Archives for February 2022

Erin Jackson Talks Olympic Gold, Inspiring Others as a ‘Black Person in Predominantly White Sport’

February 25, 2022 by Tara S

“Whatever someone sees in me, or whatever they can relate to, I just hope that they can use that to get out and reach for their dreams,” Erin Jackson tells PEOPLE

By Nicholas Rice

Erin Jackson is reveling in her Olympic glory.

Shortly after the speed skater took the gold at the Beijing Winter Games in the women’s 500m, becoming the first Black woman to win an individual medal in the event, the athlete, 29, tells PEOPLE she still cannot believe her feat.

Calling her feelings “just kind of like a big rush of a whole bunch of different” things, Jackson says of winning: “At first it was shock and happiness, relief of course, just because it’s always stressful. There’s a bit of stress mixed in with just daily life as an athlete, and of course, being on a stage like that.”

“[There’s] just a big relief from all the training that I put in from the season and just having it pay off. Yeah, the main thing for sure, happiness,” she continues. “It was pretty cool.”

Erin Jackson | CREDIT: COURTESY US SPEEDSKATING

During her event, Jackson won gold with a time of 37.04. She crossed the finish line just 0.08 seconds before Japan’s Miho Takagi, while Angelina Golikova of the Russian Olympic Committee came in third with a time of 37.21.

Jackson is also the first U.S. woman to win gold in speed skating at the Olympics in nearly 30 years after Bonnie Blair placed first in 1994.

The Florida native’s victory came after her teammate Brittany Bowe gave up her spot in last month’s qualifying event so Jackson could go to Beijing in her place. (After spots in the 500m were reallocated, Bowe, 33, was also able to compete in the event).

The noble move came after Jackson placed third, due to an unfortunate slip on the ice. “No one is more deserving than her to get an opportunity to bring Team USA home a medal,” Bowe said of her decision at the time.

CREDIT: ROBERT CIANFLONE/GETTY

Jackson says she hopes her achievement as a Black woman will inspire other young girls to compete, themselves. “I just hope that it can kind of help other people think maybe I can try something new, get out and try some of the winter sports, or even just speed skating specifically,” she says.

“I’m always trying to be a good example to anyone who wants to look, [especially as] a Black person in a predominantly white sport, to put it simply,” she continues. “Or even just someone who wants to show [parents] that their kids can have multiple priorities in life, not just sports and not just school, but how it’s possible to do both.”

“But yeah, whatever someone sees in me, or whatever they can relate to, I just hope that they can use that to get out and reach for their dreams,” Jackson adds.

RELATED VIDEO: Skier Mikaela Shiffrin Sometimes Sings a Classic Children’s Song in Her Head While Competing

Looking ahead, Jackson says she is “definitely” aiming to compete in the next Winter Olympics when they take place in Italy in 2026.

“I feel like I can’t be done yet,” she tells PEOPLE. “I feel like I’m just starting to figure it out, so I don’t want to stop now.”

However, Jackson says she plans to take a pause now that her run at the 2022 Games is over.

“I’m looking forward to getting back to it, [but] not too quickly,” she explains. “I want to take some time to myself, but [I’m] definitely excited about the next Games.”

Erin Jackson Makes History As First Black Woman To Win Speed Skating Olympic Medal

February 17, 2022 by Tara S

BLACK GIRLS ON ICE? WE’RE INTO IT.

BY KEYAIRA BOONE · UPDATED FEBRUARY 15, 2022

Erin Jackson, 29, became the first Black woman to earn a gold medal in speed skating for the United States on Sunday.

Jackson claims the prestigious honor for her performance in the women’s 500-meter speed skating race in Beijing.

According to NBC News, she slickly sprinted through the ice to complete the event in 37.04 seconds. She is the first person to win that event on behalf of Team USA since 1994. (PHOTO BY CATHERINE IVILL/GETTY IMAGES)

The Ocala, Florida native’s success as a long track speed skater and inline speed skater is even more remarkable as she has only spent a few years as an ice bound athlete. Jackson previously skated on rollerblades and participated in roller derbies. When she made her first appearance in the 2018 Pyeongchang Olympics, she reportedly had only pivoted towards the ice one year prior. This year Jackson experienced unexpected difficulties during the official qualifying period for the Beijing games.

She arrived in this year’s winner’s circle thanks to her friend and colleague Brittany Bowe opting to give up her qualifying spot to make sure Jackson was afforded the opportunity to compete.

The skating star proved worthy of the sacrifice by making history. She expressed her awe at her accomplishments in a tweet. “Olympic Champion,” she wrote before an emoji of a gold medal. “It’s going to take me a while to process those words.”

Congratulations Erin!

TWU WRESTLING WELCOMES SIX ATHLETES TO INAUGURAL TEAM

February 16, 2022 by Tara S

By: Morgan Boling

DENTON, Texas (Feb. 7, 2022) – History once again knocks on the doorsteps of Texas Woman’s University. On Feb. 7, 2022, the TWU wrestling team announced the signing of its first recruits in program history.

TWU head coach Randi Miller welcomed six athletes to her inaugural roster for the 2022-23 season.

From Pharr, Texas, Alyssa Ayala joins the wrestling team after already attending TWU for three years, pursuing a degree in Kinesiology Coaching and Teaching K-12.

Ayala, at 30-years-old, said she believes this opportunity will give her one last time to return to the sport she loves.

“I joined this team for the love of the sport, as I wrestled in high school 2005-09,” Ayala said. “When I heard of the wrestling team, I felt it was an opportunity for me to try one last time and challenge myself.”

While in high school at PSJA North High School, Ayala was a two-time wrestling district champion. She also competed in the Semi Pro Women’s Football League for two years (2011-13).

Kailah Key joins the Pioneers as a freshman from Fort Worth, Texas. Key wrestled for Lamar High School for three years and won first place in districts.

In her sophomore year at TWU, China Saturley attended McKinney High School in McKinney, Texas. She wrestled for one year in high school and made it to state in 2019.

Samantha Simonette will be another true freshman on the Pioneers squad in its first year. Originally from Atlanta, Georgia, Simonette wrestled at Decatur High School for three years, before transferring to Wyoming Seminary in Pennsylvania.

In 2021, Simonette won the USA Georgia State Championship at 180 lbs. She also is a three-time All-American. While in high school, she also wrestled with her club team: Charlies Morris Fitness Angels.

From Justin, Texas, Kylee Spearman becomes the third freshman on the Pioneers roster. Spearman wrestled for four years at Northwest High School. During her junior year, she was a District Champion, and a Regional and State Placer. She also won the Most Outstanding Wrestler and Ultimate Teammate Award for Northwest.

Finally, Hannah Vos joins the Pioneer wrestling team as the fourth freshman. Vos, from Roanoke, Texas, wrestled at Byron Nelson High School. While training herself, Vos also helps coach middle school and kids club wrestling in her spare time to “help shape the future generations of wrestling.”
In 2020, Vos was a State Qualifier and, in 2021, a District Champion – both in the 148-lbs division. She was also a three-time Regional Qualifier in high school. Her team at Byron Nelson won the 2019 Team District Championship, and they were the 2021 Team District Runner-Up.

Vos also wrestled with her club team Sisters on the Mat.

The Pioneer Wrestling team will begin their inaugural season in Fall 2022.
-PIONEERS-

African-American Pioneers in Women’s Wrestling

February 16, 2022 by Tara S

guest writer Shannyn Gillespie
IG: @coachshannyntalks
FB: www.facebook.com/coachshannyn2

Women’s wrestling at the Olympic Games (2004), in College (1994), & World Championships (1987) is a relatively new phenomenon when compared to men’s wrestling which started about 100 years earlier in Olympic, World, & College competition (1903 & 1904). However, African-American women (and men) have been trailblazers in women’s wrestling from the start of USA fielding teams…

Tamyra Mensah-Stock became the first African-American Olympic Champion at the 2020 Tokyo Games and second African-American women wrestler to be crowned World Champion in 2019. She accomplished this feat at 68kg and also won a World Championships silver medal in 2021 and a bronze medal in 2018. In college, she was a 2X WCWA National Champion and 4X all-American for Wayland Baptist University. Mensah-Stock is from Texas (where high school girls wrestling has been sanctioned since 1999) and won 2 state titles while finishing as runner-up her sophomore year for Morton Ranch H.S.

[Read more…]

Abby Roque Makes History as First Indigenous Player on US Women’s Olympic Hockey Team

February 4, 2022 by Tara S

BY SAMANTHA BRODSKY | popsugar fitness

Abby Roque is an athlete to watch at the 2022 Beijing Olympics. At 24, she’s a forward for the US’s women’s hockey team, and her debut Olympic appearance makes history: she is the first Indigenous woman to play for USA Hockey at the Olympics. According to Indian Country Today, Roque, two Canadian women’s hockey players, and a Canadian men’s snowboarder are believed to be the only Indigenous Olympians competing in Beijing.

Roque, who USA Hockey named the 2020 Bob Allen women’s hockey player of the year and who graduated ninth on the University of Wisconsin’s career-scoring list, graced the covers of “Sports Illustrated” and Self this month. She told the latter, “Minority players need representation. If you look at a team and just see more of the same white men playing the game, you’re not going to get girls involved, you’re not going to get young minority players involved. I’m hoping in 10 to 15 years, we’ll see a big shift because of the visibility we’re trying to create right now. I want to be a piece of that and say, ‘I’m here.'”

Roque is a member of Ontario-based Wahnapitae First Nation, of which her uncle is chief. She told Self that she’s proud to be breaking barriers in a sport she describes as a “white male club.” While she grew up in a community of Indigenous players in Sault Ste. Marie, MI, she says there’s still a lack of representation lacks at this level.

“If one little girl says, ‘I want to play hockey because she’s playing hockey,’ I think that would mean the world to me.”

“It’s a challenge, I know, for a lot of Indigenous kids to get off the reserve or get off the band and move away and fit in,” Roque’s father, a former hockey coach now working as a scout for the NHL’s Toronto Maple Leafs, told CNN. “But Abby was obviously real lucky that she grew up with a lot of kids like that in her town.”

Roque is also the only BIPOC player on the US women’s hockey roster — a fact that doesn’t surprise her. “[N]ot many minority players have had the privilege to play or have felt included. That’s something that needs to change in hockey as a whole,” she told Self. “And that’s why we want to make it more inclusive and make it available to everybody who wants to play.”

Roque told CNN, “If one little girl says, ‘I want to play hockey because she’s playing hockey,’ I think that would mean the world to me — just changing one person’s trajectory and letting them know that there is a place for them in hockey.”

Team USA beat Finland on Feb. 3 in the first round of group play. ESPN reports that Roque replaced assistant captain Brianna Decker after an on-ice injury took Decker out of the Olympic tournament. Next up: a match against the Russian Olympic Committee. The single-elimination rounds kick off on Feb. 10, where podium finishes are at stake — and where Team USA hopes to defend its gold from the Pyeongchang Games.

CCIW announces Fall 2021 Dave Wrath & Jack Swartz Academic All-Conference Recipients

February 3, 2022 by Tara S

NAPERVILLE, Ill. — The College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin announced today the recipients of the Fall 2021 Dave Wrath & Jack Swartz Academic All-Conference awards. Molly Fank of Augustana women’s soccer and Matt Payton of Augie football were named the Jack Swartz Academic All-Conference recipients, while over 100 student-athletes from Augustana College were recognized as part of the Dave Wrath Academic All-Conference list. Augustana had the third most recipients in the conference.

The Dave Wrath Academic All-Conference list comprises those individuals that achieved an overall grade-point average of 3.30 or above and have served at least one year in residency at their respective school. Over 800 names were recognized during the Fall 2021 season.

The Dave Wrath Academic All-Conference award is named after the former Augustana College athletics administrator. Wrath retired in June as the Associate Director of Athletics for Media and Alumni Relations, serving the Vikings for 40 years. In addition to his duties at Augustana, Wrath served as the CCIW Sports Information Director from 1996 to 2005 and was instrumental in establishing the CCIW’s Academic All-Conference Program in 2005.

The complete list of the Fall 2021 Dave Wrath Academic All-Conference recipients can be found here.

Additionally, the CCIW announced all of the recipients of the Jack Swartz Academic All-Conference award. Each CCIW member institution selects two student-athletes (one men’s athlete & one women’s athlete) from each of the three sport seasons (fall, winter, spring) to be honored as Jack Swartz Academic All-Conference members. To be eligible, an individual must have an overall grade point average of 3.50 or above and have served at least one year in residency at their respective institution.

The Jack Swartz Academic All-Conference award is named after the former Wheaton College Director of Athletics and CCIW Commissioner. Swartz served in the Athletics Director role from 1975-1982 and as CCIW Commissioner from 1987 until his passing on July 11, 1997.

[Read more…]

Hyde sets Wheaton North scoring mark

February 1, 2022 by Tara S

By Stan Goff
Daily Herald Correspondent

What Claire Hyde has accomplished on the basketball court for Wheaton North is quite impressive, but the way she acted during her crowning moment on Saturday was just as impressive.

When the Falcons senior guard knocked down a 3-point shot less than a minute into the second half, Wheaton North called a timeout to recognize the fact that Hyde had just broken the school record for most points scored in a career. But Hyde was not ready for a celebration, rather she wanted to get her team’s defense fired up for the next possession of the game.

There wasn’t much need to worry, after all, as Hyde’s shot put her team up 34-20 and they were well on their way to defeating their crosstown rivals 58-32. But it’s that extreme focus that has helped this 5-foot-4 dynamo pile up a historic total of points, as well as lead this year’s team to an 18-5 record and a 9-2 mark in the DuKane Conference.

“We called that timeout to congratulate her and she was like, ‘Hey we need to focus on getting a stop here.’ It just shows you what a great kid she is and what this whole team is focused on,” said Wheaton North coach Dave Eaton, who presented Hyde with the game ball following the win. “She’s just an all-around great player but also one of the best kids to ever where a Wheaton North jersey. She’s an unbelievable kid. As good a basketball player as she is she’s an even better person.”

Hyde doesn’t follow her individual stats very closely, but she was aware that she was within the school record of 1,381 points set by 2018 graduate Hannah Swider. She entered Saturday’s contest needing 13 points to set the record and tallied a game-high 12 through two quarters as the hosts built a 28-14 lead. Hyde hit on three shots from beyond the arch in the first half, showing off her range with a couple bombs from well beyond the line.

Having grown up on the south side of Wheaton, Hyde knows many of the Tigers players well and was even coached on a seventh-grade team by Wheaton Warrenville South coach Rob Kroehnke.

“It was crazy how it played out that it was that amount of points and it landed on this game,” said Hyde, who finished with 21 points and 7 rebounds. “I’ve always appreciated Kroehnke and all that he’s done for me. He’s always been such a role model in my life. I grew up on the South side so I obviously have a connection there.

“I did [know about the record] because my parents and the coaches were all talking about it. I was really nervous coming into this game, I’m not gonna lie. My stomach was turning but I was just focusing on getting the win and thinking let’s get another conference victory.”ADVERTISING

Hannah Struebing paced the Tigers (13-11, 2-8) with 14 points and Campbell Bastian added a trio of 3s, but the day belonged to Hyde and the Falcons.

“I got to coach Claire when she was in seventh grade, so I’m very happy for her,” Kroehnke said. “It’s well-deserved. I told her I hope I never have to coach against her again, but that I love you and I’m very happy for you.”