March is National Women’s Month. When we think of sports, most of us think of sweat-stained guys smashing into each other, spitting out whatever disgusting objects they chew nowadays, and constantly making adjustments to their Nutty Buddy™ athletic supporters. I guess when you have a lot of balls, the family jewels tend to get “twisted.” That’s why I’m happy to tell you, you don’t need balls to play sports! All around us, there are examples of females who compete in sports daily. Not only does playing sports satisfy our hunger for competition, and quench the adrenalin rush we crave, it provides us with a sense of unequaled accomplishment. If that’s not enough, studies have proven that participation in physical activity prevents cardiovascular disease, osteoporosis, and a host of other chronic illnesses. Women have excelled in professional sports despite inadequate resources, lower wages and prizes, and excessive societal stereotypes. Hell, we even have our own Hall of Fame! Check it out at: https://www.womenssportsfoundation.org/en/home/programs/awards/international-womens-sports-hall-of-fame So, in honor of National Women’s Month, I’m sharing with everyone great achievements women have made in sports–without the use of balls. Mountain Climbing When Diana Ross sang Ain’t No Mountain High Enough, I’m not sure this is what she had in mind. But we’ll take whatever we can get! The first female to set a world climbing record for women was Fanny Bullock Workman. She did it at the youthful age of 47 way back in 1906. Fanny reached the top of Pinnacle Peak in Nun Kun Massif in Kashmir–a height of 22,815 feet! That Fanny was ahead of her time! Cycling In 1984, Connie Carpenter Phinney was the first woman to win a cycling medal in the Olympics. It was the first medal won by the United States since 1912. I’m no Connie, but I love riding my pretty black Trek with the pink flowers, and letting teh wind blow through my afro. Sailing On March 28, 1976, Krystyna Choynowski-Liskiewicz became the first woman to sail around the world solo. Another woman, Ellen MacArthur set the record for the fastest round-the-world trip (94 days 4 hr 25 min 40 sec), breaking Sir Francis Chichester’s record of 274 days. Dogsledding In 1985, Libby Riddles was the first woman to win the Iditarod (the Alaskan dogsled race). For 18 days, she mushed her 13-dog team over 1,100 miles across Alaska’s ice fields, snowcapped mountains, and blinding blizzards. Oh, wait! Technically, this sport could be considered an activity involving balls–unless the dogs were bitches. Fishing I remember fishing with my dad when I was younger. Nothing got my heart pumping faster than feeling that tug on the end of my line. There are other chicks out there just like me who love to cast the rod and reel. The International Women’s Fishing Association of Palm Beach, Florida was founded in 1955 to promote angling competitions for girls and women. Hockey A woman named Constance Applebee is credited with bringing field hockey to the United States in 1901. This sport was added to the Olympics in 1980 at which time the Zimbabwe women’s team–yeah, I was shocked too–went undefeated in the tournament to win the first Olympic gold medal. Today field hockey is one of the most popular women’s college sports. If you have any other non-balling sports you’d like to add, I’d love to hear about ‘em. Oh, and I would be remiss, if I didn’t mention another sport without balls–writing (although we do enjoy reading about them in our romance novels). Check out these books I found that feature female athletes as the heroines. I’ve put them all on my “to-be-read” list. Rock on, ladies! Dance of Temptation by Janice Sims (Prima Ballerina and a sports agent) Three Days at Wrigley Field by K.P. Gresham (Female baseball player) Love on the Run by Zuri Day (Female sprinter and a sports agent) Double Fault by Sheila Claydon (Tennis romance) Love sport by Jackie James (WNBA player and a sports writer)
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