Full Year 2013 - Fitness
Karyn Ridgeway's Story: In the Zone
By: Karyn Ridgeway, Physician
I remember it clearly: I was 10, sitting in the back of our car. It was a hot day and I had my face pressed against the window. I was watching my eight-year-old brother try out for Little League and I was jumping out of my skin. It was killing me that I couldn’t try out. I could throw and catch pretty well ... and I was fast. Suddenly, my mom left the car and walked right up to one of the coaches. I watched as she talked, gesturing back at me. She ran back and opened the car door: “Okay, Karyn, you’re on!”
Lawrie Mifflin's Story: Get What You Need and Leave
By: Lawrie Mifflin, Senior Editor for New Digital Initiatives, New York Times
I grew up in Swarthmore, Pennsylvania. My first love was field hockey. So when I was accepted to Yale in 1969, I walked through the university gates with my hockey stick tucked under my arm. After signing up for college classes I wanted to try out for the team. I asked around and was surprised to hear that Yale didn’t have a women’s hockey team.
Julia Chase-Brand's Story: Don't Rock the Boat
By: Julia Chase-Brand, Female Distance Runner and Doctor
I grew up on a small farm in Connecticut in the 1940’s and 50’s. I was an only girl with four brothers. If they were clearing the pond for hockey, I’d scrape snow off the ice and jump in the game. Once I was 12, I helped bail boats out during hurricanes. I got drafted into all sorts of things. I loved being a part of everything—as long as it was outdoors.
Celebrating National Girls and Women in Sports Day
By: Dominique Dawes, Co-Chair of the President's Council on Fitness, Sports & Nutrition
Today is National Girls and Women in Sports Day! Each year, this observance provides us with a tremendous opportunity to help get more girls in the game, and make a significant investment in the future of our Nation. I am proud to serve as co-chair of the President’s Council on Fitness, Sports & Nutrition and sound the alarm about the importance of ensuring equitable physical activity opportunities for all Americans.
Sarah Egan's Story: More Than a Team
By: Sarah Egan, Teacher & Coach, Benjamin Franklin Middle School
Come to the blacktop at my middle school and hang out for a couple of hours. You’ll get a sense of what 12-to-14-yearolds like and how they act. For them this is the center of the world.
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