Athletic Women Blog

I hope you've been watching Fight Girls. It's been a favorite show of mine this summer.

The drama seems a little contrived at times, but as reality shows go (not my favorite genre), it isn't bad. The girls, however, are dedicated athletes, and watching them prepare, train, and fight has been interesting.

I'm probably most impressed by Gina Carano, one of the mentors. Gina is the epitome of strength, a strong woman by any measure you want to use: mentally, spiritually, physically. That comes through right away when you see her on the show.

If you've missed Fight Girls, I think Oxygen repeats episodes at various times (check your local listings). The season finale is this coming Tuesday, and I'm looking forward to it. I expect it will be intense.

That's what the evidence seems to be saying: Women are getting stronger. (And we all know that women are the stronger sex—right?)

For example, recently I discovered Meagan Chappell, a teenage powerlifter who is already breaking records with competition lift totals nearing 1000 lbs (in the 132-148 lb weight class!). Meagan's accomplishments are impressive, especially at this early stage; she is a very strong girl, and only getting stronger.

But Meagan isn't alone. The female athletes of today are gaining strength at an almost blistering pace, and who knows what the next generation has in store.

I'm reminded of something Dr. William Marston, the creator of Wonder Woman, said in a 1942 interview. He predicted that women would get stronger—thanks to fewer social barriers—and would continue to do so until they equaled or surpassed men in physical strength. Dr. Marston also thought this would be good for society as a whole; perhaps he was right on both counts.

One final note. There are a lot of costs involved in a sport like powerlifting and it would be difficult for Meagan to cover all of them on her own. So please donate and help Meagan out if you can—you'll find a link for that on her website. That way, Meagan can focus on her lifting and continue to get stronger, in the process moving us closer to the day when Dr. Marston's vision is ultimately realized.

My top 20, that is.

Several factors went into my selection process, but picking great athletes was foremost. Thus every woman on my list is a bona fide athlete who excels at her sport, even if she isn't a household name.

But there's more to it than just who is the fastest, strongest, etc. (though, again, those things played a big part). There wasn't a set formula either, and of course it's entirely subjective, which is part of what makes lists like this one so much fun.

So without further delay, here they are—my top 20 favorite female athletes (at least as of today):

Laila Ali - boxing
Serena Williams - tennis
Venus Williams - tennis
Candace Parker - basketball
Mary Jo Sanders - boxing
Annika Sorenstam - golf
Jessica Mendoza - softball
Diana Taurasi - basketball
Adriane Blewitt - shot put
Tasha Schwikert - gymnastics
Sara Pavin - volleyball
Nicole Vaidisova - tennis
Jennie Finch - softball
Holly McPeak - volleyball
Lauren Jackson - basketball
Cat Osterman - softball
Sara McMann - wrestling
Liz Tricase - gymnastics
Andrea Trent - bodybuilding
Janine Sandell - volleyball

So what do you think? How would your top 20 list differ?

I'm going to predict that Venus Williams will win the title this year (not much of a stretch, I know). She is focused and healthy (other than a tender wrist), which translates into virtually unbeatable. If you saw her dismantle Maria Sharapova yesterday, you know what I'm talking about.

Venus hits the ball harder than anyone in the women's game—and most of the guys—and moves extremely well for someone her size; she's just a superb athlete. I like Justine Henin too, but I'm not sure Justine can stop Venus when she is playing like this.

But first, Venus has to get by Ana Ivanovic, one of the big, strong teenagers who may eventually challenge Venus and Serena to become the dominant force in the sport (the other being Nicole Vaidisova, whom Ana just defeated in the quarter finals).

By the way, if you want to keep up with what's going on in the tournament, I highly recommend the official Wimbledon website.