Athletic Women Blog

This isn't the first time that Kaatie Akstinat has appeared on this blog, and I expect it won't be the last. Akstinat weaves a spell when she performs, leaving the viewer (supposing he or she isn't abiotic) dreamy-souled. Bask anew in her artistry and athleticism:

In what can fairly be described as one of the more exciting finishes in recent MMA history, Strikeforce 135-pound champion Sarah Kaufman knocked out Roxanne Modafferi with a "power bomb" Friday night—that is to say, she lifted Modafferi high off the canvas and slammed her back down with such force that Modafferi was effectively knocked unconscious.

The happy champion explains post-fight how she got the TKO:




There is, moreover, an object lesson here. The following clip has Kaufman's coach telling us that he's never seen a fighter with better strength and conditioning, and Kaufman's performance Friday certainly gave no reason to doubt him, for it showed once more that, all else being equal, strength is often the difference in athletic competition:

A review of Salt calls attention to it, and Hollywood Life made the very same observation at the Salt premiere in L.A. earlier this week (just ignore the recommended "toning" exercises—weak!). Moreover, both are right. We don't generally see spindly action heroes, with good reason. And those rules do not change, nor should they, for action heroines.

I guess we'll know tomorrow after Angelina Jolie's Salt opens in theaters. But then, you've probably heard about Salt already, for the film and its star have not been without plenty of press lately—some of it better called hype. Not to begrudge Jolie her rightful due, but a company of women—Weaver, Hamilton, Goldstein, Yeoh, et al.—paved the way for today's female action stars, and Jolie is as much a beneficiary of that progress as a contributor to it.

That said, Jolie's performance in Salt has a lot riding on it. The chances that we'll see more female action films will be greatly improved if Salt does well at the box office; let's wish her luck!—

The other day, I brought Covert Affairs to your notice (only shortly after having learned of it myself). Today's post serves as a brief follow-up and a reminder that Covert Affairs continues tonight.

My first impressions of Covert Affairs, now having watched the premiere myself, are good overall. I like this new heroine Annie Walker. She is sharp, gutsy, strong, athletic—everything you expect from an action heroine. And Piper Perabo, the actress who plays her, does it all proficiently. One sees that Perabo has given herself fully to preparation for the role; that is to say, she is putting in the hard work required to be an authentic action star.

Not that I couldn't find something to nitpick. That being I don't care for the romantic backstory. It's tolerable thus far but hackneyed. I fear it will but hope it doesn't come to overwhelm all the good and original stuff.

Still, the good does outweigh the bad, by no little quantity either, and Covert Affairs shows promise to be the best female action piece to air on television in a long while.

So God created human beings in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.¹

I'm guessing that some of you, maybe even most of you, don't know that Adam had a wife before Eve. Her name is Lilith. Unlike Eve, though, Lilith was created the same time Adam was, and in the same fashion.

Except there was a problem; matchmaking can be a dicey business, even for a god. Lilith refused to give up equal status, refused to subdue herself to Adam. She said to Adam, "I will not lie below," and he said, "I will not lie beneath you, but only on top. For you are fit only to be in the bottom position, while I am to be the superior one." Lilith responded, "We are equal to each other inasmuch as we were both created from the earth."

They couldn't reach agreement in this, and so Lilith went away to live alone. But as has happened to many a strong woman since then, Lilith was demonized in the press, so to speak, except quite literally in her case. Myth and folklore since that time, often refracted through patriarchal eyes, has made her into an arch-demon responsible for infant deaths. But isn't she in fact the first heroine?

Lilith's story continues to be a cultural presence down to present-day. Now it is re-imagined in a new web series called Soul Fire Rising. My interest in Soul Fire Rising stirred when I learned that Jodi Lyn O'Keefe, often mentioned to play Wonder Woman (practically a no-brainer if you ask me), would be starring. I had been keeping an eye on the series since, but no O'Keefe and it seemed rather aimless at times. But that all changed recently with Episode 5. The star takes the stage, and it now looks as though things will be picking up—if not outright rocking.

¹ From the TNIV Bible; anyone wanting to scrutinize translations should visit here and here.

If like me you missed its premiere Tuesday night, you might want to set your DVR to record Covert Affairs on USA Network (episodes should re-air throughout the week, and you can also watch online).

The new action series, which stars Piper Perabo, evidently got off to a strong start, and is getting at least some positive press. To be honest, when I first saw the trailer, I immediately thought of Alias—apparently, I wasn't alone.

Television has been drab lately, terribly so, in fact. We can only hope that Covert Affairs will liven things up; and its trailer does supply a glimmer of hope:



And if Covert Affairs steals a little from Alias, throws in a dash of Sydney Bristow here and there, well, my heart won't be broken:

Professional athletes will be in the Gulf Coast today as part of a press junket sponsored by the Sierra Club. There, they will survey the Oil Disaster and share their thoughts about the mess. The need for "clean" energy—is there such a thing? or is it "clean" only when not in your backyard?—is another subject that will be discussed.

Several female athletes will be in attendance, among them: Leilani Munter, Krista Bradford Ference, Stacey Cook, Loree Smith, and Chanda Rubin.

The gesture is a thoughtful one on their part, and will perhaps do some good. But to wipe the mess away will require a long-term commitment, one lasting many years. Harder still, the problem of how to supply energy to a world population close to 7 billion, and growing, many of them already living in abject poverty, without contaminating the planet or over depleting its resources. I don't have the answer, and doubt anyone does right now, but I do know that it will take more than a press junket, a concert, a slogan to produce one.

It does seem to me, though, that more could have been done here—and sooner. BP is of course responsible for the spill in the first place, and partly at least for the ineffectual response. But the government—the politicians—too, especially early on when action was most critical.

The early weeks of the disaster must have been a time of amnesia on my part, I guess, for I couldn't understand the devil-may-care attitude in Washington. Nor their incompetence once the politicians finally did take notice. But then I saw a video that jarred my memory, that got me to thinking straight again, and I understood once more that it was all par for the course:

I've always admired Jenny Thompson. It could probably go without saying that she is one of the greatest female athletes ever. But Thompson—a bright, independent-thinking woman—also helped cultivate a new archetype for the 21st-century athletic woman; for example, when she challenged male chauvinists and priggish faux feminists alike with a seminude Sports Illustrated photo. Her response to her critics merits repeating: "I think that women have made great strides in the world of athletics and showing bodies -- the essential element in athletics -- is part of that. It's not about sex, it's about strength. Both physical and mental."

And though her Olympic days are behind her, she is still that same strong, resolute woman today—something two thugs learned by experience last week:

After much bumbling, the IAAF has cleared Caster Semenya to compete again. I'm happy for Semenya, and slightly hopeful that the lesson has been learned so that no one else has to go through such tribulation.

I never thought I'd be saying this, but apparently it is fashion week at the Athletic Women Blog (not by choice or plan, mind you). Today's post is the result of DC Comics' announcement this week that it is giving Wonder Woman a makeover (see right). Reaction to this news, much of it negative, isn't hard to find, naturally. But the timing and the nature of the makeover have also led some to speculate about what might be planned for the forthcoming movie.

I have mixed feelings about the new look myself. The desire to update her look, to do away with the bustier and star-spangled panties, I completely understand. But to my mind this overreaches. The "urban" look for starters. Is there no room left for the simply mythic?

And the jacket. Well, that just has to go. In an effort, I can only guess, to de-sexualize Wonder Woman, they now have her covered too much. Muscle represents power, not masculine power but power alone, and Wonder Woman should be allowed to flex hers once in a while too.



Enough of my opining, though. What do you think of the new look? Leave a comment or a vote.