- Director of Operations Tara Miller traveled to Austin Texas to umpire in the United States Australian Football League National Tournament.
- Despite being new to the sport, everyone involved in the tournament was extremely helpful and welcoming.
- If you are looking to get into a new sport, or just want to be a part of a great community, definitely look into Australian Rules Football.
Women in Sports
These Girls Are Ready For Some Football
Oxford preparing for its first season of girls flag football, open its season at home Tuesday night
By Al Muskewitz
East Alabama Sports Today
Girls flag football got underway in Alabama this week. Oxford plays its historic first games next Tuesday in a three-team date at Lamar Field.
All of the Lady Jackets’ games will be three-team affairs. They play at home twice this 12-game season – Tuesday and the final week of the regular season Oct. 28. A statewide, one-classification championship game will be played the Wednesday of the Super 7.
“It’s been fun,” Oxford coach Wes Brooks said of the run-up to the season opener. “You think about a girl her whole lifetime thinking what it’s like to play football and now they’re getting that opportunity.”
Nearly 60 schools around the state have declared to play the sport in this first year it’s being offered by the AHSAA. Oxford and Anniston are the only teams in Calhoun County on that list, but they will not be playing each other.
[Read more…] about These Girls Are Ready For Some FootballVALARIE ALLMAN CONTINUES “MAGIC” SEASON, BREAKING OWN AMERICAN RECORD IN DISCUS
By Karen Rosen
After winning the Olympic gold medal and the Diamond League Trophy this year, Valarie Allman still longed to throw farther than one other person: herself.
Allman did just that Sunday, winning the women’s discus throw in Berlin at the Internationales Stadionfest (ISTAF) meet.
Her first attempt flew 71.16 meters (233 feet, 5 inches), a personal best by a meter which held up for the victory.
The “AR” next to Allman’s name on the results sheet did not stand for American record – although it was certainly that, eclipsing her own mark of 70.15 meters (230-2) from 2020. Allman now has eight of the top 10 throws in Team USA history – and her 68.80 in the final round in Berlin would have given her nine if secondary throws in a series were counted on the official list.
No, this AR stood for Area Record, with Allman breaking the North & Central American & Caribbean record of 70.88 meters set by Cuba’s Hilda Ramos in 1992.
“This season, it’s been filled with so many magic moments,” Allman said. “The one thing I want to do every season is try to improve my best – 2021 was coming to the end and to have a PR feels so good! All the work paying off and to see that show up is really special.”
The 26-year-old Colorado native also shattered the meet record of 68.64 meters by Margitta Pufe of East Germany that had lasted since 1979.
And, finally, the mark was the longest throw in the world this year – surpassing Jorinde Van Klinken of the Netherlands, who threw 70.22 in May — giving Allman the coved “WL” next to her name.
“HOLY MACARONI,” Allman posted on Instagram below a photo showing her and coach Zebulon Sion next to the scoreboard with the winning distance.
That was a fitting exclamation since Allman’s career began with pasta. Back in high school, the promise of a spaghetti dinner tempted athletes to try the field events. That led Allman, who had been a competitive dancer, to discover a new passion in life.
USA Retain Women’s Sitting Volleyball Crown After They Defeat China in Dramatic Final
Celebrations as USA overpower China 3-0 in a thrilling final to retain their Paralympic crown while Brazil claim bronze on the final day of competition at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games.
USA continued their dominance of women’s sitting volleyball by overpowering China in a thrilling final to retain their Paralympic crown.
The squad, which brought an end to China’s unbeaten run at the Paralympic Games in Rio 2016, did it again in impressive form to win 3-1 (25-12, 25-20, 22-25, 25-19) on the last day of competition at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games.
It was a fast and furious match with China’s ZHAO Meiling opening the scoreline with the first spike, but the Americans immediately responded with two from Kathryn Holloway and Lora Webster.
Setter Kaleo Kanahele Maclay, who won silver in London 2012 and gold in Rio 2016, was the USA’s key player in keeping the points flowing. Holloway slammed home another spike at 10-6 and the team motored towards the end of the first set, with Heather Erickson taking it in 25-12 in just 19 minutes.
The second set opened again with a point from China with XU Yixiao getting in the first spike, but after Maclay’s 39kmh serve, which was picked up by WANG Yanan, Erickson slammed home another spike, her seventh of the match.
It took just four minutes for the Americans to be up 8-3. China edged back with Wang getting a spike in after a dig error by Webster, but the USA pulled away and were soon up 12-6.
After time out at 13-6, China regrouped as TANG Xuemei, who was a gold medallist in London 2012, immediately smashed a spike passed Holloway. Zhang got a second in, but then Erickson hit home a winner, before Tang replied after a dig error by Matthews.
At 16-10 to the Americans it seemed only a question of time before they closed out the set, but China’s Xu and Wang had other ideas. They both set up a series of spikes and the scoreline got to 19-17. At two points adrift of their opponents, they levelled, but Matthews 11th spike of the match sealed the second set 25-20.
Going into the third, America was just a set away from back-to-back golds. Holloway opened with two points in quick succession. China got two back and the scoreline was drawn but Matthews got in her 12th spike to push them ahead. But Wang was pivotal in changing the score line with a series of spikes and the country was soon leading 10-8.
Holloway and Erickson levelled the score but China pulled away again. The points changed back and forth until China sealed the set 25-22 after 25 minutes.
The nation was more confident going into the fourth and denied the USA the opportunity to pull away with a series of points by Xu and LYU Hongqin. At 21-17 it was all to play for until USA claimed a block. China came back fighting with a point by Lyu, but Erickson, who had impressed throughout the match, set a spike at 24 and the matched was closed out after a reception error by Zhang at 25-19.
When the final bell went the USA team erupted in cheers and hugs. It had been a long battle. On their way to the final USA, who were also silver medallists in London 2012 and Beijing 2008 and bronze medallists in Athens 2004, had not conceded a set. They beat China in an earlier heat as well as Rwanda and the Russian Paralympic Committee before overpowering Brazil in the semifinal.
In the women’s bronze medal sitting volleyball match, Brazil came out on top with a 3-1 (25-15, 24-26, 26-24, 25-14) win over Canada. Their compatriot Para swimming legend Daniel Dias, who retired this week as the sport’s most successful Paralympian with 27 medals, was in the arena to cheer them on.
Ella Bruning: Five things to know about the Little League World Series breakout star
BY CHUCK SCHILKEN | LA Times
Ella Bruning is making history at the Little League World Series.
The 12-year-old catcher for the Wylie Little League team from Abilene, Texas, is the 20th girl to take part in the annual event in South Williamsport, Pa., and the only girl in this year’s tournament.
With two hits in her team’s 6-0 win over Washington on Friday, Bruning became the seventh girl to get a hit during a LLWS game and only the third girl to have multiple hits in a game. She also drove in a run, stole a base and scored a run during the game.
[Read more…] about Ella Bruning: Five things to know about the Little League World Series breakout starJulia Price on US cricket coaching, the BBL and winning two World Cups
- By Zushan Ahmad Hashmi
Julia Price is currently the coach of the US women’s cricket team and created history by becoming the first-ever female coach in Australia’s Big Bash League (BBL). She also won two World Cups with the Australian Women’s Cricket Team in 1997 and 2005. Her passion for the game has led her into coaching, travelling the world teaching the game, and having a lot of fun while she is at it.
Kinza Tahir caught up with her for this feature on Sportageous to talk about breaking barriers, cricket coaching, her experiences with the sport around the world and the future of the women’s game in Australia and the US.
[Read more…] about Julia Price on US cricket coaching, the BBL and winning two World CupsAwards Ceremony at Proctors Recognizes Standout Female Athletes
By Jim Schiltz | The Daily Gazette
Recent Taconic Hills graduate Clare Howard couldn’t help but notice just how proud the parents, siblings, coaches and friends were of the individuals who were honored Monday evening at the second annual Capital District Sports Women of the Year Awards Gala at Proctors.l
Howard’s rooting section included her mom, dad, brother and sister.
“You could see how each family supported their athlete,” said Howard, who, after each individual was honored, earned the prestigious Grand Scholastic Sports Woman of the Year prize. “To be able to invite people shows how far we’ve come in this pandemic.”
The first awards ceremony held last August saw only two guests allowed for each of the young women who were honored for their outstanding athletic and academic achievement, service to their school and community involvement.
The 2020 Capital District Sports Women of the Year gala was originally scheduled to take place in May of that year at Proctors, but that was postponed due to restrictions related to the COVID-19 pandemic and was instead held at The Desmond Hotel in Colonie in a low-key affair where the grand winners were sprinter and soccer player Lydia Ware of Averill Park in the high school category and soccer player Morgan Burchhardt of Saint Rose in the collegiate category.
“This was the dream I had,” Capital District Sports Women of the Year president and founder Eric McDowell said as pictures were taken in a room adjacent to the GE Theatre, where the event was held. “Women’s sports deserve coverage and recognition outside the arena. This is what I wanted to do, and I wanted to do it here.”
Soccer player Hallie Klosterman of Russell Sage College was the Grand Sports Woman of the Year winner in the collegiate category.
Also honored Monday were recent high school graduates Phoebe Fox (Glens Falls), Riley Gibbons (Germantown), Jenna Hoffman (Maple Hill), Anna Jankovic (Averill Park), Sara Langworthy (Warrensburg), Izzy Mancini (Galway), Madison Relyea (Mayfield) and Kate Sherman (Mohonasen), rising high school senior Beth Irwin (Guilderland), and Naseyah Dix (Bryant & Stratton College).
“What an all-star team,” McDowell said before each of the honorees received a trophy and gave a speech. “What accomplishments.”
Howard, Taconic Hills’ five-sports participant and senior class president, said she was both surprised and excited when the grand awards were announced.
“I was expecting a lot when I got here, but when I heard the resumes, it was mind boggling,” Howard said. “I was blown away by what the girls had done. Each girl has so much to offer. We all could have won it for different reasons.”
“We read about them. Put out the releases,” McDowell said of the honorees. “To see them come to life was very, very special. What they did is amazing.”
McDowell said there were more nominations for the 2021 awards than in 2020, and he expects an even larger number next year.
“It’s growing,” McDowell said. “Word will come out and they will say, ‘We have someone, too.’ ”
Howard began competing in sports at Taconic Hills as a seventh-grader, and as the years passed she kept adding teams to her athletic resume. She capped off her record and award-filled scholastic career this school year by participating in soccer and cross country in the fall, swimming and skiing in the winter and track in the spring. She would have done the five as a junior, too, had that spring season not been taken away by the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Clare is a remarkable young lady that manages her time well in order to be successfully involved in as much as she is,” Taconic Hills math teacher Angela Webster said in a pre-event testimonial. “She is one of the most all-around talented individuals I have met in my career. I admire her for her positive, calm demeanor in the classroom while being an aggressive, sportsmanlike competitor on the field.”
Howard will focus on the 400 hurdles at William and Mary, and while she has yet to declare a major, she has great interest in the math and science fields where the National Honor Society member has received several prestigious awards.
“How many hours are in her day?” McDowell asked.
The multi-talented teen also has an ear for music, and can play the piano, flute and cello. She has been involved with several different groups, and was invited to perform with the Empire State String Youth Orchestra.
“I was always active growing up, and that carried over to my teenage years,” Howard, who served as her class treasurer for three years and was on the school’s COVID-19 reopening committee, said prior to the awards gala. “I am just really thankful that with everything I’ve done, I’ve had my family and friends and everyone in school backing me up and supporting me.”
Howard graduated third in her class.
“I really want to be the best version of myself as I can,” the 18-year-old academic and athletic star said when informed earlier this year that she was among the 10 high schoolers to be recognized. “It’s rewarding to see it all pay off.”
Klosterman anchored Russell Sage’s run to its first Empire 8 women’s soccer championship last spring as a junior, while academically, she was named to Russell Sage’s President’s List, Dean’s List and Athletic Honor Society for the third time. This past academic year she was also named to the college’s Athenian Honors Society. The Wallkill High School graduate has maintained a perfect 4.0 grade point average throughout her college career.
“The key to my success is challenging myself to be the best I can as a student, athlete and person,” Klosterman said.
Klosterman was named the Empire 8 tournament MVP after the team captain assisted on the winning goal in the semifinals, and scored both the tying goal late in the second half and the game-winner on a penalty kick in extra time against Utica College in the title match.
“Oh my gosh,” Klosterman had said, “it was incredible. Everybody on the team, that was their goal. That’s what we were striving for. Did we have a perfect season? No. But, in my opinion, winning a championship doesn’t have to be a perfect season. If you have some upsets here and there, that’s where you learn. That’s where your growth comes from. That’s what can make or break a championship.”
Klosterman has already completed her undergraduate work at Russell Sage and is now embarking on a three-year graduate program in physical therapy.
News Channel 13 sports personality Ashley Miller served as the master of ceremonies and Stanford women’s basketball coach Tara VanDerveer, who lived in Schenectady as a youth, was the virtual guest speaker. Indie-pop artist Annie Scherer of Voorheesville performed on piano at the beginning of the event and on guitar after a brief intermission.
Driving Equity Grant Program Expands Women’s Golf Coverage
By Julia Pine, USGA
The USGA has launched the Driving Equity Grant Program to invite media outlets to expand their coverage of women’s golf by offering financial support to help alleviate any associated costs.
Ahead of the 2020 U.S. Women’s Open last December, the USGA launched “Women Worth Watching” as a long-term commitment to use its championships and platforms to celebrate female athletes and role models while promoting equality and diversity in sports. After driving awareness to the disparity in women’s sports coverage in Year One, the Driving Equity Grant Program is the organization’s next actionable solution to shrink the equality gap in golf.
“Today, women’s sports, including golf, are stuck in a recurring cycle where media outlets don’t always receive significant return on investment when they cover events that lack household names. Simultaneously, it is nearly impossible for a sport to build household names without consistent and rich storytelling from the media,” said Craig Annis, the USGA’s chief brand officer. “As the governing body of golf, we feel a deep responsibility to be a leader in breaking that cycle in our sport, and we believe the Driving Equity Grant Program is an important next step in that progress. This is not a problem that will be solved overnight; however, if the entire industry works together and shines a brighter light on women in the game, we have an opportunity to change the future of golf.”
[Read more…] about Driving Equity Grant Program Expands Women’s Golf CoverageTHE WOMEN OF PARETTA AUTOSPORT
INDY 500
STORY BY ALYSSA ROENIGK, PHOTOGRAPHY BY SARAH RICE
Roughly 30 laps into Sunday’s 105th running of the Indianapolis 500, driver Simona De Silvestro will pull into pit lane. In the six seconds it takes to refuel her No. 16 Paretta Autosport Chevrolet, her crew will swap out four Firestones, adjust the front wing and attend to the Aeroscreen windshield on her IndyCar. Typically, teams want pits that are flawless, fast and fade into the noise of the race.
But the Paretta team expects to attract attention. Because for the first time in motorsports history, four of its seven over-the-wall pit crew members will be women. De Silvestro’s two spotters will be women. Two of her engineers, including a Data Acquisition Guy, will be women. And every front office role at Paretta Autosport — from business operations to public relations to merchandise and marketing — is filled by a woman.
“It’s important to me that the bigger message is this isn’t women at the expense of men,” says team owner Beth Paretta, whose vision to create a coed race team has been six years in the making. “I’m trying to expand the grid.”
During the team’s first outing at the Indy 500, Paretta hopes young girls see ponytails fly over the wall during pit stops and women engineers communicating from the timing stand. She also wants the novelty to wear off quickly: “My hope is that in five years, us being a team of mostly women is the least interesting thing about us.”
[Read more…] about THE WOMEN OF PARETTA AUTOSPORT