WOMEN’S WRESTLING – WHO KNEW?

I impressed to recently read about the life and accomplishments of a contemporary U.S. Olympian. Born in sunny California to parents who were political refugees from Brazil, she began her athletic career at the age of eleven. It culminated on the world’s stage at the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens, where she became the first woman to medal in her chosen sport while wearing the Red, White, and Blue. Fourteen years of determination, discipline, and dedication would place on the stand of Champions.

Understand that this young woman is an extraordinary individual. She is driven to excellence, and competes in a sport not usually associated with the “fairer sex.” Patricia Noriko Miranda has worked very hard every step of the way in her wrestling career. She was the first female to wrestle in her post elementary schools growing up, and would earn a spot on the all mail NCAA Division I roster, as a starter, in the 125 pound division, while attending Stanford. And, she won a match against a male opponent while in college, only the second woman to achieve such a result, the first coming more than a decade before.

Miranda is a well decorated wrestler, having medaled in several World Championships, and World Cup Championships. Add the Bronze from the Athens Games in 2004, and you know you are looking at a Champion hands down…or would that be shoulders down…tap out! Her academic career did not end with only a BA in Economics, and a Master’s in International Policy Studies from Stanford. Not this woman. After the Olympics, she went on to earn a JD at Yale Law School in 2007. Again determination, discipline, and dedication would rule the day, especially when added to a more than capable intellect.

I came upon Patricia Miranda’s name while researching women’s wrestling. No particular reason, save for having witnessed a few girls high school matches over the years, and the recent death of my oldest brother who incessantly paired the four of us siblings into tag teams for much of my girlhood. Having three brothers is a trip, let me tell you, and Mike would frequently call me laughing about the current story lines in today’s pro wrestling scene. With those memories on my heart, who not look up the USA Women’s Wrestling Team, right?

One simple search on the net revealed some controversy within the Senior Women’s program. I came upon a television news story by McKenzie Martin, posed July 15, 2009 (find at http://www.kktv.com/news/headlines/50883222.html), entitled: “Female Olympic Wrestlers Claim Unfair Treatment.” It seems several women, who have been part of the elite USA Team, have filed a grievance with USA Wrestling citing violations of the Ted Stevens Olympic & Amateur Sports Act. This Act apparently is supposed to ensure that men’s and women’s sports are managed equally. “The women include multiple examples of when they claim punishments, rewards, and the quality of their coaching staff has differed from that of the men’s team…The women also claim they’ve been publicly insulted and the coached played favorites, ignoring some who asked for help,” according to the article.

Ms. Miranda states that she left the program based on “the principle that women deserve to be treated better.” At first read I had to chuckle to myself, noting that Ms. Miranda must not be part of the Plaintiff’s bar because one of the first things you learn in litigation is that cases based on “the principle” of anything will not result in a pay day – See Ya! Reading her next statement however, did verify evidence of an Ivy League legal education. “Discrimination actually occurs in many areas, from unequal coaching to unequal financial incentives to different expectations of the athletes to different punishments of the athletes.” WHA?? This woman really kicked the butts of male contemporaries during her youth and college careers? Wha??...or Waaanh…Waaanh…Waaanh??? Which was it?, I asked myself.

The KKTV News 11 article went on to list eight claims included in the grievance. These claims sound very much like the numbered paragraphs of a Plaintiff’s Original Petition, to the point I was looking for the prayer at the end. The language used deals with enforcement of “disciplinary sanctions unequally”; “unequal requirements and burdens” on female athletes; National coaching staff allowed to “exhibit inappropriate predatory behavior towards outside female athletes and outside female training institutions”; tolerance for “inappropriate, sub-standard coaching behavior”; and “unequal caliber of coaches…compared to their male athletes.” [NOTE: there are no charges regarding sexual misconduct in sense in this grievance]

Executive Director of USA Wrestling, Rich Bender, says these claims will be “taken seriously and USA Wrestling will follow the process and hopefully find a quick solution.” Per the News 11 piece, Bender went on to note USA Wrestling is proud of the program, and that more resources are invested in the women’s program than the men’s. This statement was no doubt prompted by the claim, “USA Wrestling offers diparate monetary incentives between their men’s and women’s programs.” This piqued my curiosity…which one was it – do they pay more, or don’t they? And, is this the real skunk in the wood pile for the women??

I found another article regarding this matter, written by Brian Gomez, titled: “Women’s Wrestlers Accuse National Governing Body of Discrimination”, published 7/15/09 (http://www.gazette.com) This article listed the fourteen women bringing the grievance, and it is a veritable Who’s Who of the sport at the elite level. These athletes competed between 2003 to the present, and include not only Olympic medalists, but multiple-time world champions; every name listed is accomplished in the sport.

The central theme of these claims seems to be the lack of consistency in how the Senior Women’s program is managed. There are severe indictments of assistant national team coach Vladislav Izboinikov. It seems he gets a kick out of playing favorites among the wrestlers, yet publicly humiliating others. The grieved women have looked to national team coach Terry Steiner to address “Izzy’s” behavior, but apparently there have been no changes of note, hence this filing. Mr. Gomez’s article includes lengthy quotations from the letters of the athletes filed with the grievance. While I am sure there are some valid issued presented in these attachments, to me I see a lot of sour grapes. I am not anywhere close to being able to know what these women have experienced, and endured, but much of what I read in these excerpts make me wonder how the USA Women’s program has been successful at any level if all this inconsistency has prevailed. How?

The remarks I found most scathing were those of Levi Weikel-Magden, the coach for the 2008 World Championship Team. He notes that the program is the pinnacle for these elite women, and gives this warning regarding the current state of affairs, towit: “that pinnacle will continue to be held hostage, as it has been in so many other circumstances by a handful of men who seek to retain power over the uprising of powerful females. These males currently retain their power by denying the females under them the rights and privileges they have earned.” [emphasis mine]

WHOA-NELLIE!!! Stop that train from backin’ up! Rights and privileges?? Who is this guy, and what office is he stumping for??

According to the All-knowing Wiki, he is Patricia Miranda’s coach and husband, who is also a law school graduate from the University of Virginia. How about that?

You know, once you start connecting the relationship dots in a situation, many times you find that skunk in the wood pile you were looking for. Could we possibly argue that some ones are lobbying for jobs within the System? While having removed themselves from the program, they certainly are stirring the stink from the outside. I obviously have not dog in this fight, and am simply remarking with some simple “human-kind” perspective. I have lived a few years on this earth, and politics intrigues me…how people jocky for position in life, and I am not referring merely to governing applications of the word “politics”. By shining a critical light on another, and ratcheting up the rhetoric, you can get an audience to choose sides. If you don’t believe me, watch the 2010 Gubernatorial race in the State of Texas when Rick Perry and Kay Baily Huchison take the gloves off during the primary season…WHOA-NELLIE, indeed.

Again, many of the claims being made might very well be legitimate. But, I want to clarify, and address, the point regarding resources provided for the men’s and women’s teams. The Brian Gomez article quotes Rich Bender on the amount of money per athlete: $38,500 in “direct athlete support” for each of the four women’s Olympic weight classes, and $18,600 for each of the 14 divisions in men’s freestyle, and Greco-Roman. Doing some quick math gives us a total of $154,000.00 for the women’s four OG weight classes, and $260,400.00 for the seven divisions each for freestyle and Greco-Roman for the men.

I am not sure where Bender gets that there are only four weight classes for the women, but perhaps that is all that is available for the women at this time at the Olympic Games. The USA Wrestling website lists seven weight classes for three basic divisions (Men’s freestyle, Men’s Greco-Roman, and Women’s freestyle), with three athletes listed under each. That would make a total of 21 women on the National Team roster, and 42 for the men in the program. Taking the total resources for the men ($260,400.00) and dividing by 42, we get $6200.00 allotted per male athlete. For the women, divide $154,000.00 between 21 on the roster, and you get $7333.34 per athlete. I am not positive if that is the correct formula, but if it is, then Bender is right to say more is being spent on the women’s program. Perhaps the men have other opportunities to secure additional incentive dollars, as the women note in their grievance. Obviously I am not privileged to that part of how USA Wrestling operates.

So what can we conclude? Can we say life is not fair? Perhaps, but I think this says more about a Title IX entitlement mentality than anything else. Ms. Miranda was born in 1979, and the enforcement would have been well in place by the time she started pinning the boys to the mat in middle school. The fact that she broke down barriers, and accomplished a win in Division I against men while at Stanford, makes me scratch my head that she would now be calling “foul” because the girls are being treated “unequally.” It seems to my knuckle-headed sensibilities that something else has led her to this point of action. That’s all I’m sayin’. You don’t go from kickin’ men’s behinds in the squared circle to organizing your girlfriends to call people out. To my way of thinking, these women are bigger than this, and better than this. The husband-coach is the one I would keep my eye on…the Svengali…but, that’s just me.

Tammy G

WSTR Blog 625

This Week In Women's Sports Talk

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Adrienne Goodson Talks to WNBA All-Star Cheryl Ford

I just want to say a few words about Lauren Jackson. I find myself chuckling every time I hear someone go off about how she is “hi-jacking”, or ‘holding the league hostage.” That just cracks me up. Is the league only as big as ONE PLAYER?

Granted, we are talking about Lauren Elizabeth Jackson, Albury, NSW, Austrailia’s own. But, in spite of the fact that she is regarded as arguably the best player in the women’s game at this time, can one player really hold an entire league, and its fans, “hostage”?

Those of you who know me, know that I am an LJ fan. If you came to my house, you would find further evidence of that fact. I could watch her play basketball for hours, and thankfully have a few recorded games from over the years to watch so I can get my fix. But, if she never graced the basketball shores of the USofA, I would hope we would all get along just fine. In spite of her “excellence”, (there’s that word again), one would hope the rest of the players in the pro league would be able to carry the banner, and bring us entertaining, and fundamentally sound basketball to enjoy.

As a fan, I want her to first be healthy. Lauren has been playing a lot of basketball over the last two years…more than any other stretch in her career, I believe. And, while we have been blessed to watch her play since she was 19 years of age, her body has toiled well beyond her 28 chronological years. I also have to think she misses her family and home-town friends, who have been very difficult to keep up with over the last couple of years.

One impression I have of Miss Jackson is that she is very loyal. And that character trait has to make her a bit home sick, even though she is now a much more savvy world traveler than she was first gracing our American shores. I would think she can pretty much make herself at home whatever continent she lands on…and put a basketball in her hands, and she is home…her turf any where on the face of this globe.

This issue of loyalty is one that makes the discussion of her leaving Seattle to play in any other city in the U.S. a bit puzzling to me. Call me crazy, but I just can’t wrap my mind around her leaving Sue in Seattle right now…just can’t fathom it. But, we will see, won’t we?

I am just grateful she has decided to play in the States this summer. I really don’t care if it is one month, two months, or the entire season. She is, after all, L to the J, and we may as well enjoy her talent for as long as she can run the floor, and shoot that fade-away jumper.

Cheers…

Tammy

Hello Renee, Reality Check on Line One!

What a week to be Renee Montgomery! First team All-American on everyone’s team. Voted the nation’s best point guard. Cap off an undefeated regular season with a strong performance in winning the national championship. And most likely, the number one selection in this year’s WNBA draft.

But wait a second, Renee, you are about to get the rudest awakening of your life unfortunately. The private planes to games? Gone. The first class hotels and restaurants on the road? Gone. Playing before 10,000 people every night? Most likely gone too.

Welcome to the WNBA, Renee. Where meager paychecks and hero worship are often replaced by the reality of a first time employee’s experiences. No one will tell you when to study, when to go to class, where to be, when to be there. You are on your own. You will be flying coach, and you will be sharing hotel rooms with new teammates. And in some cities, you’ll be playing before an empty house.

But before you go running away screaming about what have you done in graduating, let’s look at the bright side. A little over a decade ago, you couldn’t even do this. You would be looking at a “real job” or playing only overseas. Now you get to see the country, and eventually the world, playing a game you love and hopefully building a sport up for those that come after you.

It’s Not Just the Stars That Make a Championship Team

So did you see the Final Four last night? Watch those semi-final games? Great offensive performances by Louisville’s Angel McCoughtry, Courtney Paris of OU, Jayne Appel of Stanford, and UConn’s Renee Montgomery and Maya Moore! Unreal banging and defense by Tina Charles on Appel! All showed why they were chosen All-Americans by just about everyone, and why they are worthy of all the praise they get.

I hope you also saw the other things that I saw. Prior to the Louisville-OU game, we heard about McCoughtry and Candice Bingham of Louisville. True to form, they were the only two Cardinals to finish in double figures. But what I saw was Becky Burke absolutely shut down Big 12 freshman of the year Whitney Hand in the second half. I saw Burke nail two HUGE three pointers during the Louisville run. I saw converted Point Guard Deseree’ Byrd handle the pressure of this game and the quickness of the Sooners, while making the right play time after time. Under her steady hand, Louisville committed 9 turnovers, the entire game, compared to OU’s 17. And most importantly, I saw Keshia Hines and Monique Reid control Paris, limiting her to 10 shot attempts for the game. The headlines will rightly go to Angel and perhaps Bingham, but Louisville is playing Tuesday night because of these other ladies.

In the second game, I saw Husky Kalana Greene play Stanford’s Kayla Pedersen dead even, matching Stanford’s third team All-Pac 10 forward, with both scoring 10 points and getting 6 rebounds. The same Kayla Pedersen, with Greene out injured last season, torched the Huskies in the semifinals for 17 points, second only to the incredible performance of Candice Wiggins. I saw Tiffany Hayes, the freshman who started the year on the bench and went through a horrendous three-point shooting streak mid-season, hit a game opening three pointer from well beyond the line, setting the tone for the entire game. And then there was Lorin Dixon and Kaili McLaren, both buried on the bench at different times by Coach Geno Auriemma contributing double-figure minutes each, contributing assists, rebounds and defense, while the stars did their thing at the hoop. And without those contributions, UConn doesn’t roll through Stanford like they did.

So when you sit down to watch the championship game on Tuesday night, the commentators will be talking about Angel and Candice, and Renee, Maya and Tina, but try to look past them too. Try to see these other magnificent players that sacrifice the headlines for the greater good, and try to see that that without those contributions, maybe, just maybe, those teams would also be watching Tuesday night.

David Siegel

INSPIRATION

I have been thinking about inspiration lately. I think it was when I saw that Kay Yow had finally lost her battle with cancer that I started thinking about what inspires me, and perhaps others.

Having had family members beat cancer, I always felt a tug when I heard Coach Yow was having to fight again. I can’t explain why, but my heart would hurt for her, and her loved ones. It is good for us to see others display courage beyond our comprehension, for one day we will find ourselves in a place where we will be the one duking it out with an issue in our lives. That is how we learn to live life to the fullest.

A friend of mine emailed yesterday, and she is absolutely at the end of herself…depressed. I told her I was not the least bit surprised she is depressed because she has buried both parents within 60 days, and her father-in-law was just admitted to a nursing facility after a stroke. I would be overwhelmed, too, wouldn’t you? But, I have watched my friend stand tall in the wake of many years of watching and waiting. I have even told her many times how much I admired her strength in going through all she was facing on a daily basis. She inspires me…and now it is my turn to inspire her, to reach out and help her find herself again.

What inspires you? What in this life, in this world, causes you to lift your head, and walk a little straighter along the path? Obviously, athletes can be a source of inspiration for us, as we watch how they respond to various ups and downs in their careers. I read today where Tracy McGrady will not be playing for the rest of the Rocket’s season due to a knee injury that refuses to heal properly. Reading the words of Shane Battier I heard a man inspired…a man ready to face the challenges of playing without one of the mainstays of his team. As a Houston sports fan, I really hope the rest of the players are inspired to step up and play successfully into the playoffs.

I was watching another movie on ESPN Reel Classics a few weeks back…man I find myself on that channel a lot on Sunday afternoons. Anyway, they were running the movie about Bobby Riggs, and his pursuit of playing the top women’s players of 1973. Billie Jean King was a key character, obviously, and the build up to the Battle of the Sexes. I was a freshman in college when the big match took place in H-town, and remembered a lot of the hoop-la about it, being a young, impressionable feminist at the time. There was a scene where Billie Jean is on an airplane going to Japan, I think, and Margaret Court was playing her match with Riggs in May of 1973. In the scene, King was eager to watch the match, but would not be on the ground to see it on TV. One of the stewardesses told Billie Jean that she was backing Court all the way…even made a bet with the pilot on it. King asks her how much she bet…one paycheck!

As they landed in Japan, the pilot had found out that Riggs had rocked Court and won the match. The stewardess was shown writing a check, and giving it to the smirking pilot, all while he is running his hand down her hip. Inspiration? You could say so, because that scene was the deal maker for Billie Jean to play Riggs in the now infamous Battle of the Sexes. I don’t know if it really happened that way, but it was a painful reminder of how the world spun back then. Well, there are other humiliations we put each other through today, perhaps.

My grandmother was one of the most inspirational people in my life. She was a tough gal, but you would never see her in public without her hair done, and rouge on her cheeks. She was a lady at all times, but if you crossed her once, you would never do it again. For me, all she had to do was lift that left eyebrow…whoa-baby, it was going to be shredded wheat later. Actually, she never laid a hand on me. But, I admired her so much that I didn’t want to ever disappoint her. She is a lasting inspiration, and I pray I have become the legacy she deserves. She gave me more than my first name…she gave me her character, and a fierce determination to do the right thing.

Here’s hoping there is someone in your life that causes you to be inspired to be more than you ever dreamed, or imagined.

Tammy

It's Really Over!

It really is over. I got my refund in the mail for tickets that had no games assigned to them. Today I heard that one of the Big Three has gone to the dark side…and I don’t care that they have cookies there, either.

When a friend called me one fateful night and asked if I had heard the news, I was trying not to laugh in her ear. Is it true? Did the League really shut it all down? It was all over the news. It was true…The Dynasty was dissolved.

I’ve obviously had a lot of time to think about the demise of my beloved Houston Comets of the WNBA. My Four-time Champs will never be able to win “one for the thumb.” However, reading sports forums, and talking with fellow fans did not make it really seem like it was all over. Getting that check in the mail was like going to probate court. Once that baby clears the bank, it is really over. You have nothing else to expect or look forward to.

And now I see where Tina Thompson is going to be in Purple ‘N Gold. That was what I thought would happen, but I am still waiting for that truth to move from my head to my heart. I guess seeing a game on ESPN next year will solidify that concept for me. Tina and Lisa gonna be tough inside, don’t you know?

I have always been one to share all the little trinkets and stadium give-aways from the games. I collect some memorabilia, but Comets stuff I did not make a lot of a point to save much of. I wish I could find my Janeth Arcain bobble-head…man, where did that thing run off to?? I still have my Tina Thompson water-bottle, and might well have to leave instructions to my family to put it in the box when I ride off into eternity. I always thought there would be another opportunity to get something cool at the games. Perhaps that was not one of my better plans, no?

And what a week for this all to happen in one little life? The hope and promise of Tuesday’s inauguration, is matched with the reality of not having your own team to cheer on any more. Our simple lives will go on. That refund check will be spent on some new items I have been wanting to get for the house. I had no idea how I was going to pay for new bedding and linens, so Thank You, Hilton Koch!!

The life lesson here is to not take the simple joys of life for granted. Jump in there and really get your fill. We are not promised tomorrow, so don’t be afraid to make the sacrifices that might be required to enjoy the passions of your life.

Tammy
The Fan

Women In Sports Day: Look Who’s Playing!

On Wednesday, February 4, 2009 many communities throughout our country will celebrate National Girls and Women In Sports Day with this year’s theme of “Look Who’s Playing!” I have the day marked on my calendar as I have for at least the past ten years. No, I have not attended any special events but instead, always took some time to ponder the significance of the day. There have been any number of things that I sat and thought about over those ten years; Title IX, the evolution of rules in women’s basketball, the first woman to do this or that…the list goes on and on. This year, I plan to stick with the theme and focus on some of the girl’s and women that are currently playing, as well as some who played in the past. I plan to continue to learn from these extraordinary individuals.

I am sure that Venus and Serena Williams will be on my list. The admiration that I have for them is due to their ongoing ability to reach beyond the stars. When I think about their early training sessions with their father on a not-so-fancy court in Compton, California, it reminds me that desire, commitment and determination continue to be key factors to success. I will think of Wilma Rudolph whom I first learned about from my fourth grade teacher; Rudolph’s aunt. I will think of one of my best friends from middle and high school; Richelle (Williams) Raney. She was a phenomenal athlete, but I do not think that she knew it as much as I did. No, she didn’t play basketball (she wouldn’t know a zone defense if it jumped into her pocket), softball, or tennis. She was a gymnast and dancer. I admire her so much as she has excelled as a professional business woman, wife, and mother of two sons that are phenomenal ice skaters. I am not surprised by their athletic ability. Fruit does not fall far from the tree!

I will think of my sisters Pam, Phyllis and Melanie. Each of them was brave enough to pursue participation in sports to bring diversity and balance into their myriad of other talents. I will surely spend time thinking of my Mom who taught us the importance of diversity and balance. She was not an athlete for long because of a moment of unconsciousness while playing softball as a teen. I guess a softball to the head will do that! But I know she was built for it and would have been a phenomenal pitcher. She was left-handed and could throw a shoe around the corner of a room. I have several siblings who are witnesses, along with me!

I am going to spend some time thinking about some of my favorite current players in women’s college basketball as they go into conference play with the hope of going far this season. Devanei Hampton at California is like one of my own. Have you ever known a person that refuses to quit? If not, look in the dictionary and next to the word determined you will see a picture of Devanei. And when naysayers have told her that she could not or she would not, she took it on as a challenge and succeeded. Alexis Gray-Lawson is another one. I should call her everyday and tell her what she cannot do because she will surely do the opposite to the umpteenth degree. She and Devanei would often travel with my daughters and me when they were teens during club basketball season. Those were some of the best road trips of my life. I would drive for miles and the rule was that I get to listen to what I want to hear since I’m driving. Before long, they were fans of Josh Groban. And…I became a fan of Nelly! I have never laughed as deep as I have with those girls. “Lexi” was the oldest of the group, so if I had to go away to do laundry, or arrive a day late,”Lexi” was in charge of the group. She never failed me, and always reported back to me with any improprieties including anything from not going to bed on time to going over the budget on lunch. She can manage any project or person!

My girl Abi Olajuwon is my other baby who traveled with us along with her Mom, Granny, sister and little brother. On February 4, as I think of Abi, now a woman playing a sport, I will see a beautiful young woman with the patience of Job and the mind of any Pulitzer Prize winner.

I will think of the many girls who played high school ball with my daughters at Piedmont High School. The cultural and ethnic diversity was from one extreme to the other, and so were their skill levels. But when they each contributed their strengths to the game, from cheering from the bench to setting screens or hitting a three…they could not be beaten. They won two high school state championships with hard work, commitment to their team, and a never-give-up attitude. And that was wonderful, but my personal favorite win was the “Mark Cooper Oakland Tournament “ (remember the television sitcom Hangin’ With Mr. Cooper). It was a tournament played within the inner city of Oakland, California in a small gym, with standing room only every session. It was not the official high school team because it was played prior to the start of the season. But the players would get together and compete. When Piedmont H.S. showed up to play, they were the laughing stock. Sure they had about four players that had some club ball experience, but SURELY they would not be able to compete with the other teams who just exuded in athleticism. Try to picture this. Lisa Leslie and Tina Thompson showing up with Jennifer Lopez, Martha Stewart, Einstein’s sister and Lucy Liu with the intent on playing in an inner city basketball tournament. Yet, their determination, intelligence, and team unity sent them home with the first place trophy.

I am going to give a few minutes to a new person on my list; Coach Kim Mulkey of Baylor University women’s basketball. OU recently played Baylor in a pretty tight game on the Waco campus with President George Bush and his wife Laura Bush in attendance (cheering for Baylor, but that’s another blog for later…). I know you might be wondering why I’d give a few minutes of my time. No, I absolutely, positively am not a Baylor fan of any sport! I don’t stop in Waco when heading for Houston for gas, even if I’m near empty, so let’s not get it twisted! But I must admit that after watching her pre-game and post-game videos, I respect her as a woman working and teaching in sports. She has a sense of humor, she’s knowledgeable, she’s competitive, and she’s committed to her team of players. She plans to win, but she respects the opponent.

I will think of my daughters, Ashley and Courtney Paris (whom I often refer to fondly as “Ash and Cort”…yes, I know it’s C-O-U-R-T, but I birthed her, so I can spell the nickname I gave her anyway I want…thank you) who are seniors this year at Oklahoma. Where did the time go? It seems as though I was just taking them to their dance recital a few years ago, but it’s actually been at least 17 years ago. As a parent of student-athletes (six that were basically back-to-back in age with a set of twins to bring up the rear), I tried my best to make sure that they were exposed to diverse activities and sports. Ash and Cort were in dance (jazz and tap) for a few years, played a little volleyball, they took gymnastics for a year, played recreational badminton, had lessons in tennis, and moments as cheerleaders (although Ash quit before the season began because she’d rather watch or play, than cheer). They also have spent time on the golf course (albeit with the priority of driving a golf cart), in swimming lessons, and any number of games of football and basketball with their four brothers. Each of them was required to take some form of music, do their share of chores at home, and volunteer in the community. Church activities were mandatory as well. Academic requirements were a given, and they went into the kindergarten understanding that they were preparing for college. Making sure there was balance in their life was critical. Along the way while exposed to any number of potential long-term interests, they decided that they were passionate about basketball. I supported their passion as much as possible (as long as they met their other responsibilities), and I can honestly say, without any doubt that I do not have any regrets. The path from playing on the coed fun team at the Boys and Girls Club to senior student-athletes at OU has been amazing to watch; especially when I have a bird’s eye view. Well, the view has been at a distance since they began college, but I’ve continued to watch closely. Each of them, independently and in their own right have worked diligently to become the best athlete possible along with excelling within the classroom, in the community, and remained family focused. When all the hoopla of basketball is said and done…family will be what lasts. They are pretty decent basketball players, but I am more impressed that they are each good people. When I grow up, I want to be like them.

There is one athlete and coach that I wish I had been graced with the opportunity to meet…Coach Kay Yow. I learned a few things about her over the years, and although she never knew it, she often inspired me to keep going when the tank indicated empty. One of her favorite scriptures from the bible is “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”-Philippians 4:13. I refer to it often. And I will surely think of her, and the North Carolina State women’s basketball team.

Wow! Look who’s playing! Coach Kay Yow is because a little piece of her is surely in her staff and players. Rest in peace Coach Yow.


Lynn Gray

Women Sports Talk: Exactly What We Need!

It is amazing what will happen when determination, vision, knowledge, and passion align for a common goal. The expression that immediately comes to my mind is “Wow”! When I was briefed on the mission for the Women’s Sports Talk Show and website, it was akin to the feeling I had when I learned that my high school had begun to sponsor a girl’s basketball team, or when I first logged onto the internet. With each development, I felt the need to sing “You’ve Come A Long Way Baby”! Finally, there is a forum that provides broad base information and interaction relative to women’s sports; amateur to the professional ranks.

As a parent, I spent many hours trying to find information to share with my daughters relative to women in sports. There was not any particular one-stop source to tap into that allowed one to ask questions, read information, or hear from players with significant experience and knowledge. Most of the information I shared with them was what I had experienced or learned from family and friends. Thank goodness for family and friends! I have made it my mission to share as much information as possible with other student-athletes and their parents to alleviate reinvention of the wheel on an ongoing basis.

It is my goal to provide as much information as possible with the hope that others can learn and continue to build from my experiences as a sister, wife (formerly) and mother of athletes; amateur to professional. Years ago, I concluded that I was destined to support and observe versus participate. To be quite honest, it only took one pick-up game versus Basketball Hall of Fame athlete Lynette Woodard for it to be crystal clear to me that my game was not where it needed to be for me to consider playing at the collegiate level. Some of us (starting with me) are destined to be in the stands (an avid spectator) instead of on the floor or field. And that is where I have primarily spent most of my time for many years.

I remember going to my first football and basketball games at ..Sumner.. ..High School.. in ....Kansas City.., ..Kansas.... when I was about four years old. That was a very long time ago. Trust me. My oldest brother Kenny was a student-athlete who later played football at ....Washburn.. ..University.... (where I attended my first college football game). I met my first best friend (Kim Robinson) because our brothers were teammates in high school. We still share laughs about those days of attending our brothers’ games. My brother Leonard (fondly known as Hugie) played basketball (and football for a season or two) at Sumner as well. Through his experiences as a student-athlete, I had my first lesson in college recruiting. Imagine the recruiting rules then (or lack thereof) back in those stone ages. I also remember my mother and father doing all that they could to assure that their kids played sports, rather than sports playing their kids. They had very little tolerance for anything short of integrity and respect. Leonard eventually played Division I basketball at Kansas and Long Beach State, as well as professionally with the Seattle Supersonics before retiring due to an injury while with the Washington Bullets. I watched my brother Robert play basketball through high school (..Wyandotte..) and then in college at ....Wichita.. ..State..... He was a second round draft selection by the Sonics after his college days. My sister Pam was a member of the volleyball and track and field teams at ....Wichita.. ..State.... where she qualified for the NCAA finals in the shot put event. My sister Phyllis was a sprinter on the track team from middle school to college (....Arizona.. ..State....), and my sister Melanie had a season or two of high school volleyball. Me? I lasted a season of club basketball (a local team formed at the neighborhood church) when I was in the seventh grade, was the sports page editor in junior high school (one way to assure I made it to all the games), and then returned to my other love of baton twirling as a majorette in high school.

All of those experiences, along with the experiences gained while married to a professional football player assisted me with guiding my six children as they participated in sports. Each of them participated as student athletes at the Division 1 level. A few years ago, I attempted to calculate the number of sporting events that I had attended in support of my children. I finally stopped after I reached approximately twenty-two hundred sporting events! The thought of it exhausted me. I have also washed more sports uniforms than any team manager known to man. In essence, I have seen a few sporting events in my lifetime. I am currently enjoying my daughters’ final college season of basketball. Sure, I have enjoyed watching my brothers and sisters. I have immensely enjoyed watching my sons. When I take all of those experiences into consideration and think of how it has helped me to support my daughters; women who are twenty-one year old student-athletes…it gives me the chills! Therefore, I am committed to sharing with you via blogs and this website with the hope of continued growth, development, knowledge and passion for women in sports. Stay tuned.


Lynne Gray

WOMEN AS SPORTS FANS: Is it possible?

In reference to the question posed in the title of this blog, may I likewise respond with a question: Why wouldn’t it be possible? Why wouldn’t a woman also be a sports fan in the U.S. of A? Perhaps the next question is: How do women become sports fans?

This would make an interesting sociology study, I suppose, but for me it came very naturally. I have three brothers, with one of them being five years my senior. Face it, whatever my big brother did when I was growing up, that’s what the other three little duckies did. I remember learning how to play baseball when I was four years old. We just cut a broom handle down to make a bat, he would toss the rubber ball in my direction, and BAM…off I ran to first base, like I knew what I was doin’!!

Once my big brother got to junior high, the sports world opened up for me. He played small boys basketball, and could not wait to pass this essential knowledge and skill on to his little sister. He was a harsh task master, too, stressing the fundamentals. “Dribble to the side of your body”, “don’t look at the ball…know where the ball is”, and his favorite thing to bark at my sub-four-foot-tall self: “the free throw is NOT a JUMP SHOT”!! If I heard it once, I heard it thirty times. Thankfully he allowed the “granny shot”, so I was not in hot water very often.

One Saturday afternoon in the winter of my seventh year, my brother sat me down in front of our Grandmother’s black and white TV, and told me to watch the player with the number 14 on his jersey. I was to watch everything he did, because he was a point guard, and with my lack of vertical existence, that would be my position on the basketball team. Number 14 on the Boston Celtics was, of course, Bob Cousy, and he remains one of my favorite athletes of all time. His Mitchell and Ness away jersey from 1962 hangs in my home, along with an autographed basketball. My love affair with basketball continues to this day.

So that is baseball, and basketball…football wasn’t as popular at our house because there were only four of us. I must report here that I did develop an excellent spiral pass over time. When my brother became the manager of the track team, we made a track that went around the perimeter of the house. We even had hurdles to jump, and made a long jump in the sand pile out at the corner of the backyard.

Needless to say, even cards and board games were very competitive between the four siblings. Battle, Go Fish, and Monopoly were absolute throw downs! To this day I cannot play a board game with any sense of civility…it is pathetic. I will play Mexican Train, but sulk for hours on end when I lose…just a mess.

So, I guess my conclusion regarding how a woman can become a sports fan is based on having other sports fans to influence her during the formative years. My mother was a roller skater, and my grandmother was a musician and dancer. They appreciated the importance of an active lifestyle, and encouraged us to “play outside”. We would swim, and play some kind of ball all day during the hot Houston summers, only to stop for a quick bite of lunch.

So if some day you are ever to meet me, just make sure there isn’t a ball flying around the gym or field. It might look like I am being rude while talking with you, but in truth, if there is a sport being played, it will capture my attention. I am a woman, and an avid sports fan, and the twain have permanently met.

Tammy The Fan