Female Athletes

I believe it. Way to go girls!


(Video by Strongman Athletics)

Have a great Thanksgiving everyone!

In another story for the Mrs. Grundy files, a high-school administrator bans a coed bodybuilding contest, saying that she doesn't want the school associated with "scantily clad women."

This is, of course, foolish on many levels. But why is it that men can wear next to nothing without anyone saying a word against it, yet women get scorn to no end for wearing as much or more?

If this doesn't put to rest the canard that women can't be strong, like really strong, then nothing will. Former basketball standout Nikki Rouillard in an impressive display of strength:

Dancing with the Stars has wisely given us a good reason to watch this fall.

Who better to channel Esther Williams than Natalie Coughlin? The connection is so obvious: two fantastically gifted athletes in the same sport, and camera friendly as she is, we should expect that someday Natalie will have a movie career to match Esther's as well.

So, recently Natalie took on the role of Esther Williams with the help of award-winning make-up artist Melanie Mills. The results, needless to say, are stunning. What is more, the photo shoot was itself eventful, as seen in this cleverly edited footage:

Theater, arm wrestling, philanthropy—three things that don't often come to mind together. But in toto they do describe CLAW (Charlottesville Lady Arm Wrestlers, or more generally, Collective of Lady Arm Wrestlers), as seen in the group's About page:

About

CLAW is a loose (and we do mean loose) affiliation of superbad women arm wrestling each other to raise money for women-initiated causes. We used to hold tournaments once a month at Blue Moon Diner until we got too big. Now we’re aiming for every 2-3 months. We are committed to supporting our community in and around Charlottesville, Virginia.

We have a facebook page, where you can become a fan and get all the latest CLAW news and updates.

Our Official Mission

CLAW exists to empower all women and strengthen communities through theater, arm wrestling, and philanthropy.

I learned about CLAW from Brian Wimer, who is making a documentary about it ("the revolution currently happening in women's arm wrestling"). The project's Kickstarter video gives a sense of the fun and madness that takes place at a CLAW event:

This ably crafted tribute to female athletes was created by VashtisVoice. You might find it inspiring. I did—the music notwithstanding:

Watching the NCAA basketball tournament yesterday, I caught this segment from ESPN's Sport Science. Pretty cool! It is wonderful to see a female athlete spotlighted for her redoubtable athleticism; and thankfully, that happens much more often nowadays:

March is Women's History Month. Right in line, literally and figuratively, with this year's theme ("Our History is Our Strength") is David Chapman and Patricia Vertinsky's new book, Venus with Biceps: A Pictorial History of Muscular Women.

I can't review Venus with Biceps in this post, as I haven't gotten my hands on a copy yet (though it seems to get generally positive reviews—even the New Yorker). Its having been published alone warrants attention here—for books exploring this neglected and marginalized aspect of women's lives and history are few and far between. Put this special book in your to-read list.

I couldn't resist sharing this wonderfully done tribute to Angela Mao. A star in many 1970s martial arts films, Mao is sometimes regarded as the first world-famous female action star. It may only be the movies, but prodigious martial arts skills are on display here:

I have commented before on the apparently easy transition afforded ballerinas when they decide to take up action roles in film or television. The foremost example of this would of course be Jennifer Garner, but there are others too (e.g., Summer Glau). It might be that their specialized, extensive training gives them complete sovereignty over their physical self, and that the camera captures and somehow amplifies this. In any case, whatever the exact cause, one perceives something special when watching the ballerina-turned-action heroine perform—her movement is potent yet seamless and majestic, it has an almost mystical quality to it.

Amelia Cooke spent the better part of her youth as an aspiring ballerina: studying at the National Ballet of Canada for ten years, and touring with the company as well. What's more, in 1997, Amelia was given the "Outstanding Athlete of the Year" award in Toronto. Later she turned to modeling, then to acting. That has led, perhaps inevitably, to action roles. The following scenes from Alien Agent supply further testimony to the unique physicality of a trained ballerina:




Amelia is sometimes mentioned as a possible Wonder Woman, and she is one of the many excellent candidates listed in our poll. It seems to me that they could do much worse, and that Amelia might just be special enough for this special, all-important role.

Yesterday was the 25th annual National Girls and Women in Sports Day. To mark the occasion—better late than never!—I am sharing a nice little salute to women in sports put together by Pretty Tough:

This blog's favorite athlete, action heroine, and humanitarian made the CBS Evening News last night for her work with orphaned children. CBS's Cynthia Bowers profiles Rebecca Neuenswander Welsh and her HALO foundation:

Apparently, you do exactly what Laura Phelps Sweatt has been doing. Laura is the fourth woman to bench press 500 lb or more, and she is the lightest (181 lb) to do so. Here she is bench pressing 510 lb (yikes!):



So, you say, That's great, but what else can she do? How about a 40.5" box jump?—



See, women can build their bodies and become superlative athletes just like guys can. Only time and pure dedication are required.

The year that just ended was a busy one, too busy even to summarize in one short post. But here are a few of the many noteworthy items from 2010.

The University of Connecticut women's basketball team won 90 games straight, a new record for college basketball.

Kelly Kulick became the first female Professional Bowlers Association champion.

The IAAF, after demonstrating clearly how grotesque is the enterprise of gender testing, cleared track athlete Caster Semenya for return to competition. (Unfortunately, that still left us with some whining.)

Jordanian Farah Malhass became the first Arab woman to compete in an international bodybuilding competition.

Female athletes, not surprisingly, brought their A-game to the 2010 Winter Olympics, particularly Lindsey Vonn.

In entertainment news, Covert Affairs was, in my view, the best thing to come about in 2010; I can hardly wait for its return this summer.

I try to post little amusements throughout the year that perhaps elicit a chuckle while making a point. One from 2010 that I remember
fondly is the Knight and Day stunt rehearsal gone wrong, so good it is worth a repeat. Enjoy and have a Happy New Year!—