We’ve almost made it through 2019 — and to the dawn of a new decade.
Here at Power Plays, I’m already focused on the new year. January is going to be an extremely special month for us — and an important one, since I’ll be launching paid subscriptions at the start of February. (More on that later.)
There won’t be a newsletter on Wednesday, since it’s Christmas Day and I will be celebrating with my family. But on Friday 12/27 and next Monday 12/30, I will be unveiling our Top 20 Women’s Sports Moments of the Decade list, which you all helped me compile in our last open thread.
Next week we’ll also have a thread to share our resolutions, both personal and sports-wise, for 2020.
But for today, I thought it would be fun to keep reminiscing.
We shared our big-picture selections for best moments of the decade, but what about personally? I want to hear from you about the women-in-sports moments you witnessed in person this decade that meant the most to you. Interpret this however you like. It can be your alma matter getting a big upset, your daughter scoring a hat trick, or seeing your best friend make their rec-league debut.
(Caption: Did covering the first ever NWHL game make my list?)
Maybe you went to your first women’s tennis match, and you’ll never forget it. Or you went to Sochi and got to see Mikaela Schiffrin win her first Olympic gold. Perhaps you were one of the spectators in France chanting “Equal Pay” as the U.S. won their second consecutive Women’s World Cup!
Share as many memories as you want in the comments below. I’ll be in and out of the thread most of the day, starting around noon ET.
If you want to know my answers, click and join the discussion. They’ll be in the comments!
So, I'm sure I'll have more as the day goes along and my brain wakes up, but right now, here's what stands out:
-Covering the Washington Mystics winning Game 5 of the WNBA championships (Is this recency bias? Whatever, it was wonderful.)
-Watching Serena Williams beat Victoria Azarenka in the 2012 U.S. Open final (6–2, 2–6, 7–5)
-Seeing the first NWHL game between the Riveters and the Whale. It was the first time women got paid to pay pro hockey in North America, and I'll never forget watching the young girls at that game going wild. I know there's a lot to discuss when it comes to everything that's happened in women's hockey since then (don't worry, we will get to that in January here at Power Plays), but that was a special moment in time.
Also on a personal note I've been dealing with chronic illness these past two years but I've recently started running again (inspired by all the women's soccer I've watched this year)! I just ran my first 5K race this month and I decided I'm gonna try for a half marathon next year :) Watching sports has really kept me sane since I had to leave school twice due to illness.
Sky Blue FC used to do season ticket holder events at a local Olive Garden (which they have thankfully since outgrown). My first year as a season ticket holder was the year after they'd won the 2015 World Cup, and I'll never forget (or stop laughing at telling the story of) meeting defending world champions Kelley O'Hara and Christie Rampone super casually in the back room of my local friggin' Olive Garden.
I was there when Morgan William & Mississippi State slayed the giant that was UConn and their 111 game winning streak. My wife was on the Mississippi State coaching staff. All-time flex.
Watching my daughter 3 1/2 years ago (she was in 4th grade) compete with five other girls in her grade in her school against all the other elementary schools in our district in tug-of-war in the district's Field Day. They wound up taking first place! I'd never seen her so excited before.
Three more stand out, all this year:
*Watching Venus Williams play (and win!) live for the first time
*Watching that same daughter (now 13) in the 100-yd butterfly come from behind and then just absolutely smoke her competition in the last 25 yds to win her heat
*Watching her complete her first-ever 200-yd butterfly, an event her father - a swimmer all through high school as well as a nationals-caliber college diver - NEVER competed in. He was so excited and proud that he recorded the whole thing and posted it on Facebook and bragged about it to everyone in earshot. 😂
A few weeks ago I got to see a Women’s World Cup race at Killington. I met Mikaela Shiffrin, Alex Tilley (my fave!!), Nina O’Brien, and a bunch of other racers, which was so freaking cool. I also got a bib from one of the Swedish racers! It was honestly just super incredible to watch them crush the course in person (as a racer myself, it’s a difficult course and they make it look so easy).
omgggggg, this is SO COOL. and that's amazing that you're a racer, too. I am very unathletic so all sports awe me, but skiing in particular just boggles my mind.
Absolutely the Chicago Red Stars semifinal win this year. It was the culmination of a decade of work and especially triumphant as they had fallen in the semifinal the last four years in a row. I am part of the supporters' group that has been working to build a community of Red Stars fans over the years and to have literally hundreds of people in our sections behind the goal all standing and chanting "Chicago, Chicago, Chicago, let's go!" without stopping for the last 10 minutes of the game was nothing short of transcendent. It was an absolutely perfect day. This video is the best encapsulation of that moment: https://twitter.com/kgriffin0/status/1186118486193573888
I love this so much, Lauren. I was in Cary for the final and met so many great Red Stars fans, it was clear what a remarkable job you all have done cultivating that community.
I was at the London Paralympic Games and watched Ellie Simmonds win gold, it was a really magical moment just feeling the excitement in the room to watch her swim. I’m pretty sure she broke a world record that day, too. In that room you really felt that you were watching an icon do her thing, and I just loved it.
Okay I’m cheating because this isn’t just one moment but I’ve been so happy to see the popularity and respect for women’s volleyball grow over the last decade. A few years back, after I finished my college playing career, I started coaching for the club I played for in high school. New England girls volleyball in 2008 (when I played for them) was meh at best -- our team was the best in the area and dominated local tournaments but got smoked when we traveled out of the region. As a coach more recently, I saw how much the game has grown in such a short time. Players start training much younger, develop higher volleyball IQs, and actually *choose* volleyball, as opposed to just participating to stay in shape for basketball or another sport. The top 18s team I assisted became the first ever from New England to qualify for a bid to USAV Nationals, several players went on to play at a high college level, and I've really enjoyed following along as they earn accolades like Player of the Week, All-Tournament Team, and All-Conference, etc. Just this past week as the NCAA tournament wrapped up I also read that women’s volleyball now ranks third highest for the Big Ten Network’s TV viewership after football and men’s basketball. It’s just so rewarding to see other people discovering and enjoying the game you love -- and for the athletes to get recognition they deserve!
- also literally everything about the USWNT because I feel like they are having this same effect ^^ on a much bigger scale for all of women's sports :)
This is so lovely -- the surge of popularity of women's volleyball is one of the most undercovered stories of the past decade, I think. It even has some elite women's basketball coaches I've talked to worry that they're losing the best tall athletes to volleyball! I love it -- the more all the sports develop, the more they push each other, I think.
The inaugural home game for the Utah Royals--I was so excited to have women's soccer come to my city and be there to support it. Watched some great USWNT friendlies in Utah this decade too.
The incredible Utah Red Rocks gymnastics team and atmosphere of their home PAC-12 meets.
Playing rugby, soccer, and hockey over the past decade with amazing friends and teammates.
I just moved to Indiana so I'm looking forward to IU women's basketball and Indiana Fever games and finding new friends to play sports with here.
I went to my first roller derby game at the Gotham Girls Roller Derby Championship 2017 finals. It was truly a nail biter (the final score was 162 -158) and I've been a Brooklyn Bombshells supporter ever since! I also noticed some camera crews at this game and later saw the footage in a documentary about Suzy Hotrod (legendary roller derby player), so that was super cool. (Link to documentary: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I_jOYq2VnJo)
I’ve also had the great pleasure of watching Katie Ledecky, Simone Manuel, Lily King, and Sarah Sjöström swim on various occasions, and each time it’s a thrill, for slightly different reasons. Katie Ledecky’s 1,500 Free is captivating and awe inspiring. Simone and Sarah somehow compel the stands to cheer for them even, when they don’t have a home crowd. And I watched Lilly King smoke Yulia Efimova, and then gave her a hug. It’s really a great time for personalities and stories in women’s swimming right now
I really love watching diving. It’s intense and serene simultaneously. There’s a measured pace to it; there’s time to hold your breath, and time to release it. It’s also the perfect entry level activity for someone who is learning to watch and understand judged sports. It’s a little simpler movement pattern and a simpler scoring system than a lot of the other judged sports, so it’s a great introduction. Learning to watch diving is like taking Judged Sports 101. And something about the relative simplicity of the movement form seems so pure and beautiful. I’m almost hesitant to use those terms because they’ve been used as code for racism and body shaming so frequently, but my movement analysis eye was really developed and informed from studying Dance Education, and it’s hard to forget your first love. 🙂
Her form and technique are just so exquisite, and the composed badassery of coming back at the age of 39 after almost 10 years of retirement and birthing two children fills me with warm satisfaction.
I watched Simone Biles practicing the Triple Double in podium training at the US Classic in July of last year, although she didn’t compete it until Nationals. We knew it was probably coming, but it was still quite literally breathtaking. We cheered for the addition of the punch layout out of the Biles 1, but everyone fell silent after the first Triple Double. Nobody seemed to know what to say. We just sat there in silent awe. I was blinking back tears by the end of the rotation. And the most unearthly thing was how easy she made it look.
I talked about going to game 3 of the Mystics/Sun finals last open thread but a little more about the experience - it was my first WNBA game in person. I couldn’t believe that I could actually afford playoff tickets, which I obviously have mixed feelings about. It was awesome being able to afford to go but it’s also demonstrating how undervalued the sport is. It was SUCH a blast finally being in an arena filled with people all there for women’s sports instead of watching on tv.
As a journalist, covering the 2017 Women's Final Four. Mississippi State's upset of UConn is one of the greatest games I've ever covered, regardless of sport. (Random fact, I've covered 3 Women's Final Fours between 2008-2017 and never seen UConn win a game.) The title game lacked the same drama, but I'll never forget Aja Wilson's celebration; the video I shot of her dancing with the pep band is one of my favorite tweets ever. As a fan: Shalane Flanagan winning the NYC Marathon, and Des Linden winning Boston; Missy Franklin, a huge local star here in Denver, dominating at the London Olympics; watching the Women's World Cup this summer with my 3 YO daughter -- the first sporting event she actually "got." Listening to her talking about the "girl with the purple hair" and then posing after kicking a soccer ball made me melt.
2019 NCAA Women's Soccer Finals, Stanford over UNC in PKs. The entire second half, all of overtime, and the shootout were insane.
2019 WNBA All Star Weekend. Duh. Amazing community with WNBA fans, personnel, and media.
LPGA Mediheal tournament final rounds the last two years. Playoff drama + players stopping mid-round to give kids gloves and balls. The most accessible sport there is for fans.
Portland Region NCAA Tournament - Sabrina & Co. taking Oregon to their first Final Four over Teaira McCowan and Mississippi State.
Stanford over eventual NCAA Champion Baylor on the Farm last fall.
Muguruza over Serena in the 2016 French Open final. Super sad for Serena (and annoying to be one of the only fans in the crowd cheering for her), but amazing tennis from Muguruza.
I was lucky enough to witness Jill Ellis’ last game ever in person. It was my first time seeing the uswnt in person as well and just so inspiring overall.
ANOTHER ONE. Seeing Canada women’s basketball win gold IN TORONTO in 2015. We played the US (who had no WNBA players) but the fan base TURNED UP. When Natalie Achonwa finished an And One and then STARED DOWN THE CAMERA, you knew it was ON. Kia Nurse went OFF and it was the moment it was like “hi, Canada is here and we are very good at basketball too, bitches. let’s roll.” I have never been in such a hyped environment, I think every woman in the stands was crying when the game was over.
It was at the panam games, and canada went all in on it because they were in toronto. the US sent their C team, id say, it was all college stars. Canada had 2 WNBA players i think, Kia wasn’t in the league yet. Breanna Stewart was the US’s star player at the time. We were sitting in the end zone and the stare was in our direction and on the big screen and it was DEADLY. Oh I hope they make the 2020 olympics!!
I can't remember which year exactly this was, early in the decade I’m sure, but I got to see Serena Williams at the Cincinnati Masters tournament. It was an early round, and I got a great seat close to the action. Serena was playing poorly in the first set (and my apologies to her opponent, whose name I don't remember), and you could see her frustration with herself rising. During a break in the action, she paced vigorously behind the baseline and yelled at herself to get it in gear. She then proceeded to absolutely mow down her opponent, in the greatest display of athletic force I’ve ever seen in person. Getting to see both her physical and mental game play out like that was astonishing.
Despite playing four different sports as a girl, I haven't paid attention to any women's sports on a sustained basis in literal decades. That changed when I watched the Women's World Cup this year. When the WWC was over I was excited to discover that there was a NWSL team near me. So close I'd played in the same sports complex without realizing! Although I've since been to six different women's soccer games since the WWC, the first was probably my favorite. I got to see Alyssa Naeher making saves from maybe twenty feet away. I want to see all the NWSL teams playing in big stadiums but until they do there's something special about the closeness that these small-time fields allow.
It's pretty rare for me to be able to go to a live women's sporting event because of where I live and how difficult it is to get time off at my job. But a couple years ago I was able to get the time off and visit my sister in Chicago. Somehow, I managed to get a week where the Sky, the Red Stars, and the Bandits all had home games. The only sport my sister cares about at all is MMA, but she gamely went to each game with me. It was quite the adventure; she'd never been to any of the stadiums before and we got lost a couple times on our way. She also spilled my beer at every game we went to, and now I don't buy beer at any crowded live event.
hahahaha, i love this so much! (except for the spileld beer part) -- I can't imagine seeing all 3 in one weekend, what an experience. And props to your sister -- hopefully you converted a fan!
My mom, who is the same age as Pat Summit who is her life-long hero, went to the 2008 NCAA final four. She snuck down to the main level to watch Pat and her team celebrate what would be Pats last championship title, only to discover that the woman she was next to was PATS MOM. Not my moment but I am so glad my mom has such a special memory. She grew up playing sports and got her three daughters into sports. As a result, two of us played basketball in college and the third is a professional golfer.
LOL MISSED OF THE DECADE. Probably watching Canada win bronze in the 2012 Olympics in soccer. Christine Sinclair is a LEGEND and that game is probably the best soccer game ever. I was watching it alone and kept screaming.
this is beautiful! and i'm so glad you missed the "of the decade" because that means we got to hear the pat summit story, and pat summit stories are always welcome.
Pat Summit forever. I never really understood or appreciated how hard my mom and Pat and other women of their generation had it growing up. I had a mom who was a MAJOR sports fan and put us in sports and got us a weird TV package so we could watch NCAA women’s basketball in Canada and got us tickets to any sporting thing we wanted that came to our neck of Canada (which wasn’t many LOL) and just damn. I was a lucky one.
Seeing the Dallas Wings play their opening home game as a team in 2016. I don't think I realized beforehand how much that moment would mean to me, being surrounded by people in my hometown who weren't ashamed to be cheering for women's sports. That game also had the most diverse crowd that I have ever been surrounded by in terms of race, sexuality, age group. I'll never forget it.
I’m so grateful that I and my whole family were in the stadium for the 2015 Women’s World Cup and witnessed Carli Lloyd’s amazing hat trick and the USWNT earning the right to add the third star on their jersey. I love this experience because i) it validated my half-joke of the team being able to win only if I’m in attendance*; ii) my sons were part of this global party celebrating the excellence of female athletes; iii) we got to revel in being part of a sports mob without once having to be afraid of being harmed in any way.
*I was also at the Rose Bowl for the 1999 USWNT World Cup win; fortunately for them, the USWNT has broken free of this spell and won the 2019 WC without my personal presence at the stadum.
Easy. Watching my alma mater, American University, make the NCAA Tournament in basketball for the first time in school history in 2015. We'd made the finals in our conference tournaments over the years too many times to count. But we finally made it that year, and I was watching along with former players and classmates of mine from the '80s who'd come into town to watch. And what made it most poignant for me was that one of those ex-players, who was in my class of 1987, was terminally ill with cancer. She was a friend and a great supporter of the program, and remains one of the nicest and most decent people that I've known. That cancer took her from us a few months later seemed especially cruel. But we had a wonderful, meaningful day together that day, and I will never forget it.
This one's easy for me because it happened less than a month ago: watching Purdue women's volleyball win NCAA tournament matches in Holloway - they hadn't hosted first- and second-round matches since 2011, the year before I first had season tickets. The atmosphere was amazing, the Boilers played really, really well, and after both matches, they improvised their usual victory lap around the court and came up into the stands to thank fans for supporting them. They didn't get any farther (losing to #1 Baylor and Yossiana Pressley is ... understandable, shall we say) but those two matches were unforgettable.
This kicked off the decade, but has stuck with me throughout "The Courage of Jill Costello" - the Cal Women's Coxswain who fought terminal cancer to lead her boat at NCAA's in 2010. She passed away just a few weeks after the race. I can't recommend this story enough, if you want some perspective on everything.
Michigan Wolverines' women's lacrosse has only existed for six seasons, and last season they were expected to languish at the bottom of the Big Ten again. Instead, they opened the season on a crazy winning streak, finished third in the Big Ten, and ended up hosting two NCAA Tournament games in Ann Arbor. I attended both, and got to watch them win the first NCAA Tournament game in Michigan Lacrosse history, for either gender.
The other is also from last year, when Michigan hosted an NCAA Women's Gymnastics Regional. Michigan came in second which was good enough to advance to the national semifinals, and it was cool getting to watch Michigan perform so well on the national stage. But what was especially cool was that UCLA was sent to the Ann Arbor regional. They absolutely kicked Michigan's ass, but I got to see several former Olympians live, as well as Katelyn Ohashi and her viral floor routine.
-2010 NCAA Championship - UConn/Stanford in San Antonio
- 2010 Met Jackie Joyner Kersee on a USO tour in Baghdad
-2011 US Open - Post Iraq deployment so spent the time day drinking front row with my cousins, first time I saw Rafa and Serena in person and she signed my cocktail glass
- 2016 - Katie Ledecky in the Austin swim series
-2019 WWC Final with my god daughter joyously crying for the full 90
The Seattle Storm's roster was depleted this year, with Breanna Stewart and Sue Bird both out all season. There were a lot of question marks about how they'd do. Watching Jordin Canada grow into her role as the #1 point guard, and make it her own, was a pleasure all season. The epitome for me was in the last home game of the season, she got a steal and ran back for a layup through contact for the and-1. It was awesome.
Gotta be covering Morgan William's shot, Mississippi State vs. UConn, especially after having covered 98-38 the year before. Either that or the time I sat next to Lindsay Gibbs in the press box (press table?) at the 2018 WNBA Finals.
i don't know about the latter, but i'm so jealous you were there for the former i can't stand it. One of my main goals this year is to get to the Final Four!
Late to the game (pun intended) but being a part of the USWNT victory tour attendance record in Philly and being at Game 3 of the WNBA finals. A member of the media took an iconic picture of EDD high fiving my daughter; I made it into a t shirt and gave it to her for Christmas.
This was the decade that my husband and son began to really appreciate women's sports. We were all in for the Women's World Cups and my husband got all 3 of us 4 stars shirts for Xmas. Last year I put on some WNBA games and they both got excited about how good the games were and began to follow women's basketball more closely. In this decade my son has gone from 9 to 19 and is now majoring in sports journalism at Ohio University. I feel good that he sees women's sports as sports to be followed, respected, covered, and enjoyed.
My best friend is now the head coach of the women's basketball program at a local high school! She's a fantastic coach and role model for these girls. Their best players graduated so they've got a year or two of rebuilding but she's keeping them motivated, in good spirits and working hard. The best part is she's 5'2'' and the entire team is taller than her :)
Earlier this year my friend Janice and I traveled to Japan to watch our beloved Seattle Mariners play in the MLB Opening Series. However, the highlight of our trip ended up being watching the Japan Women’s Baseball League in Kyoto. I had learned about the league through Burn It All Down. It was their opening day so there was lots of pageantry and celebration. However, we don’t speak Japanese so couldn’t understand the announcers. Despite that the energy and culture of baseball in Japan is AMAZING. I ended up catching an autographed ball and we had so much fun. If you have the opportunity watch baseball in Japan do it and even more so if it’s a JWBL game.
Also I’ve become a huge University of Washington volleyball fan the last several years. Those ladies are amazing and getting to watch such high level volleyball is incredible. The PAC-12 is such a solid league and it’s a joy to get to watch it on a regular basis.
Following the AMAZING journey and support for elite runner Gabe Grunewald, former runner for the University of Minnesota. She performed at her best while dealing with cancer... https://bravelikegabe.org
One of my favorite memories as a sports fan is watching Katie Ledecky dominate the 800 Meters in the 2016 Olympics. She was mesmerizing. Really, every Ledecky or Simone Biles performance in that Olympics was must-see TV.
- I stayed up to watch UConn lose in the Final 4 to Miss St. in 2017. I was in a hotel room, my whole family was a sleep in the beds next to me. They lost and I started crying, but somehow I knew it a great change for women’s basketball.
- I went to the USA women’s basketball vs japan in 2018 at GW Univ. I met Coach T (Mystics), Sue Bird, Breanna Stewart AND Geno Auriemma. It was a night to remember.
- March 2, 2018: right after the US Women’s Hockey team brought home gold. My schools had a day where they cancelled school because the winds were crazy (I know, super weak, but hey no school) and my friend told me the team was holding a meet and greet at our local skate rink. We went early, waited in line forever, but we finally got to meet, take pictures, and get autographs from the team. It was awesome and they were so great.
- Final one I will put, although it is not even close to the end, is going to the Mystics games this year. All 8 of them. It was the summer before my first year of college and I decided I wanted to go to as many games as I could before moving to connecticut, and then, they played conn in the championship! talk about dreams coming true. I met multiple Mystics legends in the food court at mohegan before game 4. Even though I wasn’t there for game 5, this is probably the highlight of my decade.
I was in the Netherlands earlier this year and I convinced the friend I was visiting to come and watch the local women's soccer team, VV Alkmaar. It was a great game, Alkmaar scoring twice in the final four minutes to force a 2-2 tie. However, just getting to see my very non-sporting friend experience the joy seeing women's soccer was a great moment.
I got to see Serena Williams and Victoria Azarenka play in the second round of Indian Wells this year. Such a quality match and so exciting to see two of my favorites. I hope that both of them could have big 2020s.
I've covered 4 NCAA Volleyball tournaments for Mizzou's student radio station, KCOU 88.1 FM. Three were in person and one was in studio. Those three are tied for first. (2016, 2018, and 2019 in person and 2017 in studio). The other one that is very close to first is going to the NCAA WBB tournament in 2019 when Mizzou went to Iowa City and faced Drake and Iowa. Those are experiences I will never forget!
LOVE this. I saw my very first in-person NCAA volleyball when I was in the Bay Area earlier this month, I drove down to Stanford to watch Stanford beat Utah and Penn State beat Cincy. I was absolutely amazed at how fun the sport is to watch in person. Definitely going to put more on my calendar in 2020.
I was at the WNIT final in 2017 where Michigan beat Georgia Tech in triple overtime. I was just starting to go to women’s basketball games and dragging my mom with me, and this definitely helped convert her into a person who loves watching sports. In the last year, she has come with me to women’s hockey, soccer and basketball games! I don’t think I’ve ever been in a more intense atmosphere than we experienced in the OT periods at the WNIT championship. The players on both teams were incredible. Nearly 3 years later now and I’m still a little stunned when I think about being able to witness that game.
So many great women's sports moments in this decade, it's hard to choose! I'm going to go with the UCLA vs Oklahoma gymnastics Together We Rise meet in 2018. They honored the survivors with an incredibly touching video by the amazing Deanna Hong. Not a dry eye in the house.
During the inaugural season of the NWHL, the Riveters were doing a promotion at the Roots store in downtown NYC. I got there *very early* figuring there would be a line, but there was not, so I got to have a conversation with some of them and was absolutely starstruck. Jenny Scrivens, Nana Fujimoto, Sydney Kidd, and Bray Ketchum. I was on cloud nine for the rest of the day*!
My goal for the next decade is to attend more women's sports in person, and my dream would be to attend a taping of American Ninja Warrior. The strides that women have made in ANW over the last few seasons has been a great story, and I would love to see some of them run the course in person!
*I went into the store and splurged on a few things because I had just been promised a promotion at work, which also contributed to the cloud-nine-ness. Six months later the promotion still hadn't come so I left that job and NYC altogether, but annoyingly those two things are always linked in my brain. But that's okay! I still have my signed poster from those four women hanging in my office.
Hi! My #1 was watching the USWNT win the 2015 World Cup in Vancouver! When I walked into the stadium and saw the pitch, there were tears! #2 Just happened last month when my Oregon Ducks beat the USA Olympic Team!!! Watching Sabrina play in person is a REAL treat!
I took my kids to their first-ever hockey game, Rivs vs. Whale, at the old Aviator Center in Brooklyn. Much to my surprise, those punks from Connecticut ran our goalie and a massive fight broke out, not 10 feet in front of us. My kids were shocked. I was shocked, but also a little bit thrilled. There was one little girl in our section who had played in the pee-wee game between periods and I saw her down by the glass, banging on it and yelling at the players. On the way home, my daughter said, "Daddy, the Connecticut Whale are a good team, but they bring too much violence to the game." Player Safety put up a video of the fight to document all the suspensions they handed out and you could see our whole family right there in the stands, making memories together.
So, I'm sure I'll have more as the day goes along and my brain wakes up, but right now, here's what stands out:
-Covering the Washington Mystics winning Game 5 of the WNBA championships (Is this recency bias? Whatever, it was wonderful.)
-Watching Serena Williams beat Victoria Azarenka in the 2012 U.S. Open final (6–2, 2–6, 7–5)
-Seeing the first NWHL game between the Riveters and the Whale. It was the first time women got paid to pay pro hockey in North America, and I'll never forget watching the young girls at that game going wild. I know there's a lot to discuss when it comes to everything that's happened in women's hockey since then (don't worry, we will get to that in January here at Power Plays), but that was a special moment in time.
Also on a personal note I've been dealing with chronic illness these past two years but I've recently started running again (inspired by all the women's soccer I've watched this year)! I just ran my first 5K race this month and I decided I'm gonna try for a half marathon next year :) Watching sports has really kept me sane since I had to leave school twice due to illness.
Sending you love and strength, Wendy -- watching sports has helped me through so many rough times in my life, too. Super impressed you ran a 5k.
You got this!
Sky Blue FC used to do season ticket holder events at a local Olive Garden (which they have thankfully since outgrown). My first year as a season ticket holder was the year after they'd won the 2015 World Cup, and I'll never forget (or stop laughing at telling the story of) meeting defending world champions Kelley O'Hara and Christie Rampone super casually in the back room of my local friggin' Olive Garden.
Hahahahahahaha, that's so perfect.
That’s absolutely amazing
I was there when Morgan William & Mississippi State slayed the giant that was UConn and their 111 game winning streak. My wife was on the Mississippi State coaching staff. All-time flex.
The Wife Guy is here!!
Watching my daughter 3 1/2 years ago (she was in 4th grade) compete with five other girls in her grade in her school against all the other elementary schools in our district in tug-of-war in the district's Field Day. They wound up taking first place! I'd never seen her so excited before.
Three more stand out, all this year:
*Watching Venus Williams play (and win!) live for the first time
*Watching that same daughter (now 13) in the 100-yd butterfly come from behind and then just absolutely smoke her competition in the last 25 yds to win her heat
*Watching her complete her first-ever 200-yd butterfly, an event her father - a swimmer all through high school as well as a nationals-caliber college diver - NEVER competed in. He was so excited and proud that he recorded the whole thing and posted it on Facebook and bragged about it to everyone in earshot. 😂
Nicole! I love this. Always love your updates on your daughters' swimming accomplishments. And Venus, of course!!
A few weeks ago I got to see a Women’s World Cup race at Killington. I met Mikaela Shiffrin, Alex Tilley (my fave!!), Nina O’Brien, and a bunch of other racers, which was so freaking cool. I also got a bib from one of the Swedish racers! It was honestly just super incredible to watch them crush the course in person (as a racer myself, it’s a difficult course and they make it look so easy).
omgggggg, this is SO COOL. and that's amazing that you're a racer, too. I am very unathletic so all sports awe me, but skiing in particular just boggles my mind.
Absolutely the Chicago Red Stars semifinal win this year. It was the culmination of a decade of work and especially triumphant as they had fallen in the semifinal the last four years in a row. I am part of the supporters' group that has been working to build a community of Red Stars fans over the years and to have literally hundreds of people in our sections behind the goal all standing and chanting "Chicago, Chicago, Chicago, let's go!" without stopping for the last 10 minutes of the game was nothing short of transcendent. It was an absolutely perfect day. This video is the best encapsulation of that moment: https://twitter.com/kgriffin0/status/1186118486193573888
I love this so much, Lauren. I was in Cary for the final and met so many great Red Stars fans, it was clear what a remarkable job you all have done cultivating that community.
I was at the London Paralympic Games and watched Ellie Simmonds win gold, it was a really magical moment just feeling the excitement in the room to watch her swim. I’m pretty sure she broke a world record that day, too. In that room you really felt that you were watching an icon do her thing, and I just loved it.
Okay I’m cheating because this isn’t just one moment but I’ve been so happy to see the popularity and respect for women’s volleyball grow over the last decade. A few years back, after I finished my college playing career, I started coaching for the club I played for in high school. New England girls volleyball in 2008 (when I played for them) was meh at best -- our team was the best in the area and dominated local tournaments but got smoked when we traveled out of the region. As a coach more recently, I saw how much the game has grown in such a short time. Players start training much younger, develop higher volleyball IQs, and actually *choose* volleyball, as opposed to just participating to stay in shape for basketball or another sport. The top 18s team I assisted became the first ever from New England to qualify for a bid to USAV Nationals, several players went on to play at a high college level, and I've really enjoyed following along as they earn accolades like Player of the Week, All-Tournament Team, and All-Conference, etc. Just this past week as the NCAA tournament wrapped up I also read that women’s volleyball now ranks third highest for the Big Ten Network’s TV viewership after football and men’s basketball. It’s just so rewarding to see other people discovering and enjoying the game you love -- and for the athletes to get recognition they deserve!
- also literally everything about the USWNT because I feel like they are having this same effect ^^ on a much bigger scale for all of women's sports :)
This is so lovely -- the surge of popularity of women's volleyball is one of the most undercovered stories of the past decade, I think. It even has some elite women's basketball coaches I've talked to worry that they're losing the best tall athletes to volleyball! I love it -- the more all the sports develop, the more they push each other, I think.
The inaugural home game for the Utah Royals--I was so excited to have women's soccer come to my city and be there to support it. Watched some great USWNT friendlies in Utah this decade too.
The incredible Utah Red Rocks gymnastics team and atmosphere of their home PAC-12 meets.
Playing rugby, soccer, and hockey over the past decade with amazing friends and teammates.
I just moved to Indiana so I'm looking forward to IU women's basketball and Indiana Fever games and finding new friends to play sports with here.
OMG the scenes from that first Utah Royals game were epic, very jealous you were there!
And IU and the Fever games will be a blast.
Oooo and this amazing goal by Amy Rodriguez that started with the throw in right in front of our seats. Nominated for fifa's Puskás award https://twitter.com/UtahRoyalsFC/status/1140083812837163008
I went to my first roller derby game at the Gotham Girls Roller Derby Championship 2017 finals. It was truly a nail biter (the final score was 162 -158) and I've been a Brooklyn Bombshells supporter ever since! I also noticed some camera crews at this game and later saw the footage in a documentary about Suzy Hotrod (legendary roller derby player), so that was super cool. (Link to documentary: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I_jOYq2VnJo)
Thank you for linking this documentary!! Putting Roller Derby on my dream list for 2020, too.
Jill Jaracz, who is subscribed here, officiates Roller Derby, speaking of the rise of female officials.
I’ve also had the great pleasure of watching Katie Ledecky, Simone Manuel, Lily King, and Sarah Sjöström swim on various occasions, and each time it’s a thrill, for slightly different reasons. Katie Ledecky’s 1,500 Free is captivating and awe inspiring. Simone and Sarah somehow compel the stands to cheer for them even, when they don’t have a home crowd. And I watched Lilly King smoke Yulia Efimova, and then gave her a hug. It’s really a great time for personalities and stories in women’s swimming right now
Okay, Meredith, now I am adding swimming to the 2020 bucket list -- going to be a busy year!
I also saw Laura Wilkinson’s return to the National Diving Championships a couple of years ago. I had all of the feelings.
This is awesome -- I would love to see some diving in person soon.
I really love watching diving. It’s intense and serene simultaneously. There’s a measured pace to it; there’s time to hold your breath, and time to release it. It’s also the perfect entry level activity for someone who is learning to watch and understand judged sports. It’s a little simpler movement pattern and a simpler scoring system than a lot of the other judged sports, so it’s a great introduction. Learning to watch diving is like taking Judged Sports 101. And something about the relative simplicity of the movement form seems so pure and beautiful. I’m almost hesitant to use those terms because they’ve been used as code for racism and body shaming so frequently, but my movement analysis eye was really developed and informed from studying Dance Education, and it’s hard to forget your first love. 🙂
Okay, definitely going to have to look up some diving competitions now.
The Olympic Trials are in Indianapolis in June. 🙂
Her form and technique are just so exquisite, and the composed badassery of coming back at the age of 39 after almost 10 years of retirement and birthing two children fills me with warm satisfaction.
I watched Simone Biles practicing the Triple Double in podium training at the US Classic in July of last year, although she didn’t compete it until Nationals. We knew it was probably coming, but it was still quite literally breathtaking. We cheered for the addition of the punch layout out of the Biles 1, but everyone fell silent after the first Triple Double. Nobody seemed to know what to say. We just sat there in silent awe. I was blinking back tears by the end of the rotation. And the most unearthly thing was how easy she made it look.
Chills. Watching Simone in person is on my bucket list for sure.
I talked about going to game 3 of the Mystics/Sun finals last open thread but a little more about the experience - it was my first WNBA game in person. I couldn’t believe that I could actually afford playoff tickets, which I obviously have mixed feelings about. It was awesome being able to afford to go but it’s also demonstrating how undervalued the sport is. It was SUCH a blast finally being in an arena filled with people all there for women’s sports instead of watching on tv.
It's intoxicating being in an arena filled of raucous fans cheering about women's sports. It so powerful.
As a journalist, covering the 2017 Women's Final Four. Mississippi State's upset of UConn is one of the greatest games I've ever covered, regardless of sport. (Random fact, I've covered 3 Women's Final Fours between 2008-2017 and never seen UConn win a game.) The title game lacked the same drama, but I'll never forget Aja Wilson's celebration; the video I shot of her dancing with the pep band is one of my favorite tweets ever. As a fan: Shalane Flanagan winning the NYC Marathon, and Des Linden winning Boston; Missy Franklin, a huge local star here in Denver, dominating at the London Olympics; watching the Women's World Cup this summer with my 3 YO daughter -- the first sporting event she actually "got." Listening to her talking about the "girl with the purple hair" and then posing after kicking a soccer ball made me melt.
omg, Lindsay, I'm crying thinking about your daughter posing after kicking a soccer ball!!
omg I cried so much when Shalane won NYC. What a moment.
Huh! That UConn playoff loss only streak is pretty funny, I wonder what the odds would be on that
So so many.
2019 NCAA Women's Soccer Finals, Stanford over UNC in PKs. The entire second half, all of overtime, and the shootout were insane.
2019 WNBA All Star Weekend. Duh. Amazing community with WNBA fans, personnel, and media.
LPGA Mediheal tournament final rounds the last two years. Playoff drama + players stopping mid-round to give kids gloves and balls. The most accessible sport there is for fans.
Portland Region NCAA Tournament - Sabrina & Co. taking Oregon to their first Final Four over Teaira McCowan and Mississippi State.
Stanford over eventual NCAA Champion Baylor on the Farm last fall.
Muguruza over Serena in the 2016 French Open final. Super sad for Serena (and annoying to be one of the only fans in the crowd cheering for her), but amazing tennis from Muguruza.
Jordan, I need you to make my 2020 travel schedule! Jealous of all of these. (Especially the French Open, since that's big-time on my bucket list.)
I especially can't wait to make it to an LPGA tournament this year -- I've heard wonders about how accessible the players are.
I was lucky enough to witness Jill Ellis’ last game ever in person. It was my first time seeing the uswnt in person as well and just so inspiring overall.
ANOTHER ONE. Seeing Canada women’s basketball win gold IN TORONTO in 2015. We played the US (who had no WNBA players) but the fan base TURNED UP. When Natalie Achonwa finished an And One and then STARED DOWN THE CAMERA, you knew it was ON. Kia Nurse went OFF and it was the moment it was like “hi, Canada is here and we are very good at basketball too, bitches. let’s roll.” I have never been in such a hyped environment, I think every woman in the stands was crying when the game was over.
WOW, I did not know this had happened but I love it. Getting chills just thinking about that Natalie Achonwa stare.
It was at the panam games, and canada went all in on it because they were in toronto. the US sent their C team, id say, it was all college stars. Canada had 2 WNBA players i think, Kia wasn’t in the league yet. Breanna Stewart was the US’s star player at the time. We were sitting in the end zone and the stare was in our direction and on the big screen and it was DEADLY. Oh I hope they make the 2020 olympics!!
I can't remember which year exactly this was, early in the decade I’m sure, but I got to see Serena Williams at the Cincinnati Masters tournament. It was an early round, and I got a great seat close to the action. Serena was playing poorly in the first set (and my apologies to her opponent, whose name I don't remember), and you could see her frustration with herself rising. During a break in the action, she paced vigorously behind the baseline and yelled at herself to get it in gear. She then proceeded to absolutely mow down her opponent, in the greatest display of athletic force I’ve ever seen in person. Getting to see both her physical and mental game play out like that was astonishing.
omg, i love this so much -- i LOVE when you get to see an athlete dig down deep and compete, especially in person.
Despite playing four different sports as a girl, I haven't paid attention to any women's sports on a sustained basis in literal decades. That changed when I watched the Women's World Cup this year. When the WWC was over I was excited to discover that there was a NWSL team near me. So close I'd played in the same sports complex without realizing! Although I've since been to six different women's soccer games since the WWC, the first was probably my favorite. I got to see Alyssa Naeher making saves from maybe twenty feet away. I want to see all the NWSL teams playing in big stadiums but until they do there's something special about the closeness that these small-time fields allow.
This is so incredible!! And I love to hear that the WWC inspired you to follow more closely -- that's what it's all about!
It's pretty rare for me to be able to go to a live women's sporting event because of where I live and how difficult it is to get time off at my job. But a couple years ago I was able to get the time off and visit my sister in Chicago. Somehow, I managed to get a week where the Sky, the Red Stars, and the Bandits all had home games. The only sport my sister cares about at all is MMA, but she gamely went to each game with me. It was quite the adventure; she'd never been to any of the stadiums before and we got lost a couple times on our way. She also spilled my beer at every game we went to, and now I don't buy beer at any crowded live event.
hahahaha, i love this so much! (except for the spileld beer part) -- I can't imagine seeing all 3 in one weekend, what an experience. And props to your sister -- hopefully you converted a fan!
My mom, who is the same age as Pat Summit who is her life-long hero, went to the 2008 NCAA final four. She snuck down to the main level to watch Pat and her team celebrate what would be Pats last championship title, only to discover that the woman she was next to was PATS MOM. Not my moment but I am so glad my mom has such a special memory. She grew up playing sports and got her three daughters into sports. As a result, two of us played basketball in college and the third is a professional golfer.
LOL MISSED OF THE DECADE. Probably watching Canada win bronze in the 2012 Olympics in soccer. Christine Sinclair is a LEGEND and that game is probably the best soccer game ever. I was watching it alone and kept screaming.
this is beautiful! and i'm so glad you missed the "of the decade" because that means we got to hear the pat summit story, and pat summit stories are always welcome.
Pat Summit forever. I never really understood or appreciated how hard my mom and Pat and other women of their generation had it growing up. I had a mom who was a MAJOR sports fan and put us in sports and got us a weird TV package so we could watch NCAA women’s basketball in Canada and got us tickets to any sporting thing we wanted that came to our neck of Canada (which wasn’t many LOL) and just damn. I was a lucky one.
That's incredible. I so wish i'd gotten to see a Tennessee game while Pat was coaching
Seeing the Dallas Wings play their opening home game as a team in 2016. I don't think I realized beforehand how much that moment would mean to me, being surrounded by people in my hometown who weren't ashamed to be cheering for women's sports. That game also had the most diverse crowd that I have ever been surrounded by in terms of race, sexuality, age group. I'll never forget it.
I’m so grateful that I and my whole family were in the stadium for the 2015 Women’s World Cup and witnessed Carli Lloyd’s amazing hat trick and the USWNT earning the right to add the third star on their jersey. I love this experience because i) it validated my half-joke of the team being able to win only if I’m in attendance*; ii) my sons were part of this global party celebrating the excellence of female athletes; iii) we got to revel in being part of a sports mob without once having to be afraid of being harmed in any way.
*I was also at the Rose Bowl for the 1999 USWNT World Cup win; fortunately for them, the USWNT has broken free of this spell and won the 2019 WC without my personal presence at the stadum.
I was there too, and I got to be in tv celebrating the goal! I’ll never forget this, and from now on we’ve decided we have to go to every WWC.
Incredible! Sounds like a plan to me!!
Easy. Watching my alma mater, American University, make the NCAA Tournament in basketball for the first time in school history in 2015. We'd made the finals in our conference tournaments over the years too many times to count. But we finally made it that year, and I was watching along with former players and classmates of mine from the '80s who'd come into town to watch. And what made it most poignant for me was that one of those ex-players, who was in my class of 1987, was terminally ill with cancer. She was a friend and a great supporter of the program, and remains one of the nicest and most decent people that I've known. That cancer took her from us a few months later seemed especially cruel. But we had a wonderful, meaningful day together that day, and I will never forget it.
This one's easy for me because it happened less than a month ago: watching Purdue women's volleyball win NCAA tournament matches in Holloway - they hadn't hosted first- and second-round matches since 2011, the year before I first had season tickets. The atmosphere was amazing, the Boilers played really, really well, and after both matches, they improvised their usual victory lap around the court and came up into the stands to thank fans for supporting them. They didn't get any farther (losing to #1 Baylor and Yossiana Pressley is ... understandable, shall we say) but those two matches were unforgettable.
Purdue volleyball is on my list for next year!
This kicked off the decade, but has stuck with me throughout "The Courage of Jill Costello" - the Cal Women's Coxswain who fought terminal cancer to lead her boat at NCAA's in 2010. She passed away just a few weeks after the race. I can't recommend this story enough, if you want some perspective on everything.
https://www.si.com/vault/2010/11/29/106011520/the-courage-of-jill-costello
Michigan Wolverines' women's lacrosse has only existed for six seasons, and last season they were expected to languish at the bottom of the Big Ten again. Instead, they opened the season on a crazy winning streak, finished third in the Big Ten, and ended up hosting two NCAA Tournament games in Ann Arbor. I attended both, and got to watch them win the first NCAA Tournament game in Michigan Lacrosse history, for either gender.
The other is also from last year, when Michigan hosted an NCAA Women's Gymnastics Regional. Michigan came in second which was good enough to advance to the national semifinals, and it was cool getting to watch Michigan perform so well on the national stage. But what was especially cool was that UCLA was sent to the Ann Arbor regional. They absolutely kicked Michigan's ass, but I got to see several former Olympians live, as well as Katelyn Ohashi and her viral floor routine.
Just a couple of weeks ago at the National High School Athletic Directors' Conference, over 100 female athletic directors from across the nation came together to connect, network and support each other amidst the "good ole boys club" (the 1000's of other male athletic directors). Connect with us on facebook - please share the word if you know of any other female h.s. athletic directors. https://www.facebook.com/TheGlobalCommunityofWomeninHighSchoolSports/?eid=ARA7UvRwgVwj4XDJXUcSZUD4L62CkyMe67C_1QyE_JOWx1H5dDZUaQIX_2T4OwzPcgc9yAlsb6Mk-bme
-2010 NCAA Championship - UConn/Stanford in San Antonio
- 2010 Met Jackie Joyner Kersee on a USO tour in Baghdad
-2011 US Open - Post Iraq deployment so spent the time day drinking front row with my cousins, first time I saw Rafa and Serena in person and she signed my cocktail glass
- 2016 - Katie Ledecky in the Austin swim series
-2019 WWC Final with my god daughter joyously crying for the full 90
- 2019 Women's Team Gymnastics Final in Stuggart
The Seattle Storm's roster was depleted this year, with Breanna Stewart and Sue Bird both out all season. There were a lot of question marks about how they'd do. Watching Jordin Canada grow into her role as the #1 point guard, and make it her own, was a pleasure all season. The epitome for me was in the last home game of the season, she got a steal and ran back for a layup through contact for the and-1. It was awesome.
Gotta be covering Morgan William's shot, Mississippi State vs. UConn, especially after having covered 98-38 the year before. Either that or the time I sat next to Lindsay Gibbs in the press box (press table?) at the 2018 WNBA Finals.
i don't know about the latter, but i'm so jealous you were there for the former i can't stand it. One of my main goals this year is to get to the Final Four!
Late to the game (pun intended) but being a part of the USWNT victory tour attendance record in Philly and being at Game 3 of the WNBA finals. A member of the media took an iconic picture of EDD high fiving my daughter; I made it into a t shirt and gave it to her for Christmas.
This was the decade that my husband and son began to really appreciate women's sports. We were all in for the Women's World Cups and my husband got all 3 of us 4 stars shirts for Xmas. Last year I put on some WNBA games and they both got excited about how good the games were and began to follow women's basketball more closely. In this decade my son has gone from 9 to 19 and is now majoring in sports journalism at Ohio University. I feel good that he sees women's sports as sports to be followed, respected, covered, and enjoyed.
My best friend is now the head coach of the women's basketball program at a local high school! She's a fantastic coach and role model for these girls. Their best players graduated so they've got a year or two of rebuilding but she's keeping them motivated, in good spirits and working hard. The best part is she's 5'2'' and the entire team is taller than her :)
Earlier this year my friend Janice and I traveled to Japan to watch our beloved Seattle Mariners play in the MLB Opening Series. However, the highlight of our trip ended up being watching the Japan Women’s Baseball League in Kyoto. I had learned about the league through Burn It All Down. It was their opening day so there was lots of pageantry and celebration. However, we don’t speak Japanese so couldn’t understand the announcers. Despite that the energy and culture of baseball in Japan is AMAZING. I ended up catching an autographed ball and we had so much fun. If you have the opportunity watch baseball in Japan do it and even more so if it’s a JWBL game.
Also I’ve become a huge University of Washington volleyball fan the last several years. Those ladies are amazing and getting to watch such high level volleyball is incredible. The PAC-12 is such a solid league and it’s a joy to get to watch it on a regular basis.
Following the AMAZING journey and support for elite runner Gabe Grunewald, former runner for the University of Minnesota. She performed at her best while dealing with cancer... https://bravelikegabe.org
One of my favorite memories as a sports fan is watching Katie Ledecky dominate the 800 Meters in the 2016 Olympics. She was mesmerizing. Really, every Ledecky or Simone Biles performance in that Olympics was must-see TV.
Whoops, these were sports-on-TV moments, not "in person" moments!
Sooo many to put only so much time.
- I stayed up to watch UConn lose in the Final 4 to Miss St. in 2017. I was in a hotel room, my whole family was a sleep in the beds next to me. They lost and I started crying, but somehow I knew it a great change for women’s basketball.
- I went to the USA women’s basketball vs japan in 2018 at GW Univ. I met Coach T (Mystics), Sue Bird, Breanna Stewart AND Geno Auriemma. It was a night to remember.
- March 2, 2018: right after the US Women’s Hockey team brought home gold. My schools had a day where they cancelled school because the winds were crazy (I know, super weak, but hey no school) and my friend told me the team was holding a meet and greet at our local skate rink. We went early, waited in line forever, but we finally got to meet, take pictures, and get autographs from the team. It was awesome and they were so great.
- Final one I will put, although it is not even close to the end, is going to the Mystics games this year. All 8 of them. It was the summer before my first year of college and I decided I wanted to go to as many games as I could before moving to connecticut, and then, they played conn in the championship! talk about dreams coming true. I met multiple Mystics legends in the food court at mohegan before game 4. Even though I wasn’t there for game 5, this is probably the highlight of my decade.
I was in the Netherlands earlier this year and I convinced the friend I was visiting to come and watch the local women's soccer team, VV Alkmaar. It was a great game, Alkmaar scoring twice in the final four minutes to force a 2-2 tie. However, just getting to see my very non-sporting friend experience the joy seeing women's soccer was a great moment.
I got to see Serena Williams and Victoria Azarenka play in the second round of Indian Wells this year. Such a quality match and so exciting to see two of my favorites. I hope that both of them could have big 2020s.
Too many to list, as my daughter came up through an NWSL academy system that was well supported by the players, many of whom and now friends.
The highlight was being able to host an international player, far from home, for Thanksgiving dinner.
I've covered 4 NCAA Volleyball tournaments for Mizzou's student radio station, KCOU 88.1 FM. Three were in person and one was in studio. Those three are tied for first. (2016, 2018, and 2019 in person and 2017 in studio). The other one that is very close to first is going to the NCAA WBB tournament in 2019 when Mizzou went to Iowa City and faced Drake and Iowa. Those are experiences I will never forget!
LOVE this. I saw my very first in-person NCAA volleyball when I was in the Bay Area earlier this month, I drove down to Stanford to watch Stanford beat Utah and Penn State beat Cincy. I was absolutely amazed at how fun the sport is to watch in person. Definitely going to put more on my calendar in 2020.
I was at the WNIT final in 2017 where Michigan beat Georgia Tech in triple overtime. I was just starting to go to women’s basketball games and dragging my mom with me, and this definitely helped convert her into a person who loves watching sports. In the last year, she has come with me to women’s hockey, soccer and basketball games! I don’t think I’ve ever been in a more intense atmosphere than we experienced in the OT periods at the WNIT championship. The players on both teams were incredible. Nearly 3 years later now and I’m still a little stunned when I think about being able to witness that game.
So many great women's sports moments in this decade, it's hard to choose! I'm going to go with the UCLA vs Oklahoma gymnastics Together We Rise meet in 2018. They honored the survivors with an incredibly touching video by the amazing Deanna Hong. Not a dry eye in the house.
During the inaugural season of the NWHL, the Riveters were doing a promotion at the Roots store in downtown NYC. I got there *very early* figuring there would be a line, but there was not, so I got to have a conversation with some of them and was absolutely starstruck. Jenny Scrivens, Nana Fujimoto, Sydney Kidd, and Bray Ketchum. I was on cloud nine for the rest of the day*!
My goal for the next decade is to attend more women's sports in person, and my dream would be to attend a taping of American Ninja Warrior. The strides that women have made in ANW over the last few seasons has been a great story, and I would love to see some of them run the course in person!
*I went into the store and splurged on a few things because I had just been promised a promotion at work, which also contributed to the cloud-nine-ness. Six months later the promotion still hadn't come so I left that job and NYC altogether, but annoyingly those two things are always linked in my brain. But that's okay! I still have my signed poster from those four women hanging in my office.
Hi! My #1 was watching the USWNT win the 2015 World Cup in Vancouver! When I walked into the stadium and saw the pitch, there were tears! #2 Just happened last month when my Oregon Ducks beat the USA Olympic Team!!! Watching Sabrina play in person is a REAL treat!
I took my kids to their first-ever hockey game, Rivs vs. Whale, at the old Aviator Center in Brooklyn. Much to my surprise, those punks from Connecticut ran our goalie and a massive fight broke out, not 10 feet in front of us. My kids were shocked. I was shocked, but also a little bit thrilled. There was one little girl in our section who had played in the pee-wee game between periods and I saw her down by the glass, banging on it and yelling at the players. On the way home, my daughter said, "Daddy, the Connecticut Whale are a good team, but they bring too much violence to the game." Player Safety put up a video of the fight to document all the suspensions they handed out and you could see our whole family right there in the stands, making memories together.
I've been pretty lucky, but 2 standout:
-watching a former teammate swim for her home country of Greece at the 1996 Olympics.
-Taking a group of students to the USWNT's 2nd game at the World Cup this summer in Paris. It was such a great experience for all of us.
Oops..I didn't see "of the decade"! I'm sorry.
Watching Katie Ledecky & Simone Manuel at the 2017 US Swimming World Championship Trials was my other favorite fro the decade.