Female Faces in the Crowd

October 22, 2008 – If you’re not already familiar with Sports Illustrated “Faces in the Crowd” you should be. Each week, the magazine features six student-athletes from various sports. And guess what? In a media property not generally known for repping those with an xx chromosome, girls seem to get props equal to the guys.

In addition to featuring athletes in sports such as soccer, volleyball and cross country, the magazine highlights girls who are particpating in less traditional pursuits.

Middle school wrestler Kiera Gabaldon was one of the athletes highlighted in a recent edition. Here is the magazine’s summary of Kiera’s accomplishments:

Kiera, a seventh-grader at Houck Middle School, won two national wrestling titles: the Women’s Body Bar Freestyle (novice 111 pounds) and last year’s U.S. Girls’ Wrestling Association tournament (elementary 91 pounds). At the Oregon state boys’ meet she was second in freestyle and third in Greco-Roman.

Another recent entry highlights Elizabeth Mitchum and Kaci Poole, junior kickers at Pelion High in South Carolina, who are believed to be the first two girls to score points for the same team in a varsity football game; on Sept. 12 each kicked an extra point in a 42-13 victory over Wagener-Salley.

And from the coaching ranks comes Kim Terrell-Kearney, 43, the head bowling coach at Delaware State. Terrell-Kearney defeated Trisha Reid 216-189 to win the U.S. Women’s Open for the second time. (She also won in 2001.) She was a two-time college All-America at San Jose State and the 1989 pro tour rookie of the year.

It’s so great to honor these female athletes in a national forum. If you know someone you think should be featured, it’s easy to nominate them. Just go to sportsillustrated.com to fill out a form and tell about the athlete’s accomplishments.

SI KIDS Sports Kid of the Year

September 25, 2008 - Who will grace the cover of Sports Illustrated for Kids by winning the 2008 Sports Kid of the Year? Ten finalists were selected from more than 6,000 nominations and the final decision will be based on fan selection.

Of the current crop of finalists, two are girls:

Nina Lussi from Lake Placid, New York is a 14-year-old ski jumper out of the New York Ski Education Foundation. She was highlighted by Sports Illustrated for Kids for winning the 2008 Junior National Ski Jumping Championships at Junior Olympics in Ishpeming, Michigan last March.

While she was on skis at the age of three, at eight Lussi decided she wanted to try ski jumping and it appears to have been a good choice. Now, six years after her first jump, Lussi is recognized as a top athlete in her age group.

Katharine Holmes is a 15 year old fencer from Washington, D.C. who finished the 2007-08 season ranked Number 1 in the U.S. in women’s epee in the 14-year-old and Cadet (17-and-under) divisions and third at the Olympic Trials. Katharine has maintained a near-perfect grade point average (3.97), was freshman class president, volunteers at a local retirement home, and is working on a project to clean up the Anacostia River.

Holmes’ coach says “Katharine is known for her mastery of a large number of fencing techniques that she uses to react instantly to her opponents actions during competitions. She is a smart, fierce, and focused competitor.”

This week’s top four vote getters will advance to next week’s semifinals. Voting closes at noon ET on September 29, so let your voice be heard and let’s put a girl on the cover of Sports Illustrated Kids!

Sports Illustrated 25 Toughest Athletes

How do you define tough? To play hurt and still play well? To play with grit and determination? How about the ability to overcome serious personal setbacks, and return to the highest level of performance?

Well, the writers at Sports Illustrated tackled the question and came up with  a list. Of the  25 athletes they chose, only two are women. Of course, the picks are debatable and ours would be vastly different. Because being tough isn’t enough, we’re going to put together a list of  the top “Pretty Tough” athletes!

First on the SI list?  Golfer Tiger Woods based on his determination and focus in dominating the world of golf. The list also included six National Football League players, three National Basketball Association players, two Major League Baseball players, two boxers and two ultimate fighters. Rounding out the 25 were a sled dog racer, a bull rider, a tennis player, a NASCAR driver and a hot dog eating champion.

#10 Chrissie Wellington
What makes her tough: The gritty Wellington, 31, won the 2007 Ford Ironman World Championship in Kailua-Kona, Hawaii, in her Kona debut. She’s the first British athlete to take the event. The month before, she made her Ironman pro debut and won in Korea. Stunningly, she’s admitted that she never used a heart-rate monitor or had a V02 max test, both required parts of any tri-athlete’s training manual.

Defining moment: At Kona, Wellington ran a 2:59:57 marathon for a 9:08:45 winning time. “If it was a sauna on the bike, it was an oven on the run,” she says.

Old school match: Paula Newby-Fraser, the eight-time Queen of Kona.

#20 Hayley Wickenheiser
What makes her tough: No player in women’s hockey drives to the net with such purpose and fury. Wickenheiser has grown from teen phenom to grande dame of Canadian hockey, carrying the weight of her country and game every time on the ice. Sadly, she isn’t allowed to body check.

Defining moment: She played pro hockey against men in Finland as a way of challenging herself. Sure, Kirkkonummi Salamat was a second-division club, but in 23 games, Wickenheiser acquitted herself well.

Old school match: Angela James, a forward who starred for Canada in the ’90s, or possibly tennis legend Billie Jean King. Wickenheiser is really new school

Who would be on your list?

Ten high school girls to keep an eye on in 2007-08

They run, play lacrosse, volleyball, soccer, golf and basketball and they’re among the top girls playing high school sports. Check out Sports Illustrated list of the 10 girls who deserve the highest high school accolades.

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