Female Athletes

Had she retired ten years ago, Merlene Ottey would have ended what was already then a remarkably long and productive career as a sprinter. But she didn't. Today, she is still running strong at 50. And judging by this recent interview, I don't expect that the "Queen of the Track" will relinquish her throne anytime soon:

When Caster Semenya races, people talk. Sometimes in support of her, but very often it's the opposite, sadly enough. Lately, this latter sort (or something very close to it) has been coming from her sister athletes, that is, her competitors, many of whom think it unfair that they should have to race against her.

But let's forget, for a moment, Semenya. Rather, let's focus on the ignorant, gender-abasing obsession with a "male biology" that supposedly confers unfair, insuperable athletic advantage, here in particular the hormone testosterone:

"We have levels that we are not allowed to test over, so even if she’s a female, she’s on the very fringe of the normal female athlete biological composition from what I understand in terms of hormone testing," Cummins [Diane Cummins, who finished eighth in Berlin] said. "So from that perspective I think most of us sort of just feel like literally we are running against a man because what we know to be female is a certain testosterone level. And if that isn't the case, they need to change everything."

The first and most obvious problem with such thinking: There is no certain (precisely defined) testosterone level for females! Testosterone, the so-called male hormone which nearly all women have in their bodies, can be found in widely varying amounts among women, with some women having levels well into the range generally considered "male".

What is more, even a baseline testosterone level for individuals is hard to come by. Monitor someone's testosterone and you'll find that it changes constantly, responding to all manner of environmental factors, some seemingly random, others quite predictable. Strength training, for instance, increases testosterone naturally, only women have to work just a little harder and longer to get the benefit. Sex (# 8), too, raises testosterone levels. (Should female track athletes with already "high" levels abstain from sex before meets?)

Research the subjects of steroid-, hormone-, and gender-testing for a time and you see how silly and hurtful the effort to make sport perfectly "fair" has become. Anything beyond the most basic of tests is in fact pointless and counterproductive. The witch-hunt has to end sometime.

Another gymnastics standout making the transition to acting and stunt work. Only Ariana Berlin has a story that could fairly be judged miraculous, and a demo reel more rhythmic than any previously featured here:

You probably wouldn't as a rule expect to find photographic portraits of female bodybuilders featured in a dignified art exhibition, much less their carrying the name of a celebrated artist whose work is part of the Permanent Collection of the Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery. But that is exactly what you will find at Hasted Hunt Kraeutler, which is hosting Martin Schoeller's "Female Bodybuilders" through August 27. (Location: 537 West 24th St, Ground Floor; Chelsea, New York City 10011.)

Judging by not only his work but also his words, Schoeller's appreciation of female bodybuilders is paired with a keen awareness of what they can teach the rest of us.

Drags on a little, but worth sticking around to see who wins:

Seven-time Olympic medalist Amanda Beard returns to competitive swimming this week, and along with that naturally comes a return to celebrity life, in not entirely predictable ways, as it turns out.

For instance, the New York Times recently ran a profile of Beard, one especially noteworthy because in it she reveals a past struggle with self-injury (i.e., deliberately cutting herself). It's good Beard draws attention to what is a serious, often shrouded problem, though likely better without so much attendant pop psychology—self-injury is rather more complicated and physiological than that.

And something else caught my attention, this time more by accident. Looking as I often do at the news ticker to the left, I saw a headline titled "The 20 Skankiest Women in Sports." More fine Internet "journalism," no doubt, but intriguing enough that I took the bait. I found nothing that was terribly surprising—mostly women who date or have dated one or more male athletes—that is, until I got to the list's headliner: Amanda Beard. And why is Beard there? Because she posed in Playboy, awful crime that it is, and for the "wrong" reason.

More evidence that female athletes, like most women really, seldom get a break. Always there is someone—be it prude or misogynist—waiting to pass harsh judgment.

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:

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.

Editor's note: Even sans the note it should be obvious that today's is a guest post. Thanks to Samantha Wheeler, our topic is one seldom covered on this blog: sports fashion. Enjoy!—Rob

For most of its brief history, women's golf clothing has been notoriously uncomfortable, not user-friendly and detrimental to the performance of women. Unlike men's golf clothes which provided some performance enhancements, ladies of the game have suffered the pain of restrictive and non-expressive golf garments.

With the massive construction of golf clubs, came the emergence of stringent clothing restrictions. Victorian ladies were required to play in high-necked, long-sleeved blouses, bowler hats, full-length skirts, and button shoes. As you can imagine, none of these clothes provided any physical benefits to the female player. It would be like playing golf in a straight jacket.

The breathable and light-weight materials seen on the links today were over a century away from being developed. Hours of playing golf in the heat with a cotton shirt and wool blazer pushed women away from the sport. Golf is a difficult sport as it is, the last thing players need are clothes that hinder their performance even more.



Women players had to live with the clothing handicap for over sixty years before a glimpse of hope emerged in the sixties. The shorter and looser skirt was taken from tennis and put on the golf courses. Women were now provided the mobility and comfort they needed to focus on their game. This is what powered the comeback of women in golf.



Not everything was perfect for the women golfer. Clothing may have increased the overall performance of women on the links but many of the styles remained masculine. Only serious female golfers looked beyond the fashionable drawbacks of golf to prove themselves with their success and not their looks. However, this mentality was not enough to put the 13 player LPGA founded in 1950 on the map.



Only in the 90s did Nike and adidas bring top quality clothing to the female golf market to provide women a benefit from wearing their clothing. With technologies such as ClimaLite and Dri-FIT, women were free to focus entirely on their game and not their clothing. Nike and adidas' successes could be attributed to pairing their clothing with talented women who would prove themselves on the course with their ability rather than their beauty. Today, the LPGA's powerhouse athletes like Michelle Wie and Amanda Blumenhest can in part be credited to this overdue disregard for standards of feminine beauty that are incongruous with an athletic lifestyle.

Samantha Wheeler
Freelance Writer, Lija Style
www.lijastyle.com

Stuntwomen make frequent appearances here, with good reason for they embody what this blog is about.

And in that spirit we continue. Today our star is Jessie Graff—another female athlete (former pole-vault champion) making a home for her athletic skills in Hollywood:

Title IX, which prohibits sex discrimination in all federally-funded education programs, and athletics programs signally, was enacted 28 38 years ago today. Never without its naysayers, Title IX has despite them been an unmitigated success. Though not the final answer to gender equality in sports—something that can't be won by mere edict—Title IX opened a path to opportunities previously denied to athletic girls.

Nothing serves better to get across the transcendent difference opportunity makes than a real-life success story. And to that end, today I offer one furnished by the California Women's Law Center: