Wednesday's Woman: The Athletes of the XXX Olympiad

Tower Bridge, Games of the XXX Olympiad, London

With the 2012 Olympics officially ending in just a few days, I am preparing for my post-games grief—that feeling of missing seeing great sports on television.  This grief is typically experienced at the end of the NFL season, so I am used to it.  Luckily, there are still many events in the Games of the XXX Olympiad to watch, and many events involve female athletes.

This is the first Olympics in history that every country has sent a female representative.  That’s awesome. 

Today, for Wednesday’s Woman, I am taking a pause from my viewing of Olympic coverage to celebrate the female Olympic athlete.

First, I give you the bad news.  According to two new studies on past Olympics, televised coverage of male athletes surpasses the coverage of female athletes (click here for the numbers).  The numbers are not yet in for this year’s Olympic coverage, of course, and I’ll be interested in the results. 

Also, the media is still calling females “fat” when they aren’t.  These are athletes.  They are in top condition.  Get a grip.  Some standards are ridiculous. 

Now, the good news. 

Yes, all countries have female representatives for the first time ever.   Another first is that the U.S. team consists of more women than men-- 269 female athletes to 261 males.  Wow.

It’s not a gender-numbers competition and the U.S. team is certainly pretty close to even.

However, for women in some countries (remember recent Wednesday's Woman, Maziah Mahusin?), getting to the Olympics is a feat accomplished beyond athletics:    TheMuslim women who overcame the odds and the prejudice to make history today onthe Olympic stage

Some of my favorite moments have been during the track and field events.  I love hearing the broadcasters tell the life-stories of the athletes as they prepare to place their feet onto the starting blocks.  After the events, seeing their bright faces and hearing their outpouring of gratitude rouses my ever-growing appreciation for those who have overcome adversity.

Some of my favorite stories:

Alysia Montano winning heat 1 of the 800m on her grandmother’s 100^th birthday.

Lolo Jones finished 4^th in a comeback, after hurdle mishaps which caused her to lose in the 2008 Olympics.  To me, she was already a winner after overcoming a childhood of homelessness and poverty.  And no, I do not care about the controversy over her sexuality (although I do wish we'd focus less on it).  She's a winner.  End of discussion.

Another to overcome a troublesome childhood was Kellie Wells, a survivor of child sexual rape, who won the bronze in the 100m hurdle.  I do hope she overcomes her bitterness for Lolo Jones' media attention.  I've always loved the quote, "You don't have to blow out another's candle to make yours shine bright."  And Kellie is no less than a winner, too.  I hope she continues to tell her story and is eventually a power advocate for healing.

There are many, many more stories about the inspiring female athletes of the XXX Olympics.  What are some of your favorites?

For of their courage,

 all of the female athletes at the

 2012 Olympics 

are today’s Wednesday’s Woman.

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photo credit: Viktor Hertz via photo pin cc

Why Blog?

The Great Blogging Anniversary is happening right now.  In fact, it’s been happening all week.  Five bloggers have joined forces to make the celebration grand and it includes a link up.  I am terribly grateful to finally overcome distractions and join the event.  I encourage you to do the same. 

Don’t let the fact that the clock is ticking near to the end of the festivities keep you from answering one of their seven prompts.  I guarantee you’ll find them to be of value, helping you gain insight to what you are doing in the blogosphere (you can find my insight below).  After you post, you can expand your views by reading other participant’s submissions.  And the bonus is, you’ll get read, too.  Double bonus:  I think I read something about prizes!

What I thought I'd Be Writing About When I Started Sperk*

When I started Sperk* I was familiar with expressing myself through writing.  I maintained a journal since I was an adolescent.  It kept me from writing on the walls and furniture with my mom’s lipstick.  

Two years ago I returned to school to finish my degree and my personal writing fell by the wayside.  Although I missed my time for my journal, I became more skilled as a writer, adjusting my style to suit the needs of academics.  My writing became less stream of conscious and more purposeful.

Last October, I saw the end of daily academic writing drawing near with my final course to be completed in November.  I knew I would miss it.  As autumn was in the fore, I became concerned about falling into my typical mode of seasonal depression.  So, I started Sperk*.

I thought Sperk* may be a creative space—a place to explore the imaginary in order to connect with the fuzzy stuff in my brain.  On the other hand, I thought I may use it as a space for commentary on current issues in education.  And of course I thought, “Maybe parenting?”

After a few weeks, I realized I was mostly writing about trends in educational technology and parenting.  So I decided I had a niche: A parent’s view of adolescent development and education.  But it didn’t last long.

When reading the blogs of others, creating my blogging community, I was profoundly moved by some of the stories I read--stories that were not easily left on their pages.  They were with me the day I discovered a writing prompt dealing with the telling of family stories.  The provocation began to preoccupy me.  There was a nagging bug in my brain.  I felt that if I did not exorcise my thoughts, I may not be able to continue Sperk*.  And I was shocked that this blogging business had become so important to me so swiftly.

I responded to the prompt but sat many minutes staring at my computer screen before clicking “publish”.  I had M read it.  He said, “Are you sure you want to post it?  Is it safe?”

I said, “I am not sure. But I have to.”

Moving into the world of risky self-disclosure helped me to understand why I blog.  It is like medicine to me.  And the pills are distributed not only through my act of catharsis, but also through the comments left by members of my blogging community.  I find words of encouragement, empathy, and brave admissions of sharing similar experiences.  I make meaningful connections.

“Exposure to children is exposure to one’s own unresolved past” 

~Michael Thompson

Sperk* is now a fearless examination of life with two adolescent daughters.  As I parent my girls, it is important for me to address my own issues so that I am authentic and effective.  It’s not always easy.  I still battle with fear and self-doubt every time I click “publish”.  But it’s worth it.  It brings empowerment.  

I am finding my voice by sharing my personal stories, accounts of parenting experiences, and Wednesday’s Woman--my series that spotlights female role models.  It is possible one may stumble upon Sperk* and assume it to be a feminist space.   And maybe it is.  After all, blogging is number 26 on the Feminist Activities Guide: 100 Activities You can Do Now.  But, I avoid using the label because the stereotypical image clouds the message.

My content is not affected by my concern of how a reader may label or categorize my blog.  I understand that my need for voice and connections within an authentic community trump popularity.  But I won’t balk at popularity if it comes.  Why wouldn’t I want to be Seth Godin?  Especially if I adhere to his philosophy:

“I'm not writing to maximize my SEO or conversion or even my readership.  I'm writing to do justice to the things I notice, to the ideas in my head and to the people who choose to read my work."

~Seth Godin 

Happy Blogging Anniversary!

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photo credit: Foxtongue via photopin cc

Who Are Your 5 Favorite Females?

The International Women's Day celebration continues today at The Good Life's famous blogging meme, Monday Listicles.  The female-themed topic was open to interpretation, so I began by listing women who have impacted my life.  I struggled to categorize them into a single classification and then it occurred to me: all of these women are creative.  

Who Inspires You?  Complete my list!


Because I also receive creative inspiration from my readers and the women in my blogging community, I edited my list down to five, and am asking you to finish the list by submitting five women who inspire your creativity in the comments.  This is a great way to discover more female inspiration that we may have been missing.

10 Women Who Inspire
 Courage and Creativity

Martha Graham – dancer, choreographer, artistic director

"Great dancers are not great because of their technique, they are great because of their passion."

Founder of the Martha Graham Dance Company, “Graham and her Company have expanded contemporary dance’s vocabulary of movement and forever altered the scope of the art form by rooting works in contemporary social, political, psychological, and sexual contexts, deepening their impact and resonance.”  As a former dancer, Graham is one of my heroes.  I had the opportunity to see her in the early 1990’s when company members escorted her onto stage during the curtain call of a performance for the opening celebration of the Wexner Center for the Arts.  Her creative work and her powerful words are a mainstay source for my own courage and inspiration.

Jen Thorpe - feminist, scholar, advocate, activist  

“I’m committed to making women’s lives better. Whether that is through research, or writing or shouting from the rooftops.”

You can find Jen Thorpe’s thought provoking commentary at her blog: Mail and Guardian, her website giving voice to women’s issues in South Africa: FeministSA, and the writing project allowing over 80 women to express how their “first time” has impacted their life: My First Time.  My favorite space of hers is My First Time. Visit it, read it, and consider contributing to it.

Erin McKeown

Erin McKeown – musician, writer, producer

"If I made music all the time, if I chose it over advocacy, I wouldn't feel complete."

I became aware of Erin McKeown a few years ago when she opened for Ani DiFranco in my hometown of Columbus. McKeown's exuberant performance stuck with me and I am a faithful follower due to not only her musical talent, but also her work in musician’s rights, advocating for legislative change to benefit the work of independent artists.  She was selected be a 2011-2012 fellow at Harvard University's Berkman Center for Internet & Society where she works to ". . . connect the worlds of policy, art, and technology while considering questions about how to make a creative life a viable vocation.”

Fiona Apple – singer-songwriter, pianist.

“I don't want to give any advice to a 19-year-old, because I want a 19-year-old to make mistakes and learn from them. Make mistakes, make mistakes, make mistakes. Just make sure they're your mistakes.”

Fiona Apple only goes into the studio to create an album when she feels inspired.  Her song lyrics have sustained me through many menacing moments and I admire her bravery as survivor of child sexual abuse.  I am  eagerly anticipating her next album, The Idler Wheel is wiser than the Driver of the Screw, and Whipping Cords will serve you more than Ropes will ever do (The Idler Wheel), due to be released in June.

Eve Ensler - playwright, performer and activist

“It seems to me that we spend an inordinate amount of time and attention on fixing ourselves when we could really be directing that out to serving others.”

Best known as the author of the The Vagina Monologues, Eve Ensler is the power behind V-Day, a movement advocating the end of violence towards women and girls.  I have not seen the Vagina Monologues and although I keep up with news surrounding V-Day, I am not an active participant. Ensler made this list because of how deeply moved I was by her 2010 TED Talk:  

Remember: Help me complete the list of Women who Inspire Courage and Creativity.  In the comments, add five who inspire you!
Thanks!

For more inspiring writing, check out the blogs at Monday Listicles

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