Spirited Woman Blogger Team

Finishing the Race - Doing The Best You Can

As the 2010 cross country season starts to wind down, all of the runners begin to speed up. It is crunch time in the world of cross country.

For those not familiar with the sport it basically means we are entering our big three meets - districts, regional, and state. Why are these meets more important than any other meet? They count! Only the top six teams in each race move on.

The first meet is districts. This is the easiest of the three because all teams get to go. After the six best teams in the district are narrowed down the district is combined with another district which becomes a regional. Usually taking place the week after districts the regional meet is fast-paced and exciting. Many teams try very hard because it could be the last race for them. After regional is over the six teams head to state. At state there are about 20 to 30 teams. Some of the teams use it as a time to reflect on a great season and are thankful to be there, while other runners are in the race for the win either individually or team.

Currently the season is in between districts and regional. My team made it into our region and we will hopefully move on to state. It is really a wonderful opportunity to get to be on varsity and have an opportunity to run against people even though they are five years older than me.

Part of being a Spirited Woman is being determined. You need to try your best everyday. In sports sometimes if you aren't determined  you not only let yourself down but the rest of the team, too. A true Spirited Woman won't only finish but know she did the best she could at the time.     

- Alice, The Spirited Kid
Click here to read more of Alice's posts                            

Fall Fun - A Giant Pumpkin Regatta?

It's always fun to see what zany ideas people come up with to celebrate the different seasons. And New Englanders (no matter how stalwart they are) always seem to have quite a few zany ideas. Take this one for instance.

The Giant Pumpkin Regatta & Festival takes place on Lake Champlain, in Burlington, Vermont. Aside from being a fun way to celebrate fall and have fun with your neighbors, the Pumpkin Regatta is a fund raiser for the PILOT Program, which helps prepare youth for life once they have graduated high school. Imagine getting in a giant pumpkin boat (some over 1200 lbs) and paddling in a floating race with other pumpkin captains? I think we all need to do more zany things just for the fun of it - no matter what the season or what's happening in the world.

Birds of a Feather

My children enjoy teasing me over my fascination with bird watching. I wouldn’t exactly refer to it as an obsession, but I will admit I do enjoy the daily interactions with our winged visitors to our back yard. It started somewhat innocently. One day while sitting on the patio I took notice of a bird building a nest in our tree out back. I became somewhat curious to the process of watching her and her mate busily go about choosing the finest straw and fallen leaves to build their new home. When the eggs were visible in the nest, I watched and waited in anticipation like a proud and expectant grandma of their hatching. Once born, I watched with awe at the level of work and tireless commitment the momma bird showed in keeping those hungry babes well fed while maintaining a constant vigilance against predators.

This led to my purchasing our first back yard bird feeder and my nightly ritual of having to refill the seed.  When I noticed the number of birds who were then using our dog’s water bowl as their own personal water supply or warm water bathing facility; I asked my husband if we could install a full size bird bath. This of course really got my  children razzing me that I was indeed showing signs of old age and asking me if I would like a gift certificate to Bird Watcher’s supply for Mother’s day that year. I took their razzing with a grain of salt as I realized that I probably behaved the same way with my mother and my grandmother who were both easily amused and distracted by the daily visits from their winged friends outside their kitchen windows as they washed the dinner dishes.

Recently I will confess to becoming a bit obsessed with two different internet video sites that are live web cams of birds and their nests. I haven’t shared this with my children as they would surely see this as the first steps necessary to searching out just the right resting home for me…one preferably with a bird watching window. Tuning in to the video casts daily to see if the eggs have hatched and literally having a “bird’s eye view” of a miracle of nature rarely seen is both fascinating and educational. I did share this with some close girlfriends who share my enthusiasm and who also wish to remain anonymous bird watchers so as not to entice the same commentary from their own offspring.

Poetry on Ice

Everything that I've ever been able to accomplish in skating and in life has come out of adversity and perseverance. -- Scott Hamilton, figure skater, 1984 Gold Medalist, Olympic Games

As many of you probably were this week, I was glued to the TV, watching the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver. The sports that I found absolutely spectacular seemed to meld extraordinary athletic ability with pure poetry: those sports were the couples' ice dancing, and the figure skaters.

Particularly in the ice dancing, I marveled at the effortless-looking, perfect synchronicity of the couples gliding across the ice in time with the music. The combination of acrobatics, ballet, the spinning, the twirling, the lifting -- you just knew that years and years of dedicated hard work went into the lyrical, glorious spectacle we in the audience enjoyed so much.

I especially liked the inspired, graceful work of U.S. skaters Meryl Davis and Charlie White, the silver medal winners in ice dancing this year. Here's a video of Davis and White's breathtaking skating to Music of the Night from Andrew Lloyd Webber's Phantom of the Opera.

Super Bowl 44

Ok spirited women – get out your pompoms, it’s time to gear up for this Sunday’s game in Miami – Saints VS. Colts!

After chatting with some friends., there seems to be a fair share of women who could care less about this weekend’s game and an equal share of ladies that do! And most of the ones I spoke to are just watching to check out the celebrity sightings.

Personally, I’m rooting for the Saints because I think that New Orleans deserves a break. After the devastation of Katrina, I think they could use a victorious moment and a title to hold. Although it’s totally ironic that Peyton Manning (Colts) is playing against a team his father once coached and his hometown team. Perhaps Peyton would be happy if either team won?

I love football – but truthfully these teams are not the two I had hoped to see in Super Bowl 44. Being a New Yorker, it would have been great to watch the Jets fight for the win. But like any other televised award show, the Super Bowl will have all the bells and whistles and the celebrity factor that TV is best known for!

First, Carrie Underwood will be kicking things off with the Star Spangled Banner and the game’s half time performance by Bon Jovi. Love it! My other favorite part is the commercials. I love to see what all the ad agencies and brands have been grinding over for the past six months. To kick it off, check out this hilarious Funny or Die video I found on Perez Hilton featuring Kim Kardashian, Jordan Sparks, Don Johnson, Peyton Manning and Tiki Barber. It’s a small preview for the kind of humor we’ll see this Sunday!

Kickoff is at 6:25pm EST – get your chips, dip and sliders ready!

- Elaine LaPersonerie - www.winkpr.com
Click here for more of Elaine's posts.

Quitting Isn't A Sport

Being part of a team is something I love. Cross country season is drawing to a close and we are running our last state meet this weekend. The things that make cross country special are the fact that our team is very supportive and caring.

In honor of a great season we went out for ice cream and tomorrow we are spray painting t-shirts.

One thing I will always remember is the people I run with because before each meet we have a pep talk that makes everyone feel better. We run hard together, too. Our girls' cross country team ranges from a sixth grader to an eleventh grader.

Even though our state meet is Saturday and I am looking forward to it, I am also sad I am saying good-bye to my team. But the good news though, is that I will see them again in January for track, which isn't so far off.

- Alice, The Spirited Kid
Click here to read more of Alice's posts

The World Series is Brain Food!

It is October once again and we are back in World Series panic! It’s bad when you’re team doesn’t make the Series or the playoffs (umm, METS) but is it worse if your team makes it and loses? I can’t decide! The disappointment is so real and no matter what, you take it personally.

Not sure how many of you are baseball or sports fans, but I’ve got to say the energy and excitement that I feel when watching baseball is intense. Of course I also get excited for General Hospital, Grey’s Anatomy, Curb Your Enthusiasm, and So You Think You Can Dance BUT baseball brings an entirely different thrill! It’s a mix of anticipation, hope, fear, passion and the fact that it’s actually a live event, taking place exactly as I’m watching, makes it even better.

I have however heard a few sad stories about men having heart attacks while watching sports. And I somehow remember growing up and thinking my uncle (who was a crazy baseball fan and still is) might literally pass out on the living room floor if he didn’t stop screaming at the TV. Interestingly, I read a story in the NY Times citing that researchers discovered cardiac emergencies more than tripled for men and nearly doubled for women on days that the German soccer team played versus other times of the year. But the risk was highest for those already suffering from some kind of heart disease.

On the flip side, I read another article that says how watching sports can actually help with cognitive processes in your brain. For example, if a radio broadcaster says, “Lebron James dribbles across mid-court. Slashes into the lane, crosses over to his right hand, and posterizes Lamar Odom!", basketball fans are able to visualize and interpret that much more quickly than someone who doesn’t watch any sports. Scientists at the University of Chicago claim that familiarity with sports lingo and the physical movements that go along with it increase activity in the left dorsal premotor cortex of our brain. Sounds good to me!

So, hoping that you  ladies are not suffering from any kind of heart disease, I strongly encourage giving this week’s World Series a try. If nothing else, you’ll exercise your brain and fill your already spirited minds with a little more knowledge about baseball. Oh, but root for the Yankees. For me.

- Elaine La Personerie - www.winkpr.com
Click here for more of Elaine's posts.

Alice's - Lovely List of Excuses

So… as you all know I’m a runner. If you didn’t, I’m a runner. Motivation is part of being a runner and part of being a Spirited Woman. To keep me going I started listing all the reason why I couldn’t run. Doing this I began to laugh at myself and run faster. Here are a few.

Alice’s lovely list of excuses:

As you can see I’m amazing at making up excuses. I got this idea from a T-shirt with all different fonts and colors. I thought it was funny. Happy running and reading.

- Alice, The Spirited Kid
Click here to read more of Alice's posts

Billie Jean King - From Champion For a Girls Childhood Soccer Team to Medal of Freedom

Choosing your path and setting the intention of what you want to accomplish is the way to tell the story - Your Story - the way you want it to be. Where you come from, the amount of money you have and what people may say to distract you from your passion are only relevant if you let them be.

On August 12, a very Spirited Woman took one more step on her path of telling and living her story the way she is choosing to create it.

Tennis great Billie Jean King's professional path began when she purchased an $8 racket with money she'd earned doing chores. At 11-years-old, she set her goal to be the number one tennis player in the world. On Wednesday, Billie Jean King, was one of 16 people awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom from President Barack Obama.

It was gratifying to watch a woman who had been a childhood champion for my girls soccer team - be given the highest civilian honor in the US. Growing up in New York City, in Greenwich village I loved to play sports. At the time the church grade school I was attending was very much stuck in the dark ages as it related to providing girls access to sports opportunities. We wanted to play soccer and have a girls team at the school. And crazy us, we wanted uniforms to play in when we were on our home field or with other teams. "No money" we were told, with the unspoken truth that girls didn't rate sports uniforms...

In my household that was just not going to fly. My mother, Eleanor Sanger Riger, a very Spirited Woman and the first woman producer in network sports, for ABC, decided there would be uniforms for our girls team and done in such a way that all the girls on the team and the school would remember. Eleanor had become friends with Billie Jean through sporting events and sports specials she was the producer on.

What better way to buy uniforms for an unsupported girls team that from winnings from the "match of the century?"  My mother placed a bet on her friend, Billie Jean King to beat Bobby Riggs and on Sept. 20, 1973 in Houston,  "Billie Jean won for all woman." ~ ESPN

Go Alice, Run, Alice

The gun shoots and starts the race. I begin at around a seven-minute-thirty-second-mile pace. The sweat begins to drip from my face. I round a corner. Twenty-four minutes later, I am finished.

This was what my last cross-country meet was like in the fall.

My first track meet this season will be Tuesday. It is going to be very different. For one thing I don't know which event I am going to run. I am hoping to run the mile but my coach may have me jump hurdles. Another thing is that I am not sure if I am running against high schoolers or other middle schoolers my age. I will be nervous.

One day I hope to make the Varsity Team, so I have to work very hard. I am excited for track season because I love to run. Here is a photo of me running. I'm the girl in green shorts, full of spirit.

- Alice, The Spirited Kid
Click here to read more of Alice's posts.