http://www.youthnoise.com/playcity/blog/ We love sports, and we love our communities. We have a hard time sitting still, and we have this crazy idea that we can change the world. Play City is a fusion of these two passions -- a hyperactive need to move and a genuine desire to make a difference. www.youthnoise.com/PlayCity en-us Thu, 20 Nov 2008 17:59:09 GMT http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss playcity@youthnoise.org http://www.youthnoise.com/playcity/blog/view/12789 Thu, 20 Nov 2008 17:59:09 GMT To them, it was a sport, said Suffolk County district attorney Tomas J. Spota, referencing hate crimes committed by a group of teens in Long Island earlier this month. The New York Times reports that one of the teens a star athlete at his high school has been accused of stabbing a 37-year-old Hispanic man to death. Pretty twisted sport, if you ask me. Earlier today, our awesome neighbor Jess brought freshly baked cinnamon buns to our house. Somehow, while chatting over cups of tea and warm cinnamon buns, we got into a discussion about white supremacist and neo-Nazi groups. I know; it s a pretty disturbing topic for a mid-afternoon tea break. I was reminded of a series of hate crimes that took place in my home state of Maine. Several years ago, a large Somali in-migration entered Lewiston a mid-sized town in Maine, which at that time was the whitest state in the nation. A bunch of town residents began freaking out, claiming that the Somalis were ruining the cultural integrity of the community, putting stress on social programs, stealing jobs, all of the usual stupid arguments that white people make to avoid looking into their own racist belief systems. The town mayor wrote a letter to one of the leaders in the local Somali community, kindly asking them to stop moving to Lewiston. (Is it actually possible to kindly ask an entire racial group to go elsewhere? That doesn t seem like a very kind request.) Anyway, white supremacists and neo-Nazis all around the country got wind of the local struggle going down in Lewiston, and decided to travel to Maine to help push the Somalis out. Then the rest of Maine and New England heard about the neo-Nazi rally going down in Lewiston, and decided to organize a pro-diversity rally on the same day. What ended up happening was really quite beautiful. The pro-diversity crew outnumbered the neo-Nazis by a long shot. Hundreds of people from near and far came together to welcome and celebrate the Somali community in our state. The neo-Nazi gathering looked pretty pathetic in comparison. They made a really amazing documentary about the struggle, called The Letter. [Below: The official trailer to The Letter.] Hate is not a sport. If team sports have taught us anything, it s that we rely upon community, understanding, trust, and a basic respect for our teammates in order to win. I wish that teenage star athlete from New York could have learned this before he adopted violence as a sport . I ve heard arguments that diversity in both college and pro sports has helped to alleviate some racial tension in this country; these days, we consistently see Black, Latino, White, Asian, and others with diverse racial identities playing side by side on the field. But we still have a long way to go in the struggle to create safe, hate-free spaces. http://www.youthnoise.com/playcity/blog/view/12789 http://www.youthnoise.com/playcity/blog/view/12786 Thu, 20 Nov 2008 09:28:48 GMT Today when I left my house it was under freezing, the first truly wintry day in recent memory. It took me an extra twenty minutes or so to pick out my clothes before leaving the house because I wanted to make sure I'd be comfortable all day. It paid off, and all day I've been listening to people around me complain that they're uncomfortably cold. The way I figure it, if people have been able to survive in Russia and Alaska for the past thousand years, there's no excuse to get flustered by slightly sub-freezing conditions. You just need to be prepared. If you don't want to let cold weather stop you from getting your outdoor activity time in, you need to dress right. If you wear too little, you'll freeze, but if you wear the wrong clothes you'll get soggy, sweaty, and chilled by the cold sweat trapped in your clothes. The layer of clothing closest to your skin should be made of a material that wicks moisture away from your body, so that your skin doesn't get wet and cold as your body warms up. Silk and Wool are common natural materials that wick water away pretty well. Cotton, on the other hand, will absorb moisture and make you cold, so watch out for cotton base clothing. The clothing should be tight, so that no sweat hangs out on your skin and gives you chills, either. The next layer is your mid-layer. It should be a little bit looser. The final layer is your outerwear, and the most important thing for cold-weather outerwear to do is protect your body from wind chills and precipitation. There's nothing worse than getting suited up in cotton clothes, thinking your about to be really warm, and then feeling a gust of wind rip right through the porous fibers. There are a number of different moisture-wicking materials, and many of them are man made. Synthetic fibers do a remarkable job of getting moisture away from your body, but there are some health hazards involved in the use of synthetic fibers, especially when they're close to your skin. Synthetic fibers can irritate skin and the breathing process in some individuals, and their long term effects are still not totally understood. Clothing made with cotton that was grown using harmful chemicals is very common as well, and lots of common clothing materials are known to give off particles that aren't exactly good for you. One easy way to counter this is to buy used clothing, which has in theory already given off a significant fraction of its harmful biproducts. Dress right and you'll enjoy being outside a lot more, shop smart and you'll be healthier while supporting local businesses instead of Wal-Mart type chain stores or the fashion industry. http://www.youthnoise.com/playcity/blog/view/12786 http://www.youthnoise.com/playcity/blog/view/12783 Wed, 19 Nov 2008 21:24:36 GMT I'm here in the great state of California - you know, the one that managed to uphold Proposition 8, which bans the rights of same-sex couple to marry. (And NO it wasn't African-Americans' fault that the legislation didn't pass - unfortunatley, the Prop 8 organizers took for granted some communities and failed to strategize their campaign effectively to combat the pro-Proposition 8 crowd). In any event, I recently found out that Washington D.C. is in the running to host the 2014 Gay Games. According to The Hoya, the purpose of Gay Games is to promote and empower gay athletes - and other talents, like musicians/artists. Kelly Stevens, the Officer of Communications for the Federation of Gay Games said this: I would describe the Gay Games as a celebration of human rights through sport and culture. I found this video on YouTube that serves as a preview for the 2010 Gay Games in Cologne. Of course I couldn't avoid reading the comments posted below the video. It was interesting to read what people thought about the video and about the idea of having a Gay Games. While most agreed that the presentation of the video was cool, some chimmed in stating that it isn't necessary for a Gay Games to even exist. Take for instance these exchanges: This is so amazingly [expletive] stupid. What would sexual orientation have to do with athletic ability? Why don't they just compete in the regular olympics? One commenter responded: The best do. And win medals, too. Good one! Also note how this commenter used the word regular to describe the Olympics, as if the Gay Games would be irregular? In what way, I wonder. And what constitutes something that's regular, or what I interpret this commenter to mean, as 'normal'? Interesting use of the English language, I'd say. And this comment: I am gay but i can still play sports and not get a [expletive]. you think because your Gay you cant play sports with other. [Note: Many thanks to YouTube users for all the great expletives - and making my job as a blogger that much more tedious!] Now of course we have to take these comments with a grain of salt - especially considering we have no idea who these people are behind their computer screens (for all we know these comments could be manipulated just to make a point). But what about the argument that questions the idea of having a separate games for Gay athletes - as if to send a message that gay athletes can only feel a certain kind of empowerment when participating in a gay friendly environment. I covered the Beijing Summer Olympics quite extensively on PlayCity and in doing so I learned about openly gay Olympians. I also covered stories about gay athletes who struggle in various realms of organized sports. Bottom line: it ain't easy. I'm not sure what the answer is (or if there necessarily has to be a definitive answer). One could also bring into the debate the idea of historically black colleges (HBCs) - but again, we'd probably run the risk of replicating the same argument currently going on in the news concerning the Civil Rights movement for African-Americans and gay rights. The saga continues . . . What do you think?? http://www.youthnoise.com/playcity/blog/view/12783 http://www.youthnoise.com/playcity/blog/view/12770 Tue, 18 Nov 2008 21:11:48 GMT CARE - a non profit organization whose mission is to mission is to serve individuals and families in the poorest communities in the world. Drawing strength from our global diversity, resources and experience, we promote innovative solutions and are advocates for global responsibility - has partnered up with Nike to help promote women's sports in Rwanda. The idea is to encourage sport in play in a country largely impacted by poverty. Women of Rwanda can become empowered and build necessary communication skils through sport. Other partners in this effort include Women Win, and CARE ambassador Sheila Johnson, the President of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA)- and the FIRST ever African-American female to own a professional sports team. I found a video on YouTube made by Rwanda women, some of whom are disabled, and who coach other Rwandan women in various sports. Though this video is not directly related to the program sponsored by CARE and Nike, you'll find it just as inspiring to watch these women building strong coalitions through sport and play. http://www.youthnoise.com/playcity/blog/view/12770 http://www.youthnoise.com/playcity/blog/view/12769 Tue, 18 Nov 2008 20:47:40 GMT World middleweight boxing champion Laila Ali has more going for her than stellar athletic ability. As the youngest daughter of world-renowned boxing champ Muhammad Ali, she has some pretty big shoes to fill. But she proved her boxing worth right from the get-go when she knocked out her very first opponent without a hitch. That was back in 99. Since then, Laila has kept rocking the ring and using her time in the spotlight to advocate for positive social change. Ali currently serves on the board of trustees for the Women s Sports Foundation, a nonprofit that seeks to advance the lives of girls and women through sport and physical activity. She works for better health and fitness through her partnerships with the American Diabetes Alliance and the Nation s Food Bank Network, which helps to alleviate hunger for low-income children in the United States. She has participated in fundraisers for ONE: The Campaign to Make Poverty History. She is an outspoken advocate of women and girls in sports, and also addresses the specific challenges faced by women of color and low-income women in sports. Rock on, Laila. Watch this short video segment where Laila talks about how media representations affect young people, women, and people of color. http://www.youthnoise.com/playcity/blog/view/12769 http://www.youthnoise.com/playcity/blog/view/12767 Tue, 18 Nov 2008 17:39:54 GMT When I think about Football, I usually think of American Football, the kind of football that involves huge shoulder pads and helmets that make the players look like futuristic robots. I think of football as a uniquely American game, but the truth is that it's just one of many different variations on old football and rugby games from the British Isles. The oldest known game of its type seems to be Cnapan , which was played in the area that is now Wales during the middle ages. The sport doesn't seem to have been institutionalized at all, and there were no official rules. Rather, peasants would run around punting and throwing slippery, greased up wooden balls in teams based on localities. Over time, various sets of rules emerged in different regions, and football sports as we know them came into existence. Rugby Football is the term used to describe football sports other than soccer, sports which involve the use of athlete's hands, but it wasn't until a man named Walter Camp introduced the line of scrimmage and the concept of 'downs' to rugby football that American football started to become a sport unto itself. For the most part, each different variant of football corresponds to a different geographical piece of the old British Empire. While American football evolved into its strategic, stop and go gameply, types of football emerged in Australia and Ireland which have more to do with the rugby part of rugby football . There's also Canadian Football, which is a lot like American football with a few small tweaks. Although the traditions of established sports are long and held dearly by fans, no game is ever really static. Rules are constantly revised and sports are constantly changing. There's nobody saying that you can't make up a new set of rules for your favorite sport if you like. If other people like the changes, you could create a whole new game. You never know. http://www.youthnoise.com/playcity/blog/view/12767 http://www.youthnoise.com/playcity/blog/view/12759 Mon, 17 Nov 2008 21:03:12 GMT Riding home from Manhattan today, I steered my bike off the side of a bike path, into a patch of grass, up a little hill and around in a few circles. It was cold out and cyclists on the bike path looked at me-- I don't know if they were disapproving or just curious, but I realize how infrequently the average bike commuter sees a seemingly adult-aged individual behaving so unpredictably. I don't usually do things like that myself, either, but today I felt an urge to put a little bit of fun into my commute. I hadn't ever thought about it before, but those stares made me realize the profound difference between riding a bike for fun and using a bike as a vehicle. What I was doing on my bike is playing with it like a toy. When someone calls the bicycle a toy, a lot of people take offense because for the purpose of traffic safety, the bicycle should be treated by automobile drivers (and the law) as a vehicle. In the streets of Amsterdam, cyclists have about the same amount of roadway space as motorists and cyclists obey rules of traffic very similar to the rules that automobile drivers follow. It works pretty efficiently. The Dutch regulatory approach to bike traffic is good for the environment, good for reducing road accidents, and good for the residents of a given city or town. It isn't great for unstructured, all-out fun though. Sometimes, it's fun to treat a bike somewhat like a toy-- as long as it's safe, I suppose. http://www.youthnoise.com/playcity/blog/view/12759 http://www.youthnoise.com/playcity/blog/view/12753 Mon, 17 Nov 2008 10:33:09 GMT Pittsburgh is digging an underwater tunnel for an expansion to its light rail line, the T . The construction will cut both car traffic and foot traffic congestion on the bridge leading to Heinz Field on game days. Fans rejoice; some taxpayers grumble about costs. But taxpayers always grumble about costs. I dig the digging. Any effort to improve public transit also improves the urban landscape. It gives people more transportation options, which leads to fewer cars on the road. Fewer cars means less air pollution, less noise pollution, fewer traffic-related fatalities (auto crashes are the leading cause of death for young people), and less reliance on foreign oil. Improving public transit also improves the lives of poor people. You gotta have moolah to own and operate a car (gas, insurance, parking, car payments, maintenance, oil changes, oh, ad nauseum!). Any major public investment in urban highways at the expense of investment in urban mass transit disproportionately benefits those with money. Trust me- I m ready to put up a mean fight to ensure mobility for working class and poor people in urban regions. Here in Chicago, sports may also serve as an excuse to beef up public transit. As Mayor Daley and other city officials drool over the distinct possibility of winning the 2016 Olympic Bid, our urban transportation system remains one of the Olympic Committee s concerns. If Chicago ends up winning the bid, the city will probably need to increase public transit access and capacity to meet the terms and conditions of the deal. While there are many other social concerns that shouldn t be overlooked (such as displacement of poor people during the Olympic construction process, more gentrification to follow), my point is that sporting events and sports enthusiasts can have a significant impact on our urban landscape and mass transit systems. http://www.youthnoise.com/playcity/blog/view/12753 http://www.youthnoise.com/playcity/blog/view/12748 Sun, 16 Nov 2008 14:45:57 GMT When I was in high school I remember there being a fairly constant debate about cheerleading-- namely, whether or not it was 'a sport'. Ultimately, I think it's a silly argument to have in the first place, as it all boils down to semantics-- tiny details about the precise definition of 'sport' or 'cheerleading' support people's arguments as to why it should or shouldn't be called a sport. Cheerleading as we know it began at college football games in the nineteenth century, when squads of cheerleaders began to organize fans into chants and cheers on the sidelines. Over time, the cheerleaders devised intricate routines of their own that moved from shouting rhymes into physical performance, human pyramids and acrobatic maneuvers. Now cheerleading has become a competitive sport in its own right, and high-level competitions often run on ESPN. Cheerleading complicates normal definitions of sport a little bit because it isn't always competitive, and because it started as a way of supporting athletes in another sport. But not all sports are competitive, anyway. Fixating on whether or not cheerleading is a sport is totally missing the point. Cheerleaders get a ton of exercise, and do some pretty cool acrobatics in the process. The balance, precision, and strength needed to excel in cheerleading are good qualities for people to cultivate, sport or not. I think that cheerleading is more interesting in an environment where it really stands on its own, though. The idea of a cheerleading squad standing on the sidelines and cheering for football players really doesn't sit right with me-- I think that both sports would be better off shining in their own right. If cheerleading squads lost the stigma of existing to cheer on other athletes, I think the overall level of respect for the sport would increase. The high-flying kind of cheerleading that has emerged over the past half-century or so isn't without problems, though. Because the sport changed so quickly and became so competitive, more cheerleading squads are pushing their limits, and kids are getting hurt. This article on LiveScience says that cheerleading is the most injury-producing activity that a high school or college aged female can be involved in. So if anyone out there is involved in cheerleading, be safe! http://www.youthnoise.com/playcity/blog/view/12748 http://www.youthnoise.com/playcity/blog/view/12745 Sun, 16 Nov 2008 11:42:40 GMT As some of you may already know, the Homeless World Cup is right around the corner (December 1-7th in Melbourne, Austrailia). This will be the first time HWC features an all women's tournement. Several weeks ago, I posted about the Women's World cup and featured a video on Cherie Sayon. Watch clip below - in case you missed it. HWC is also partnering up with Women Win for the development of women s grass roots football in Colombia. Women Win empowers girls and women worldwide through sport. One of the most interesting ideas coming from Women Win's mission is that they believe sports can be a useful way for women to enhance their social networks. We all *get* that sports can help women stay healthy and provide self-esteem, but we normally don't consider women using sport as a means to build their social networks. This is important, however. Networking, particularly at the grassroots level, helps build strong coalitions and provides a means through which important ideas can be developed. Kudos to Women Win and the Homeless World Cup for proving that we can work together through sport to build a better and brighter future for under-represented communities. http://www.youthnoise.com/playcity/blog/view/12745 http://www.youthnoise.com/playcity/blog/view/12744 Sun, 16 Nov 2008 11:23:15 GMT A few weeks ago I told you about Anne Mahlum's organization Back on My Feet whose mission is promote the self-sufficiency of Philadelphia s homeless population by engaging them in running as a means to build confidence, strength and self-esteem. It looks like Ms. Mahlum is up for the CNN Hero of the Year award an award worth a whopping $100,000! If you recall, CNN ran a feature about Back on My Feet a few weeks ago. Here's the video in case you missed it. While there are lots of other wonderful folks up for the award, I really find Mahlum's story the most inspiring of them all. We here at YN want to encourage you to watch the story on CNN about Back on My Feet and vote Anne Mahlum hero of the year by November 20th! http://www.youthnoise.com/playcity/blog/view/12744 http://www.youthnoise.com/playcity/blog/view/12730 Fri, 14 Nov 2008 08:50:37 GMT Yeah, most of us have heard about the debate over Native American mascots. It's an old argument, but after all these years it still hasn't been resolved. It s not disrespecting the tribes; it's honoring them, argue proponents. They defend the 'right' to use Native mascots to represent sports teams. In Whose Honor? It s a valid question and is also the title of a documentary about the controversy. Indigenous activists maintain that using Native language, war chants, mock tomahawk throws, and other savage stereotypes (all frequently seen at games) does not honor Native Americans. The teams using Native titles do not represent Native culture. These teams (owned and operated by non-Natives) appropriate indigenous imagery at the expense of basic human respect. They sell t-shirts and mugs displaying offensive images for the profit of team owners and colleges not for the benefit of tribal members. Although many schools around the country have changed their derogatory team names and stereotyped mascots, the fight is far from over. I m actually pretty appalled that we re still fighting. It makes me kind of sick every time I see a Redskins cap hitching a ride atop a fan s head while shamelessly promoting the misuse and abuse of Native imagery. I checked the Redskins website to see what they had to say about the issue. Their response is a complete lack of acknowledgment. Apparently, the issue isn t important enough for them to address. I guess they needed to save space on their website for the Redskins cheerleader swimsuit calendar. Florida State University cut a deal with the leaders in the Seminole tribe for the rights to use Chief Osceola as their football mascot. So why then, do peaceful Native rights protestors silently stand outside the gates at every FSU game to oppose the Indian mascot? Answer: They don t believe that dignity can be bought and sold. Think about another example: What if a college decided to use a different derogatory racial stereotype for a team mascot, perhaps a black face minstrel performer? What if that team wanted to buy the rights to that image from the African American community? What if they found a leader willing to sell those rights? And what if other community members still felt deeply offended by that image? Too bad, I suppose. At least that s the message we re getting from many sports teams across the country. Ugh...the argument rages on... [Below: two segments from the documentary Savage Country: American Indian Mascots ] http://www.youthnoise.com/playcity/blog/view/12730 http://www.youthnoise.com/playcity/blog/view/12726 Thu, 13 Nov 2008 13:53:54 GMT So, I'm winding down on a typical Tuesday night. I turn on the tube to watch the Colbert Report (I just love that guy!). Mid-way through the show Colbert introduces former NBA player Kevin Johnson - that is, Mayor-Elect Kevin Johnson of Sacramento, California. Kevin Johnson will be the first African-American mayor of Sacramento. Johnson told Colbert that folks around town call him Little Obama. Watch Colbert clip HERE. Obama is the 44th and Johnson is the 55th, but both share the unique distinction of being the first in their fields to lead an executive political office. While there was some distinct resistance against Johnson running for office (namely past allegations of sexual assault), it appears that these allegations weren't enough to pursuade Sacramentans not to vote for the former NBA point guard. Click HERE for video. I remember growing up (eh-hem during the 90's) watching KJ and Charles take the Phoenix Suns all the way to the playoffs. No rings though (and Colbert makes sure KJ remembered he never won a championship - see Colbert clip again). While on the one hand I'm happy that Saramento finally leaped into the 21st century by electing a person of color to executive office, I still feel uncomfortable about KJ's past. Photos courtesy of ESPN.com and Freshneasybuzz.blogspot http://www.youthnoise.com/playcity/blog/view/12726 http://www.youthnoise.com/playcity/blog/view/12725 Thu, 13 Nov 2008 11:57:57 GMT I gave up television and video games about eight years ago. I don't really remember if it was a moral decision or a practical one. It could have been based on a growing irritation with viewing unapologetic racist/sexist stereotyping in sitcoms and television shows. It could have stemmed from my disgust regarding advertisers' relentless push to sell trivial (and often ecologically destructive) items. It could have had something to do with the psychological tools marketers employ to make consumers feel that what they have is never good enough. It could have been a realization that I was putting entirely too much time into an activity that I ultimately didn't care much about. Or it might have had more to do with the fact that I moved to a location where I had very limited access to television. It could have simply been a matter of practicality. At the time, I lived at an outdoor-education boarding school where free time was scarce. Between classes, snowboarding, hiking, whitewater kayaking, study hall, homework, eating, sleeping, and the occasional game of late-night manhunt, I honestly didn't have much time to watch television. As years went by, TV became less and less important until I lost interest altogether. Sure, I catch the Colbert Report every now and again, but for the most part I prefer not to be around television or video games very much at all. That said, there's a relatively new phenomenon springing up around the country that uses video games to achieve better health and fitness. Yesterday, USA Today posted an article about Wii's new 'Sports Active' game, which features Oprah's personal trainer, Bob Greene. This interactive game that provides players with a virtual personal trainer will hit stores in March. One of the old arguments against watching television and playing video games is that it leads to higher rates of obesity through inactivity. But Wii shows that not all screen-based entertainment fits this bill. I've always thought that it's far better to get outside and get some exercise than sit in the house. I appreciate sports that require interaction, whether that interaction is with other people through team sports, or with the natural environment through outdoor sports. However, I understand that there are a lot of people who want to get more exercise, but don't know exactly what to do. Some people need more structure in their exercise routines, and some need to work from the comfort of their living rooms. Gyms can be really intimidating places for people who are just starting to get into physical fitness programs. Bicycle and running paths can also be really intimidating when they're filled with marathon competitors and triathletes. Although I hate the idea that we as a culture should have to purchase health and fitness (who needs expensive diet protein bars when you can eat black beans and bananas?), I'm all for doing whatever it takes to encourage healthy lifestyles. If television pilates shows and Wii personal training programs can help people feel good and stay healthy, then please turn off America's Next Top Model and kick it in your living room to Mr. Greene's Wii fitness moves. http://www.youthnoise.com/playcity/blog/view/12725 http://www.youthnoise.com/playcity/blog/view/12721 Thu, 13 Nov 2008 09:36:56 GMT I was watching snowboarding videos from our local terrain park yesterday afternoon when my friend Alex told me that he never feels comfortable in the lineup for jumps and rails. There are a lot of snowboard-jocks who just aren't trying to welcome me he said. He's right, to a certain degree. Whether you're at a mountain, a skate park, or a basketball court, the regulars are usually pretty good, they usually all know each other, and they can seem intimidating when they get together. It makes getting started in a new sport hard sometimes, especially if you stick out from the regulars-- if you're older, younger, or another gender, it can feel like people are staring at you with lasers for eyes. That was the experience of Sally Smith, who began surfing at the age of 32. In an interview with Nina Wu of CoastNews, Smith talked about her experiences kick starting the sport and encountering less-than-friendly attitudes from younger, male surfers. Surfing, in theory, is a sport that everyone should be welcome in-- if you've ever seen Johnny Tsunami, you remember the mantra: waves are for everyone . So why do so many athletes have such a hard time welcoming newcomers, especially women? The media plays a major role in it. When surfing was invented by the Polynesian peoples of modern-day Hawaii, it was a sport that women and men participated in alongside each other. Today, however, surfing is a mega-industry with clothes, videos, magazines and sunglasses marketed to the surfing population. One thread that seems to run through all of the product tie-ins is a dubious depiction of women. I used to subscribe to a few surf magazines, and the amount of women-surfing coverage paled against the omnipresence of women-in-bikinis and women-dropping-water-on-their-t-shirts. Women have always had a place in surfing, but sex sells. Women have always been surfing, but surf mags seem to suggest that a picture of a brawny man shredding waves will sell more copies than a woman surfing, and a female bikini-shot will sell more than a men-with-oily-pecs swimsuit shot. It's marketing, plain and simple. It's unfortunate that it gives so many impressionable kids a skewed perspective on women's contributions to the sport, but there are a number of women and organizations that are holding it down for girls in the lineup. There are magazines, surf shops, and surf schools all dedicated to getting more women on the waves and building a community for those already surfing. There's also the photography of Elizabeth Pepin, which I found to be really awesome. Check it all out! http://www.youthnoise.com/playcity/blog/view/12721 http://www.youthnoise.com/playcity/blog/view/12719 Wed, 12 Nov 2008 16:00:10 GMT Man, memories of my youthful hours spent glued to TV coverage of the X-Games just keep coming back to me. Today, one of our YN team members mentioned a program to me called STOKED, an action sports mentoring project. I went to their website, and it turns out that their spokesperson is Sal Masakela, perhaps the biggest TV personality in 'extreme' sports. Over the years, I've stopped keeping up with big-budget action sport programming, but Sal's using his notoriety to push for a really cool program. Call them whatever you want, these sports have built strong communities capable of teaching kids all kinds of positive life skills. In this video from the STOKED website, a mentor mentions that they prefer to use mentors who are at the same skill levels as the kids they're teaching, so that the participants can learn together, and learn from each other. It's a great idea-- speaking from experience, it can be intimidating to skate with experts when you don't feel up to snuff, and there's a great, electric kind of energy that comes from learning new things with somebody else at your ability level, bouncing energy off of each other. 'Action' sports are a great tool for reaching kids that might be unreachable by other methods, too. Since moving to Brooklyn I've found that a skateboard is the best ticket into kid-world. Skateboarding means being willing to fall on the ground and roll through dirt and dust, something that most grown-ups try to avoid. When a kid sees that you're willing to take a few falls and keep a positive attitude, they know that you're a good role model. STOKED has only gotten off the ground recently, but it seems to me like a program that will have mucho longevity and see awesome results. Check out the blog they've been keeping, and see what they're up to, see if there's a way you can help out or get helped. Stoked! http://www.youthnoise.com/playcity/blog/view/12719 http://www.youthnoise.com/playcity/blog/view/12677 Tue, 11 Nov 2008 16:51:17 GMT The Dream Big Toy Company just announced their new collection of sports-themed dolls for young girls. According to the press release: Go! Go! Sports Girls are designed to be a fun and educational way to promote self-appreciation and the benefits of daily exercise, healthy eating and sleeping habits, self-esteem and overall healthy life-skills for girls, regardless of race and socioeconomic class. Okay. So, here's my two cents. I appreciate the idea of distributing toys to children that promote a positive image for young girls - AND young boys. (I still think the whole socialization of kids through gendered toys is problematic). Go! Go! Sports gets an A for effort. However, besides the toys being incredibly gender-specific (well, at least their not Bratzzzz), the dolls miss the mark when it comes to stereotyping 'race' according to sport. Predictably, the only 'noticeably darker' doll is Taye, and yes, she's the basketball player. And guess what 'color' the tennis player doll is? Yup, very 'noticeably lighter' with blond - no wait - yellow hair. And then there are the ambiguously 'tan-colored' dolls that play soccer, softball, and gymnastics. I'll be fair and give Go! Go! Sports the benefit of the doubt and not automatically assume that this was done intentionally. But even if it wasn't done intentionally, this only suggests that we still hold terrible pre-conceived idea(l)s about race and sports. Argh! Did Go! Go! Sports Girls miss my post on the conundrum facing African-American female athletes?? Seriously, I can send them a copy of my post. No problem, really. Maybe I'm over-reacting, eh, no I'm not. I think that we need to completely rethink how we engage kids through cultural exchange and solidarity-building. Just look at how social entrepreneurs in L.A. are approaching multiculturalism with elementary kids. It's not about branding a mix of identities according to stereotypes but about going beyond all of that and making it so kids understand that just because you're a tall black girl with braids doesn't mean you play basketball or can't play tennis. Or just because you're a skinny white girl doesn't mean you only play tennis and never touch a basketball. http://www.youthnoise.com/playcity/blog/view/12677 http://www.youthnoise.com/playcity/blog/view/12671 Tue, 11 Nov 2008 10:19:49 GMT I scurried up towards the sky, grabbing roots, branches, vines, who knows what. The banyan tree (a.k.a. Strangler s Fig) is a wacky tropical variety that grows up, down, and sideways all at the same time. It sends shoots down from its branches to find ground below for rooting. It wraps its woody veins around other unsuspecting forest plants, strangling out other trees for its own benefit. It s a parasite of sorts, and super fun to climb. [This is my favorite Banyan Tree. S/he/it lives at Rainbow Falls in Hilo, HI.] I ve always been a tree climber. Whether climbing beech trees in the woods of Maine, sugar maples in New Hampshire, eucalyptus in Golden Gate Park, or Banyans in Hawai i, I ve always preferred playing with height instead of fearing it. I met my first professional tree-climber back in high school. He was applying for a teaching position at my school. As we chowed down on a couple of lunch sandwiches, he described the ropes, harnesses, and techniques that professional tree-climbers use. I dropped my grilled cheese onto a pile of soggy potato chips and exclaimed, Man, that s what I wanna do. Professional tree climbing now why didn t I think of that before? Yep, they re called arborists and they get to climb trees for a living. So cool. In Hawai i, I worked with a man who wouldn t call himself an arborist, but he still climbed trees for a living. His name was Ano, known by some locals as the hot machete guy, or the coconut man. He was in the business of saving coconut trees. Many people on the Big Island view coconut trees as a nuisance. The fronds (big heavy leaf type things) fall and damage property; the falling coconuts are downright dangerous. As a result, many property owners, businesses, and government officials simply give the trees the axe. Ano coconut lover extraordinaire offers his services as a sustainable tree trimmer in exchange for coconuts. He climbs the trees, cuts away the more mature fronds and carefully lowers the mature coconuts to the ground. He promises to return in a few months to give the trees another haircut, so long as property owners agree to not cut down their trees. Then Ano takes the coconuts to the farmers market where he sells them for $2 apiece. He takes out a machete and hacks off the top, then hands the customer a hibiscus straw for drinking the sweet coconut milk inside. He makes a few bucks, teaches about sustainable harvesting, saves the trees, helps property owners prevent damage or injury, and gets to eat lots of coconuts in the process. It s a win-win-win-win-win situation. While living in Hawai i, I spent some solid time climbing around in various tropical fruit trees (abious, jakfruits, avocados, oranges, rolenias, etc) pulling down food for my community. It s a delicious sport that can both feed the humans and protect the trees. http://www.youthnoise.com/playcity/blog/view/12671 http://www.youthnoise.com/playcity/blog/view/12668 Tue, 11 Nov 2008 09:04:50 GMT Does the name Fabiola Da Silva ring a bell to anybody? She's a Brazillian inline skater, and she's been dominating vert ramps for a decade or so now. I remember watching the 2000 X-Games, when she stopped competing in women's inline and began to compete against men-- it was exciting to see a new crack in the so-called 'glass ceiling', the unofficial barrier segregating women from men in professional fields by sticking them with lower salaries and less chance for career advancement. It's awesome to know that there are examples of women whose outstanding abilities are rewarded fairly-- but anyone who tries to convince you that problems of gender inequality are all taken care of is probably out-of-touch. The U.S. legislation meant to combat gender inequality is called Title IX, but its a mess of a policy that's constantly being reinterpreted. Essentially, the law states that all sexes must receive equal opportunity to participate in sport-- but there are conditions about 'interest and ability' among athletes written into the law that become problematic. Some people might say that the 'interest and ability' among girls to play football is pretty low, and that football should remain a male-dominated sport. Some would argue that by providing an alternative like cheerleading or a dance team, the interests of women are represented-- but 'interest' is a tough thing to gauge. Are women naturally uninterested in wearing shoulder pads and head-butting each other, or do little girls just grow up being taught that contact sports are 'unfeminine'? More importantly, how exactly does one gauge whether or not the 'interests and abilities' of a particular gender are being represented? In most Title IX lawsuits, representation is gauged by mathematical proportions of the student body-- a great way to remove the human element from things and turn equality into a checklist. It wouldn't be a big deal if these arguments were simply things that people liked to discuss and ponder in their spare time, but there are serious issues of professional advancement woven into Title IX. And they aren't limited to women's sports, either. There are a number of pundits who think that Men's collegiate gymnastics go under appreciated and underfunded-- female gymnasts' bodies are in prime competitive condition at a young age, and skilled female gymnasts often go to compete internationally while their male counterparts compete at the college level, honing their skills for a few more years-- comparing men's and women's college gymnastics is something of an apples-to-oranges comparison, and Title IX, for all its good intentions, complicates things further, turning athletes into numbers that are somehow supposed to be representational of their student bodies, their genders, and their sports of choice. On the brighter side, if you get involved in an individual sport, you're a bit less likely to encounter college or government bureaucracy. So get out your bikes, your skates, your juggling balls and your frisbees, and lets make our own equality outside the inefficient confines of organized sports! Let's get disorganized! http://www.youthnoise.com/playcity/blog/view/12668 http://www.youthnoise.com/playcity/blog/view/12666 Mon, 10 Nov 2008 20:44:41 GMT Remember back in the summer when I reported on the Let Me Play Training Camp held in Los Angeles? Well, it looks like the young social entreprenuers-in-the-making are now social entrepreneurs making change! So I'm perusing through Facebook, checking to see what my folks are up to and I come across a comment by one of my Facebook buddies and Outreach/Community Manager for YouthNoise, Amy Schapiro. Amy was commenting on Jerry DArko's video for Just Like You International Sports Exchange. (Oh the wonders of Facebook!) I said to myself, Hey! I remember these folks from the summer. Let me see what they've been up to. (Seriously, I said exactly that to myself). So I clicked on the video and WOWZERS was I inspired! The video captures these social entreprenuers engaging young elementary children through different sports from around the world. The idea is to create an environment of cultural solidarity and kinship through various types of international sports. I'm so proud of these folks and all of their efforts. It's so cool to witness a simple idea flourish into profound possibilities. The children appear so engaged and enthusiastic while at the same time they are able to learn about other cultures outside of their own. What an amazing opportunity for children to learn about other cultures while having fun. Like my favorite feminist theorist/artist, Gloria E. Anzaldua once said, The possibilities are endless once we decide to act and not react. Awesome awesome AWESOME job gals and guys! I can't wait to see what's next for Just Like You. I also can't wait to see what the other groups are coming up with and how they too are contributing to social change through sport. Here's some YouTube clips of the group talking about Just Like You: JERRY DARKO of JUST LIKE YOU SHUINN CHANG of JUST LIKE YOU KENNY JADE of JUST LIKE YOU http://www.youthnoise.com/playcity/blog/view/12666