gogirls!

Guide to

life

The Official Scoop

on the Womens Sports Foundation
The Womens Sports Foundationthe leading authority on the participation of women and girls in sportsadvocates for equality, educates the public, conducts research and offers grants to promote sports and physical activity for girls and women. Thanks to... These materials were written by Doreen Greenberg, Ph.D., Sarah Murray and Journey Gunderson and edited by Deana Monahan. Illustrations were created by Graham Smith at www.artmasters.tv. Additional thanks are extended to the National Athletic Trainers Association (NATA), Kimberly Fowler (YAS Yoga and Spinning) and Guthrie Morgan for their expert instructional activity contributions, as well as to reviewers Kathy Chuckas, Dr. Diane Dahm, Tina Sloan Green, Nancy Gruver, Ellen M. Landis, Kendra March, Jeannine Maynard, Carly Moran, Angela Ruggiero, Cathy Sassin, Joanne Smith, Dr. Nadya Swedan and the girls of Girls in the Game and the Black Women in Sport Foundation. The Foundation also gives special thanks to all the champion athletes who shared their stories. These materials would not be possible without the generous support of the Foundations national sponsor, Gatorade. The GoGirls! Guide to Life is a publication of the Womens Sports Foundations GoGirlGo! Educational Project. The project is made possible by the support of our donors. The Womens Sports Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. Donations to the Foundation are tax-deductible to the full extent of the law. Please give generously to support our mission and objectives. 2009, Womens Sports Foundation. All Rights Reserved. Any material taken from this publication and published or transmitted in any form, electronic or mechanical, must be properly attributed to the Womens Sports Foundation. Womens Sports Foundation, the Womens Sports Foundation logo and GoGirlGo! are registered trademarks of the Womens Sports Foundation. Womens Sports Foundation Eisenhower Park 1899 Hempstead Turnpike, Suite 400 East Meadow, NY 11554 info@WomensSportsFoundation.org www.WomensSportsFoundation.org

Hang With the GoGirls

Alex
Most Likely To: Grab the rebound You can find me: Hoopin it up (and I wanna play football, but my mom wont let me) My Heroines: Candace Parker, Katie Smith and Babe Didrikson Zaharias (she was old skool) Famous For: Being tall and quiet Favorite Food: Roast beef sandwiches with cream cheese I Dig: Instant messaging with my friends I Dis: Cliques at my school In My MP3 Player: Coldplay

Rosa
Most Likely To: Go pro one day You can find me: Playing tennis, lots of tennis My Heroines: Billie Jean King, Serena Williams and Karin Korb Famous For: Beating everyone at my school in tennis (boys too) Favorite Food: Sushi I Dig: Working on my serve, Facebook I Dis: People treating me differently because I have a disability In My MP3 Player: Rihanna

Tee
Most Likely To: Take care of everyone You can find me: Practicing yoga, walking, inline skating My Heroines: My mom and Maya Angelou Famous For: Being a vegetarian Favorite Food: Berriesblue, straw, razz you name it I Dig: Reading books, being outside I Dis: Closed-minded people, being online TOO much In My MP3 Player: Leona Lewis, Sara Bareilles

Uni
Most Likely To: Break curfew You can find me: Skateboarding or playing soccer, lacrosse or anything with a ball My Heroines: Lyn-Z Adams Hawkins, Ashley Fiolek Famous For: Being rowdy Favorite Food: Burritos and Gummi Bears I Dig: Catching big air, playing jokes on my friends, hanging out I Dis: Detention, girly stuff In My MP3 Player: Pink, Paramore 1

Elissa Steamer * Holding on at Home ............................3 Sanya Richards * Emotion Commotion ........................7 Diana Taurasi * Beating Bullies ....................................... 11 Tasty Treats ........................................................................... 16 Nia Abdallah * Fueling Up ................................................ 17 Seilala Sua * The Skinny Struggle ................................. 21 Dear Diva ............................................................................... 26 Julie Foudy * Kicking Butts ............................................ 27
Want more? Weve got a bunch more topics and stories from female athletes at www.GoGirlWorld.org/GTL.

Jeanette Lee * Accept n Respect .............................. 31 GoGirlWorld.org .................................................................. 36 Aimee Mullins * Alcohol and Drugs ............................. 37

elissa steamer

elissa steamer
World champion, five-time X Games medalist, two-time World Cup of Skateboarding champion
I skateboard. Thats all Ive ever done, and thats what I love to do. As soon as I touched a skateboard, I knew thats what I wanted to do with my life. My sport has given me direction in my life, thankfully. I see people go through their lives and not know what they want to do. Life is really tough like that for everyone, and sometimes that makes it hard for the people around them, too. My parents got divorced when I was 7 years old. I lived with my mom, and my dad wasnt around as much as he should have been. I had a lot of negative energy after my parents divorced and lots of time that I could spend feeling upset. But I just focused on making myself better, and that 4 took up a lot of my time and negative energy that I had and turned it into something positive. Skateboarding is like golf in the way that youre really only playing yourself, you know? Its something that you do, and you strive to get better at, but its just for yourself, and not anybody else. I think our problems as a family, and then the divorce, drove me to become the best I could at whatever I tried. Maybe I wanted to be good at stuff to get attention from my parents, or maybe I just wanted to make myself better. Who knows? When your family is split up or has any problems, its really hard. But youve got to realize that theyre the ones having problems; it has nothing to do with you. There are negative ways to deal with that, like doing drugs, drinking alcohol or smoking cigarettes even, and Ive tried everything. You dont want to be like that. Its a no-brainer that if youre on drugs, you cant do what you want to do. You just have to decide what you like to do in life and go the positive route with your time and energy.

Watch Elissa Steamer tell you herself at www.GoGirlWorld.org/GTL.

What is a perfect family? Sister, puhleeze! In real life, there is no such thing. Families are made up of humans, and humans arent perfect. Neither is the world we live in. No matter how much you look up to your parents or anyone else, they will all make mistakes at times. And no matter how much you protect the people you love, the world can get in the way. The bummer of it all is that family issues affect your life in big ways. Thats when your life can get tricky. What do you do when your parents get divorced? How are you supposed to feel when your dad goes to jail, when your mom is addicted to drugs, when your parents dont have enough money to pay the bills? No one teaches kids what to do when family life gets hard.

the loneliest person on Earth, but know that someone somewhere is feeling the same way.

Talking Makes It Easier

Find someone you can talk to about the hard stuff you are going through. Embarrassed to talk to your friends? Think they wont understand? How about your coach? A teacher you like? Or how about talking directly to your parents? Let them know how their decisions are affecting your life. Whatever you do, get it off your chest.

You Choose Your Path

Lifes struggles tend to do two things: make you or break you. When stuff goes sour at home, some kids react by messing upgetting into alcohol or drugs, skipping school, dropping out of sports, closing themselves off to the world. They let whatever their families are going through define them and destroy them. It doesnt have to be that way. Plenty of other kids use the tough stuff in life as a way to become stronger. Have to move to a new town? Use it as 5

Know This: Youre Not Alone

Every kid in the United States will struggle with something at home at some point. Millions of kids folks get divorced every year, and millions more are dealing with addiction, abuse, money troubles and other emotional stuff this very instant. You may feel like

Uni

a chance to make new friends. Is someone you know sad all the time? Use it as a way to learn how to reach out for help. Hate seeing someone in your life drunk all the time? Learn that that is not the way you want to live. Families can be our biggest support and our biggest struggle. We cant choose our families, but we can choose what we learn from them. Teach yourself to sponge all the love and good qualities from your family. When your folks mess up, learn from their mistakes. If your family loses a loved one, stick together and lean on each others love. Keep talking and sharing. Be tough, but not too tough. And know in the end that only you have the power to decide how lifes bumps will affect your life.

Quick points:
Be a role model for your family: O Exercise regularlymaybe set up a buddy routine with mom or dad O Eat right O Get enough sleep O Talk about ideas and feelings O Dont ignore uncomfy situations O Get help when you need it
Remember: A great athlete doesnt win every game. She learns from every game, whether she wins or loses. When life is tough, athletes focus on the positive and gain strength from working through heavy hearts and difficult circumstances. Choose to come out on top. Families struggle with all kinds of issues. Vonetta Flowers, Olympic gold medalist in bobsled, talks about times when alcohol and family mixed. Get her story at www.GoGirlWorld.org/GTL.

Resources
www.bonusfamilies.com www.childrenanddivorce.com www.kidsinthemiddle.org/kidspage.htm

Sanya Richards

Sanya Richards
Three-time Olympic medalist, three-time world championships medalist, five-time U.S. national outdoor champion (University of Texas, information systems management degree, 2006); www.sanyarichards.net
We were best friends and teammates. She was someone I was very close with, and the summer after junior year I told her all about how I liked this guy. Id tell her about everything. When we came back to school, I found out they were dating. It was devastating. I felt like we were really good friends, you know? Id stay over at her house, and shed come over to my house all the time. It was a really hard time for me, because it was like when it happened, she took a group of my friends. There had been like five of us girl friends, and all of a sudden in school there were girls who 8 didnt talk to me or guys who didnt like me anymore. People were spreading rumors about me. I remember Id cry all the time, and my younger sister was like, Its okay. Its not the end of the world. Id talk to her a lot. She tried to keep me positive, and she was someone who had my best interests at heart. I even talked to my parents a lot. To deal with things, I just worked hard on the track and became even more focused on my school work and that stuff. When I was feeling the saddest, I found myself really enjoying the things I was good at. I was coming off an injury and a so-so track season my junior year, but that senior season I decided I wasnt going to worry about boys or trying to be everyones friend, but instead focus on me. I would do all the ab workouts, I was eating right, and I started beating everybody by a mile! As soon as I did that, I saw the benefits, and it was very rewarding. I was just so motivated to focus on myself and being the best I could be. I had an amazing season, I broke all these records, and I got the best grades in school Id ever had. I ended up getting a scholarship to a great university and even hoped I might one day go to the Olympic Games. It just made me so happy. Even now, dealing with my feelings is definitely still a challenge because, hey, emotions are tough to deal with. During tough times, I try to be around my parents and friends. You have to find the people who are good for your heart. Whenever I feel down, I go for a run because it really clears my mind and encourages me. I learned it helps to focus on what youre good at or what you like to do and put your heart into it. The more you see something about yourself grow, the more rewarding it is, and it makes you happy inside.

Feelings happen. Sadness, anger, stress, worry, nervousness and all other emotions are as much of a part of being human as hiccups and hair on your legs. You score at the wrong basket in your gameyou get embarrassed. Your parents are fighting all the timeyou get worried. You can never understand what your math teacher is talking about you get frustrated. Babies, kids, parents and grannies all have feelings; they are part of what makes life exciting. The emotion commotion can hit girls hard at this time in life. Changing bodies, changing friends, changing schools and just growing up can make life confusing and hard. Its totally normal. But being a kid is supposed to be fun. What happens

You might get butterflies in your stomach normal! Your heart might pound normal! You might sweat a little, turn red, want to run away and crytotally normal! But if you are afraid and worried or sad and depressed for no reason most of the time, most daysthats not normal. If feeling sad or feeling nervous becomes too strong and overpowers your whole world, then something is wrong. Dont ignore these feelings. Talk with someone you trusta parent, coach or guidance counselorabout whats bothering you. Sometimes just talking to someone. Sometimes you need to learn how to handle yourself in tough situations. Find a way to express yourself. Write in a journal, sing at the top of your lungs, dance til you drop.

Rosa

when youre sad, stressed or worried all the time? Whats a girl supposed to do with a rainy day that just wont wash away?

When people cut you down, youve just got to keep your head up and focus on YOU. ~ Rosa
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For lots of athletes, sports are an escape from big-time emotions. When life gets wacky, sweating, running and throwing your body around the court, track, field or whatever feels good. No matter how you choose to deal, you deserve to be happy. Figure out what works for you and do whatever it takes to keep your cool through lifes heat.

Stuff that Feels Good!

O Running, jumping, cartwheels and somersaults O Funny friends O Sleeping when youre tired O Scoring goals, improving in your sport O Making music for the worldwith drums, spoons, your voice, you name it O Taking a big, deep breath O Talking to folks you trust
Guess what? Soccer legend Mia Hamm had a hard time in high school too. Find her story at www.GoGirlWorld.org/GTL.

Resources
http://kidshealth.org/kid/feeling www.pamf.org/teen/life www.teengrowth.com www.youngwomenshealth.org 10

Diana Taurasi

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Want my advice? If youre being a bully, quit it. Be strong without stepping on other

Diana Taurasi
Two-time Olympic gold medalist, six-time U.S. national team member, WNBA Champion, WNBA Rookie of the Year, fourtime WNBA All-Star (University of Connecticut, communication science degree, 2004); www.dianataurasi.com
Pretty much everyone has been on both sides of the bully thing. Even me. On the court, Ive always been on top of my game. But when it came to elementary school, I wasnt always so confident. One year, there was this kid who tortured me. He was a cool guy and thought he was just the jam. For two weeks straight, he stole my money every single day. And I gave it to him. I started to get all scared and wouldnt walk down certain halls, trying to avoid him. I wasnt myself, always looking over my shoulder. Thats what I hated about it. Its not just that moment that you 12 get bullied, but how that fear affects your whole day. Anyhow, one day, I just decided I wasnt going to be pushed around anymore. When he tried to get my money, I told him no. And I didnt back down. It was awesome. The second I stood up to him, he left me alone. I wont pretend to be perfect, though. There are times when Ive been a bully, too. One time, this kid came to play on my court. I thought he was a jerk, so I didnt let him play. I made him go find another park to play at. Everyone does stuff they regret, though. Thats how you learn. Believe it or not, bullying even happens in the WNBA. Rough players take advantage of smaller players. Sometimes emotions get out of hand on the court and people take stuff personally. But its different than when youre a kid. No one loses sleep over it as an adult in the pros.

people. If youre being picked on by a mean kid, you have to stand up for yourself. Its not easy. It wont be comfortable, but you need to set a standard for how you want to be treated. If you dont stand up for yourself when youre young, you grow up getting used to people walking all over you. Confidence is like a muscle. If you want to be strong, you gotta work on building your confidence muscle every day.

Hear WNBA star Temeka Johnson talk about confidence in her video Big Heart Baller at www.GoGirlWorld.org/ SportsReels.

Being bullied is a seriously scary part of growing up. Bullies can make life seem miserable for a kid. Punching and shoving hurts, but so does saying mean things to someone. It may not leave a black eye or a bruise, but calling you names, making fun of how you look, spreading rumors about you can be just as bad. It can make your life horrible, you may feel so embarrassed and rejected that you dont want to come to school at all. It doesnt matter how one kid hurts another

or chill in their neighborhood. Intense stuff happens when a kid feels cornereddepression, school dropouts, violence. Sometimes kids even bring guns to schoolto threaten someone or to protect themselves. That may be the only way a kid who gets teased feels like she has power, but its not the right way to handle it. If you are a bully or can remember being one, quit. Put yourself in someone elses shoes. Know that it sucks to be made fun of, left out or pushed around. If one of your friends is attacking someone, dont join in. Dont laugh. Dont help. Let them know its weak to bash someone else to feel strong. If youre the one getting bullied, dont just take it. Be strong. Know that its not you causing the problem, but them. Dont stoop to their level. Be proud of who you are, use a strong voice and tell them to quit it. Tell an adult. Make them listen and explain how you feel. Help make this world a safer place for all kids.

T ee

kidits always wrong. You might think nothing of making a joke about someone who is overweight on your team or someone who doesnt dress cute. But chances are, that joke hurts them probably more than you know. Everyone wants to be liked and feel safe when they go to school, practice

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Quick Points
There ARE things you can do to help stop bullying at your school. Here are some things other kids have done: O Talk to the teachers and principal at your school about starting a peer mediation group, where kids get trained to mentor and counsel each other. O Have student leaders like the student council and others take a course about bullying. O Make the choice NEVER to laugh, encourage or egg-on a situation in which someone is being bullied. Talk to your friends about doing the same.
Womens Professional Soccer star Tiffeny Milbrett dealt with bullying. Find her story at www.GoGirlWorld.org/GTL.

Resources
www.bullybeware.com www.kidshealth.org/kid www.loveourchildrenusa.org/bullying.php www.nationalsave.org www.safeyouth.org

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whaddya think?

Is there a difference between bullying brothers and sisters and bullying other kids? Whats the same? Whats different?
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tasty treats

ere are some easy, quick recipes for healthy snacks. Some recipes may have ingredients that people are allergic to, so always ask. Depending on your kitchen skills, you may need some help with using knives or the oven.

Banana Pops
A traditional beach snack packed with protein! Makes 6 pops What you need: 6 popsicle sticks, waxed paper Ingredients: 3 bananas 1/4 cup peanut butter, softened 1/4 cup chopped peanuts or walnuts, granola, crispy rice cereal or sunflower seeds Instructions: Peel the bananas. Cut them in half, widthwise, and push a Popsicle stick through the cut end of each half. Spread peanut butter on the bananas, then roll them in the nuts, cereal or seeds. Wrap them in waxed paper and freeze for 3 hours.

B.Y.O. Bean, Green & Cheese Burrito

it together with what you like or what you have! Ingredients: whole wheat tortilla, 7 diameter scoop of your favorite salsa

Thats Build Your Ownthe beauty of this is that you can throw

beans: black, red, pinto, kidney, garbanzo (chick peas), refried (low-fat, if possible)any beans you like! greens: broccoli, spinach, lettuce (the greener the better!)or try a mix! cheese: cheddar, parmesan, blue, Americanwhatever you want! Instructions: Place a wet paper towel on a tortilla and microwave for 15-25 seconds (optional: this just softens it up for easier wrapping). Remove and place tortilla on a flat surface. Spread all ingredients in a thick line across the center of the tortilla. Fold the two opposite tortilla edges up slightly over each end of your line of ingredients, then roll one unfolded edge up over all of the ingredients, tucking and rolling forward to finish and close. The wrappings not the important partthe eating is!

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Nia Abdallah

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Nia Abdallah
First American woman to win an Olympic medal in taekwondo, Pan American Games bronze medalist, five-time U.S. Open medalist (American Sports University, sport management major)
Some girls weigh themselves every day because they want to be skinny. I weigh myself every day because, in my sport, taekwondo, we fight in a weight class. That means that before every competition, when I get weighed in, I have to be a certain weight. Because of that, we have to be really aware of what we eat. Its a careful balance, though. You dont want to weigh too much, but you also want to eat enough to be healthy, build muscle and feel strong for your fight. I havent always paid so much attention to what I put in my face. I was never big into soda, but I sure did have a sweet tooth. 18 I used to love candyTwizzlers were my favorite. I would eat those yummy things anytime I could get my hands on them. Its funny, when I started taekwondo at age 14, my mom would go around to the stores around us and tell them not to sell me candy. Guess it didnt work when she told me not to eat it. These days, I lay off the Twizzlers. This is basically how I eat every day: Breakfast: Fruit shake, eggs, oatmeal, sometimes bacon Lunch: Pasta. I like to eat my bigger meal at lunch, so I dont go to bed on a full stomach. Dinner: Lean meats, like chicken or steak, veggies and rice. And the night before every competition, I eat a big plate of pasta. When Im in China, its noodles. When Im in Italy, it might be spaghetti. But its always pasta to help fuel me for the next day. (Im also kind of superstitious about it.) If I could give you two pieces of advice, they would be: Dont eat just one big meal, but a few reasonably sized, healthy ones throughout the day. That helps keep your metabolism working quickly. Metabolism is your bodys way of burning calories. Secondly, drink lots of water. People forget that water flushes your body out and keeps you hydrated. As athletes, we sweat a lot and need to keep replacing that liquid. Food is truly my fuel. Yeah, there is something great about good tastes and sharing food with other people. But when it comes down to it, you get out of your body what you put into it. Its that simple. Put in junk, and your body doesnt move well. Put in good stuff, and you can really feel it.

Welcome to Americaland of the free, home of the fat. Yup. Thats right. We have a big problem with being too big. Obesity, or being over a healthy weight, affects one in every three American kids. And its hurting Hispanic, AfricanAmerican and Native American girls the most. Being overweight can mean lots of

bad stuff like diabetes, low motivation, heart disease and even cancer! So whats up? Why ARE we so big? Mostly, because we eat more calories than we burn off. Here is a simple way to look at it: your weight is usually decided by three things: how much you eat, what you eat and how often you get your booty off the couch and work it off. If you eat lots of junk food and chill all the time, you gain weight. If you eat healthy stuff and play a lot, you dont. It seems really easy, but its actually

Rosa

really hard for some kids. Folks get out of balance and overweight for a bunch of reasons. For some kids, food is a comfort. They have a tough time dealing with stuff, so they use food to fill the holes in their spirit. For others, fatty food is a part of the way their family does stuff. And some kids have a harder time losing or gaining weight because thats just the way their bodies are made. No matter what, you can choose to take care of your body, eat right and stay active. Heres how: First of all, dont get 19

suckered into fad diets. Balance what you eat. Eat lots of the stuff that is low in fat and high in vitaminslike veggies, fruit, lean meat, pastas and breads. Stay away from stuff that is super greasy, salty or fatty. So what if you have ice cream every now and again? Just make sure the bulk of your meals are healthy. Lastly, make sure you are moving your body every daywalking, running, playing, jumping rope, riding your bike, whatever. No matter what you eat, a sit-around lifestyle isnt good for your body. Ask any athlete and shell tell you that her body treats her as well as she treats it. If you want lots of energy, strong bones, powerful muscles, you have to fuel your engine with the good stuff, not the flubbery stuff. If you want to score goals, jump high or run fast, youve got to get used to paying attention to what you eat and how you burn it. Every day you choose what kind of body youll havechoose a sportscar, not a hoopty.

Quick points:
The food puzzle: Think of different foods as pieces of a puzzle. Veggies, bread, fruit, protein and milk are all important in making up a healthy big picture. Although our bodies need more of some food groups than others, what counts is balance. Its no good to overdo it on Doritos, but its no good to overdo it on carrots either. Keep track of what you eat for one whole dayare you balanced or lopsided?

You can find info on more than 100 sports, training tips and videos in the GoGirl World gym at www.GoGirlWorld.org.

Resources
www.ific.org

www.girlshealth.gov/bones www.kidshealth.org/kid/stay_healthy/food/sports.html www.mypyramid.gov/kids www.nutritionexplorations.org

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Seilala Sua

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Seilala Sua
Three-time U.S. outdoor championships medalist, threetime Pan American Games gold medalist, winningest athlete in NCAA track & field history (UCLA, sociology degree, 2001)
I wanted to be a cheerleader or so I thought. I wanted all the girly stuffcute shoes and tiny bracelets. But, it wasnt meant to be. I have always been the biggest girl in my class. School picture day? Straight to the back row I went. Heading to the beach? I always wore a t-shirt over my bathing suit to cover my body. I remember coming home from kindergarten one day and asking my mom why my feet dont dangle like the other girls when I sit on a chair. You see, I was taller, and my feet landed smack on the ground. Boom. And Boom. It would have been dainty to swing my feet under the chair underneath me like the other girls. When 22 youre little, all you want is to fit in. My mom knew better. She never let me get upset about my bodyand not looking like other girls. Not for one second. When other people would stare or say hurtful things, she taught me to see that as their problem, not mine. She told me from the beginning that we all have different designsand one day Id realize what mine was built to do. And I did. I finally understood what my body was good at when I tried softball. I instantly felt like I was at home with other girls who were strong like me. It was magic. How fun to be around friends who thought a strong arm was more important than perfect nails! Now I am 5 feet 11 inches tall. And Im not embarrassed to tell you I weigh 235 pounds. I am comfortable in my skin. Ive worked really hard on my body, training and weight lifting, to become a good thrower. Those body parts that used to make me uncomfortable are now what make me a success. I used to hate my big, boyish hands. Now, if you asked me what my favorite body part is, Id say it was those same hands. Those hands threw the discus and shot put that took me to the Olympic Games. They never seem to get injured. This body connects me to my dreams. Sometimes I hear girls say, I dont want to lift weights, cause I dont want to get big. They think that big isnt cute. Guess its about what you want. If you want to be an athlete, you have to be proud to be strong. No matter what, dont compare yourself to other girls. It just doesnt make sense. We are each built differently. Whats important is being happy with yourself and finding out what your body is really good at doing. Maybe its cheerleading, or maybe its track or karate. For me, its throwing, and Ive built my life on it. And by the way, I dont wear a t-shirt over my swimsuit anymore.

Everybody wants to be cool. At school, in sports, wherever, girls want to fit in, and its easy to feel like looks will determine popularity. In junior high and high school, the pressure to look like Paris Hilton or Beyonc can get totally insane. It might even make you freak out and get overly sensitive about your weight. Maybe you react by hating your body, trying to suck in your stomach or maybe you react by eating moreusing

good enough. Everywhere you look, magazines, movies and TV are all trying to get us into believing thats exactly what beautiful looks like. Girls diet, pluck, tuck, untuck and tuck again to try their best to look like supermodels. More often than boys, girls compare their bodies to each other and freak out trying to look perfectly the same. All that stuff can really wear on a girl. Some girls start to dislike themselves, others develop eating disorders constantly dieting or eating lots and throwing up. Eating disorders can be dangerous, even deadly. Hating yourself can be just as bad. How you see yourself affects your self-esteem or how much you believe in yourself. Low self-esteem can hurt everything in your life, including your ability to succeed in sports. How are you going to sink baskets if youre worried about looking weird in your uniform? How can you concentrate at school if you dont have enough food in your body to fuel your brain?

Uni

food to help make you

Alex

feel better. The world we live in teaches girls that anything other than thin, blonde and looking like a model isnt

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Stop and think. Everything in nature comes in different shapes and sizes. Some trees are tall, others are stumpysome dogs are sleek, others chunky. The same goes for humans. Were not all supposed to look and act the same. Some girls are born to have bulky shoulders and others to have knobby kneesthats just the way it goes. Differently sized girls have different strengths, especially when it comes to sports. Professional volleyball player Kerri Walsh dominates the net, in part, because shes super tall. Olympic weightlifter Cheryl Haworth throws more weight over her head than almost any other woman on the planet because she was born to be big and strong. Successful athletes accept the body cards theyve been dealt. They learn to love their height, their weight, their muscles and all the little details that make them special. They feel beautiful because their bodies enable them to do something extraordinary. Beauty comes in all kinds of packages. But, just as being too skinny can be unhealthy, so can being too heavy. The important thing to remember is that happy, healthy 24

people eat healthy and exercise sensibly to make sure they are taking care of their bodies, so their bodies will take care of them. Appreciate what you got and learn to recognize the beauty in whatever it is that makes you uniquewhether its your big feet, bouncy curls or curvy butt. You wouldnt be you without em!

More than eight out of 10 10-year-olds are afraid of not looking perfect.

Resources
www.adiosbarbie.com www.bodypositive.com www.kidshealth.org www.nationaleatingdisorders.org www.somethingfishy.org

Soccer legend and WPS star Brandi Chastain tells you her body image story at www.GoGirlWorld.org/GTL.

How do you feel about your body in your sports (or school) uniform? Do you think that feeling is more about the uniform or how you view yourself?

whaddya think?

Use one word to describe how you think you look when youre playing sports.
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Dea

at Wh rts. rts po spo te s like I ha me e but I lik ake ry, sor ill m and orts sp tw ng Im e nly tha ridi Hi, o e fm I do ors The no dh can s fu re? n o ke na it m ma into ab ne adm veryo g. b thin .E are AR any o SC at. NA nt d ab I ca ing uz c n sw eve nt I ca rina ~Ma

va, r Di

Hey, t heres nothin sports g that , and it says y s even the Div ouve okay t got to a, the o hate love a KEY to so the a few! ll enjoyin first st But be g spor ep is t youre lieve ts = co o tune in gym nfiden OUT a class o your n ce, ny tea r flying o-fear sin. W focus. solo, y hether your t So wh ouve hing? got to at if sw You g theres find inging ive it a a spor a bat go, th t out t isnt en rela think o here f x and f spor or eve ts as ju know or wha ryone. that st wha t your For re tever friend al! Don you lo teams s migh t ve to your s t play, do tha chool heart think a t gets has pump bout a your b in. Lik nythin and bo ody m e badm g oving unce t inton? and yo hat bir and ge Get yo ur dy! Ne t your ur girls xt, get eyes o togeth (in the to GoG n our er Gym). irlWor list of Theres ld.org Loung more even a e) to s than 10 uit you Sports 0 Spo solo li r style Match rts ke yog . Try s Quiz ( a or g hands ometh in the et ano with te ing str ther k nnis o etchy ind of its yo r ping and racque ur attit -pong ude or t in yo cant . Reme ur someo mber, and ju ne els st find wheth es, fo er YOUR rget th way to e can Play o play. or n, Mar ina! -The S ports Diva

Marina,

my girl!

26

See more great advice from the Sports Diva at www.GoGirlWorld.org

Julie Foudy

27

Julie Foudy
Three-time Olympic medalist, two-time World Cup champion, former Womens Sports Foundation President (Stanford University, biology degree, 1993); www.juliefoudyleadership.com
When I was in the fifth grade, a friend of mine wanted to try smoking, so she borrowed her dads pipe. We put some tobacco in it and tried smoking it out of the pipe. We were experimenting. We thought it would be so cool to smoke. I wanted so much to look cool with my friends. I especially didnt want this friend to think that I was chicken, so I couldnt be afraid when she asked me to smoke. It went on for a short while. I never had to deal with my parents finding out because they never knew. I never got addicted because, thank goodness, I stopped before that happened. But I did have an experience that convinced me that I did not need tobacco in my life. It was pretty awful. I tried playing soccer one afternoon after we had been smoking. I thought that I was going to die during the game. I couldnt breathe. I couldnt run. It was as if I had a big hole in my heart. It was so painful. I was pretty disgusted with myself right away. I knew that I did not want to feel like that ever again. Soccer and sports were just too awesome to give up for a stupid smoke. It was easy to give it up. Soccer was just too important in my life. What was hard, though, was telling my friend. I was worried about her reaction. I decided to be honest and really tell her my feelings. It was the easiest way. I told her that smoking was disgusting, it made it hard to play sports and that it was a 28 mistake if she continued. She tried to tell me that I was just afraid. I told her, no, I wasnt, and I was through with smoking. She kept trying to make fun of me! I didnt hang out with her after that. Besides, I had a soccer game to play.

Hear how the issue of smoking led to taekwondo star Nia Abdallah to win her first U.S. Openyou wont believe it! www.GoGirlWorld.org/GTL

There is no way to put it gently smokings not only gross but it can kill you! Its understandable, if your friends are into it, to impulsively think smoking is kinda cool. Maybe youre

Maybe you think you can smoke a few butts when youre hanging out with your buddies and quit whenever the urge hits you with no problem at all. Whatever! Tobacco is one of the most addictive substances you can put into your body. Smoking one or two cigarettes on the weekends turns into one or two a day, which turns into a pack a day. Before you know it, you are the hacking, yellowtoothed smoke bomb who doesnt have the lungs to play sports and always ducks outside to secretly feed her habit. Sounds real cool, huh? Right now, you have an important choice to make. Are you going to be good to your body and true to your teammates and make the choice not to spark that first butt, or are you willing to risk your health and your sports dreams for a sick habit? More than five million kids living today will die too young because they made the wrong choice. Dont let yourself be one of them. Choose fresh breath, white teeth and a butt-less life!

T ee

thinking a butt hanging between your fingers will make you look tough or rebellious. You know what? All it takes is two seconds of your brains time to realize how silly smoking really is. Check this out. If you smoke, you will totally and absolutely: have nasty breath, stink, get yellow teeth, annoy people around you and waste money, as well as risk getting asthma, cancer and a lovely array of other deadly diseases. Smoking is dangerous for everyone, but can be especially harmful to girls and women. As if thats not enough, if youre into sports, smoking cigarettes will destroy your lungs, make it tough to breathe and stop you from becoming the great athlete youve always dreamed of being.

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Deal With It!

O Think about all the money you save! O Use sports as your excuse to say no. (No thanks. I have a game tomorrow.) O Breathelike the way it feels? Imagine not being able to! O Remember that most athletes and girls choose NOT to smokeyoure not alone.
When you think about it, theyre just kinda nasty. Its like, why start? ~ Tee

Resources
www.cdc.gov/tobacco www.kickbuttsday.org www.lungusa.org www.tarwars.org www.tobaccofreekids.org

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jeanette lee

31

Jeanette Lee
World Games gold medalist, twotime world championships silver medalist, 26-time WPBA titlest; www.jeanettelee.com
I grew up in the Crown Heights section of Brooklyn, N.Y., the daughter of Korean immigrants. Although it was a neighborhood full of all kinds of people, I was the only Asian-American. Being a kid was tough for meI was pretty unhappy a lot of the time. Because I was different, I didnt have tons of friends. Every day, I was made fun of everywhere I wentin my neighborhood and at school. I would be tormented with Hey, China girl or Chink or Ching Chong Cholly Wong. I acted like I could ignore the teasing, but deep down it was tearing me apart. Everyone wants to fit in. Its hard enough for young girls to deal with growing up. I was smaller, less developed and distinctly 32 different-looking. The bullies never even cared about getting to know the real me. Sometimes I would react to the teasing and name-calling by shouting, Stop or Shut up! Needless to say, I got beat up a lot! Most of the time I would just cry. Nobody ever had my back. I felt very alone. Constantly being knocked made me an angry kid. It made me not want to be around people at all. I thought there were too many bad people, and that all the nice people were victims. The seventh grade was the worst for me. Fortunately my mother saw the harm it was doing and removed me from the school and sent me to a private school in Manhattan where the kids were nicer. But, I think that it had already affected me. Then I was accepted to the Bronx Science School in ninth grade. It was a whole new world. There were all kinds of kids and so many AsianAmericans. Although I still had my guard up a lot, I could see, for the first time, that all kinds of kids could be accepted for being uniquely themselves. Life started to shine for me when I was 18 and began shooting pool. Inside, I knew that billiards was my destiny. The more I practiced and played, the more my selfconfidence grew. I started to focus on my talent and strengths and stopped tripping about what other people thought about me. And something else happened. I went from always being the outsider to being the popular one. I felt unique, not like a freak. As I gained respect for myself, it was easier to accept and trust the respect I got from others. Prejudice kept people from seeing the good in meand in some ways, kept it hidden from me as well. Had I not found the light in myself through billiards when I was a teenager, I wouldnt be the person that I am proud to be today.

Uni

Every day in practically every school in America, kids are picked on for being different. They are misunderstood, ignored, left out, teased and beat up. The reason? Something about them sticks out. Sometimes its easy to see, like the color of their skin, their size, style or disability. Other times its harder to see, like their religion, family history or sexuality. In elementary and middle school the pressure to fit in can get really bad. Wanna know whats bizarre? Every one of us is that different kid in one way or another. There is something about each one of us that is unique. It is the ways in which we are different that make this world a cool place to be. Can you imagine how dull this place would be if we were all the same? Acting, thinking, dressing, sounding and living just like one another? Ew! The world would be a much more awesome place if humans quit trippin on each other about their differences and started to appreciate what makes each person special. Wed have less war, less

school violence and less sadness, and growing up would be a whole lot easier! What kind of kid are you? Do you make the world a better place with how you treat people? Or do you bust on people who are different from you? When you play sports, do you make fun of the other team, talk smack to the referee? Every time you step out on the court, track or field, you choose what kind of kid you are. Wanna help make the world a better place? Learn about differences, so they wont seem so weird. Try spending the day in a wheelchair, eat food youre not used to, go to someone elses churchjust put yourself in someone elses shoes. Next, know that everything you do or say makes a difference. If someone is making fun of people because they are different, stand up and say something. Lastly, help other people open their minds. It takes courage to step outside your gang to stick up for someone or try something new. Know that its worth itthat you have the power to make change. 33

Resources
www.fpg.unc.edu/~pfi/pdfs/diversity_booklist.pdf www.nyacyouth.org www.tolerance.org www.WomensSportsFoundation.org/ITAT

Meet Ashley Fiolek. Shes a champion motocross racer who has no problem beating the boys, and shes deaf. She knows what its like to feel different, but more importantly, she really digs learning from everyones differences. Let her tell you herself at www.GoGirlWorld.org/GTL, and then see her ride in action at www.GoGirlWorld.org/SportsReels.
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whaddya think?
What does gay mean? Why is it damaging to use the word gay to describe something negativehow is that reflected on homosexuals? Have you ever been labeled using a negative term? How did it feel?

35

GYM Training Tips SportsReels SCHOOL Athlete Stories Sports Headlines

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.org

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36

www.GoGirlWorld.org

Aimee Mullins

37

Aimee Mullins
World record holder, Paralympian, Womens Sports Foundation Athlete Advisory Panel Co-Chair, former Womens Sports Foundation President (Georgetown University, history and diplomacy degrees, 1998)
I came from a big, close family. We were all involved in lots of activitiessports, music and drama. With 30 cousins, there was always a game to attend, a play to watch or a concert to go to. One cousin got heavily into alcohol and drugs. It took over the whole family, and it was so sad to see someone we love fight the addiction. It was scary. So as a kid, I was pretty good about staying away from alcohol and drugs. I didnt have my first drink until I was 18 years old and a freshman in college. I was on a government scholarship, which had random drug testing attached to it, so the fear factor kept me from ever using any 38 For a while I did not drink again. Then I drugs. I sure didnt want to risk losing my ticket to college. I remember my first drink was a beer. I thought, What could be more disgusting tasting? It was so bitter. And anything that smelled of alcohol reminded me of all those trips to the hospital as a kid. So I decided to try something very sweet tasting, like sweet wine. Well, my first experience with drinking sweet wine got me very drunk. Losing control of how well you can walk and talk was not the free feeling people told me it would be, but instead it was scary. My head started throbbing, and instead of being in the mood to party, I ached to go home. The next day, I woke to find a big bruise on my arm from falling down. Things were blurry from the night before. When friends reminded me of slurred speech and tripping on the sidewalk, I said, I did that? It terrified me. went to a fraternity party. One of the most popular girls on campus was trying to get me to participate in this drinking game. It was the first (and last) time I gave into peer pressure. They would take you to each room and make you quickly drink a shot of liquor. Each room had a different theme and different type of drink. The idea was to get completely drunk. Everything was spinning while I tried to walk home. I threw up all night long. It was horrible. I am sure that I had alcohol poisoning. It took me days to recover. I was so sick. I missed classes. I couldnt eat. I was so embarrassed. It was easy not to drink anymore. It was clear that, while going out with friends, I enjoyed myself much more when I felt aware and in control of everything going on around me. One night of supposed fun was definitely NOT worth the days of pain and embarrassment afterwards.

America is addicted to alcohol and drugs. For real. By the time you are in high school, youll probably feel pressure to try all kinds of crazy stuffinhalants, beer, marijuana or liquor. Youre going to have to make some tough decisions about whether or not youre going to mess with that stuff. What you need is not a lecture to just say noend of story. You need the knowledge and power to make that choice for yourself. You need to decide to take care of

hair spray for a quick highbut what huffing can do to your body (hearing loss, spasms, brain damage and even death) is no joke. Every drug sneaks into your body and screws it up. Secondly, all drugs and alcohol are addictive. Some of them actually make your body crave them in a way you have no control overlike alcohol, heroin or meth. Others, like dope or mushrooms become something that you do over and over again until it becomes a habit because it tricks your mind into thinking it feels good. Once you try a drugeven one that might seem harmless, like snorting your sisters prescribed Ritalinyour body will never forget it. Alcohol and drugs affect everyone differently. You never know exactly whats in it or how strong it is. Some kids feel tense and panicky. Sometimes it makes you drowsy. Kids who drink and do drugs a lot are moody, always tired, cranky, not interested in school or sports anymore. When you are drunk or high, you kinda lose your mind. It can make you do things you regretlike 39

Alex

yourselfno one else can. So here it isthe short scoop on drugs and alcohol. They have a few things in common. First, they all wage a war on the natural balance of your body and mess up the way your most important organs do their job. Take inhalants for examplethey interfere with the oxygen and chemical balance of your lungs, brain and blood. It might seem harmless to sniff glue or

saying things you dont mean, getting into trouble, even hooking up with someone you hardly know. Lastly, drugs and underage drinking are illegal. As in, get caught and go to jail; as in, waving to mom and pops through steel bars; as in getting kicked off your team and expelled from school. Get the picture? Its not cute. Want the truth? There is no room for drugs or underage drinking in your life if youre an athlete. An athletes body is sacredyou cant afford to mess with coordination, memory or the rate of your heartbeat. When you feel the pressure to take a drink, a hit, huff a whippet or drop a tab, stop and recognize. Recognize what you would be doing to your body and mind. Recognize that a friend that tries to pressure you to hurt yourself is lame and not really a friend at all. Recognize that you have the power to control who you are and what you do. But most of all, recognize that you have a choice. Choose you.

How about?
O Hanging with friends who arent into drinking and drugs O Putting your money and energy into art, music, sports, cooking, writingwhatever floats your boat O If you have a friend whos caught up in a drinking scene, helping themlet them know you care, offer to go with them to get help.

Resources
www.abovetheinfluence.com www.drugfreesport.com www.jointogether.org

Want to stretch with Aimee? Check out her Daily Dose video at www.GoGirlWorld.org/ SportsReels.

Check out www.GoGirlWorld.org!

Photo Credits Elissa Steamer: Christian Petersen/Getty Images Sanya Richards: Andy Lyons/Getty Images Diana Taurasi: Courtesy of Diana Taurasi Nia Abdallah: Step Jamie Squire/Getty Images Seilala Sua: Andy Lyons/Getty Images Julie Foudy: Jamie Squire/Getty Images Jeanette Lee: Laser One Aimee Mullins: Lynn Johnson/Aurora Photos Illustration Credits ArtMasters/Graham Smith

www.WomensSportsFoundation.org www.GoGirlWorld.org 800.227.3988

2009, Womens Sports Foundation. All rights reserved.