams will they have if all the students are wannabe agents and managers?

UPDATE:  ESPN spokesman Mike Soltys sent this to CNBC via e-mail.

“Reports suggesting ESPN is launching a high school are overstated,” Soltys said “ESPN the Magazine has made a non-financial commitment to help develop a curriculum, in addition to providing other volunteer-based support.”

Sometimes things that sound too good to be true, are too good to be true.

Full Court Quest: How Fort Shaw girls became basketball champs

December 12, 2008 -As the United States celebrates electing a black man to the White House for the first time, a new book offers a rare glimpse into American Indian life and shows how 10 young women made inroads against prejudice in the early 1900s.

Full Court Quest: The Girls from Fort Shaw Indian School Basketball Champions of the World recounts how students at an off-reservation school for American Indians showed the world that much-discriminated-against tribal members – females – could be at the top of their game in many ways.

Award-winning writers and historians Linda Peavy and Ursula Smith team up for the book about the school, which was established in the former Fort Shaw military post.

Their research and interviews provide a look into the prejudices, sacrifice and personal tragedies that the young team members battled on their way to become basketball champs at the 1904 St. Louis World’s Fair.

The book reads like a novel, with emotional looks into the lives of the girls, but it puts the events into solid historical context.

Ultimately, it’s a book celebrating a sport, its players and heroism in turning disadvantage to triumph. And it’s a reminder of the importance of overcoming racial and gender prejudice while preserving diversity. (via Missoulian)

If you like these sorts of books, be sure to also check out Counting Coup: A True Story of Basketball and Honor on the Little Big Horn by Larry Colton who spent 15 months on the Crow reservation in Montana observing the Hardin High School girls’ basketball team. The book focuses on the players–especially talented Sharon LaForge–and their relationships with their teammates and coaches, as well as the social conditions that affect the players’ lives.

Either one (or both) of these books would make a great holiday gift for anyone on your list who’s a women’s hoops fan as well as an American history buff.

Meet Jill Oakes – Pro soccer player

November 24, 2008 – I first had the pleasure of meeting Jill Oakes when she was coaching soccer at a local high school. In fact it was the same high school she attended six years earlier where she helped the girl’s soccer team win league and CIF championships and was named Parade and Gatorade high school player of the year. She went on to play soccer at UCLA winning a number of collegiate accolades and was drafted by the new WPS team FC Gold Pride to play professionally.

Jill recently took time out of her busy schedule to talk to Pretty Tough. Find out more about this amazing player, coach and woman.

Vital Stats:Name: Jill Pauline Oakes
Sport: Soccer
Age: 24-yrs-old
Hometown: Encino, CA
College: UCLA
Position: center midfielder/defender
Music: Alicia Keys
Food: Vegetarian
TV Show: Project Runway

PT:  Tell us about your soccer background/training; how old were you when you started playing? What position(s) do you play? What are some highlights from your youth, club, high school, college, international and pro soccer experiences?

JO: I started playing AYSO at 8-yrs-old (Allstars) and moved to Club at 10-yrs-old for the Valley United Stars (I went to Santa Anita Strikers for senior year in high school). I started ODP (Olympic Development Program) at 12-yrs-old.

Then, State team, Regional Team -USYSA Adidas All Star team in high school -Harvard-Westlake School (captain, CIF champs, Mission League Offensive MVP, CIF Defensive MVP) – First camp with Full US Women’s National Team July 2002 -Gatorade National Girls Soccer Player of the Year 2002 -Parade Magazine High school Soccer Player of the Year 2002 -FIFA Under-19 World Cup Champion (2002)

College, UCLA… freshman All-American, 2nd team All-American, First team All-American, two-time NCAA College Cup finalist, captain.

First cap with Full Women’s National Team: Algarve Cup, March 2005, Portugal, Match vs. Denmark-Under-21 National Team member at multiple Nordic CupsAmateur: W-League…New Jersey Wildcats (’06), Vancouver Whitecaps All-Western Conference defender (’07), Pali Blues W-league Champion & All-League midfielder (’08)Professional: Damallsvenksan (SWEDEN), fall ‘07…Team: Falkopings KIK

PT: Wow! Impessive. Did you love soccer right away? Did you play any other sports? Did you dominate during high school? How has your playing style changed over the years?

JO: I absolutely loved soccer immediately. At 8-yrs-old, it was the first organized sport that I participated in. I had done ballet and karate a little, but there was something about soccer that I connected with. I loved being on the team. I seemed to be a natural, making the All-Star team my very first year and on. I was always a very quiet and shy and fairly introverted person (with strangers), but soccer allowed me to express myself. I gained attention from others for my talent. I made new friends and always had the respect of my teammates. It was a great feeling. I was extremely fortunate to excel at every level available, moving my way up fom AYSO All-Stars to ODP to youth National teams to UCLA, and now to the professional level.I have been very consistent with my playing style throughout my entire career. I was a “stopper” my first year in AYSO and today I still consider defensive/holding midfield to be my favorite and strongest position. I feel that I’m calm and simple; I’m a ball winner; I like to organize things and keep things positive.

PT: What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever received?

JO: “Be unreasonable.” I love this advice because people can always justify why you CAN’T do something, why something CAN”T happen or it WON’T happen. Excuses, excuses, excuses. Reasons, reasons, reasons. Pursue your dreams. Be unreasonable in your pursuit. Let nothing be the reason you CAN’T have whatever you want! If failure was not an issue, what would you create for your life? Then, create it.

PT: What makes you Pretty Tough?

JO: I have always valued ‘balance’ in my life. I never wanted to ONLY be one thing. I’m a tough, aggressive soccer player, yet I definitely have a girly side. In high school, I was in the Advanced Dance program and was a high school cheerleader! In fact, I was a co-captain one year. And even now, I have a small business as an independent jewelry distributor for a company called Premier Designs Inc., presenting at-home jewelry parties for women! I love it. It’s empowering. It’s uniting. It’s 100% girly. It’s pretty tough!

PT: Thanks so much for you time and good luck on the pitch!

Editors Note: Follow Jill and the WPS when they start play next April.

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