I posted on the Social Sport Instagram page a little while back about going on a hike with the first woman to ever run cross country at the same college where I ran cross country. During the fall of my senior year of college (3.5 years ago, ooof!), I was running in a cross country meet in the Chicago area when, afterwards, I was approached by an alum in his late sixties. He had done some astute roster research to discover that I had grown up in the Farmington Valley—a rural region of Connecticut. He told me that two of the first three women to ever run cross country at my college, also in their late-60s, grew up there, too.
His words were shocking in multiple regards. First, in 2017, there were only a handful of students from Connecticut at Grinnell, my tiny school in the middle of Iowa. I thought I was super cool and counter-culture for choosing this “little progressive school” that none of my high school friends had even heard of. Turns out, my coolness was about 45 years off the mark. But most of all, I couldn’t believe that the first women to run cross country at my college were only in their sixties. He put me in contact with one of the two women (sisters) and we made plans to meet up for a hike when I was near her, in Portland, the next summer.
As we climbed up Forest Park’s Wildwood Trail, Bertie recounted all that it meant to set that particular precedent: the first of three women on a college cross country team. When she began racing on the men’s team in the fall of 1973, the effects of Title IV had not yet reached their full force. The women were not scored separately from the men and, often, would finish a race to find the chute being disassembled around them. The school only had men’s track uniforms, so the three women dressed in baggy, men’s warmup sweatpants before braving the sub-zero winter temperatures.
Perhaps most disturbing of all were other’s comments upon seeing her run. She recalled these words as we drove back into urban reality, trees turning to sidewalks in my rearview mirror—“won’t her uterus fall out?” I nearly lost my grip on the wheel. Those comments could not have possibly been made just 45 years earlier. And yet, here we were, 45 years removed from one another: one woman whose place in sport was constantly challenged, and one who never once had to prove hers. It all seemed absurd.
The really absurd thing is, we’re now in a whole new era of gender exclusion. Folks are doing everything they can to prevent transgender athletes from competing with the gender they identify, often under the guise of “saving girls sports” (more on this later).
On the Social Sport Instagram page I wrote: I think of all the pieces of me and wonder which ones developed only because I had the chance to participate in sports as soon as I could walk—how much of my voice, my determination, my ability to deal with set-backs, my love for the outdoors, and my love of people were strengthened by sports? Sports have given me immeasurable joy and love and necessary pain and lessons to grown on. I want a world where all girls are not only allowed to participate, but welcomed…trans girls face incredibly high levels of depression, bullying, and self-harm. 30% of trans girls report having attempted suicide. They need sports more than I did. All of us gain so much when each of us can thrive, and sports are such a source of thriving for me. I want that for every girl.
I have a feeling that, 40 years from now, we’ll look back on this time in our history and be utterly horrified.
Podcast Episodes of the past month
Indra Hayre, diversity and inclusion consultant, model, and founder of Inclu-ski-vity, a platform which elevates the voices of traditionally marginalized groups in snow sports.
“I would have never thought that I wasn’t good at these things until people questioned, or were surprised by, my ability. Because I was a woman, or because I was a woman of color, they unconsciously assumed my ability level and then were surprised when I surpassed that low bar they set for me. I don’t think I ever thought I wasn’t good at these things, or that I couldn’t be good, until people were surprised by my presence and the way I took up space.”
Indra speaks candidly about the psychological effects of imposter syndrome, and race and gender power dynamics—a reality that I believe any woman or person of color can relate to in some facet of their lives.
Cut to the Chase with Emma and Kamilah, “Social Media Holidays”
I am so excited to have launched this new, monthly series on the Social Sport Podcast! In this episode, we talk about National Girls and Women in Sports Day, Women’s History Month, Black History Month, International Women’s Day, Earth Day, you know: those “holidays.” For lack of a better term, we call these days and months “social media holidays.” After all, they carry heavy social media presences. So, we unpack them. We go beyond the mirror selfies and iPhone panoramas. We ask: What are the pros and cons of these holidays? How do they connect to sports? What do they represent for folks of marginalized identities? And where do they fall short?
If you want to learn more about my fabulous monthly cohost, Kamilah Journet, she was interviewed on Social Sport way back on Episode 18.
Rosie Cruz on athlete abuse at Loyola Marymount University and an “NCAA problem.”
“When you talk about abuse, people don’t believe you unless you have bruises on you. I have had to go through these stories time and time again and people are still justifying [the abuse]. Because psychological abuse isn’t a thing that you can see; it’s something you carry with you.”
Rosie’s words expose more than just her story; they expose a culture of disordered eating and athlete abuse within distance running, and a cry for change in the NCAA.
CW: eating disorders and psychological abuse are discussed in detail in this episode.
Robyn McGillis and Marie Davis Markham on Wildwood and empowering young, female runners.
“When people have the confidence to understand who they are, and the belief that they’re important and they matter, then they can make change in the world. I think sport does that for a lot of people.”-Marie Davis Markham
“Success looks different for everybody. [Running] doesn’t have to be one-size fits all model. Otherwise, unhealthy behaviors come in that can impact your mental and physical health down the line.” -Robyn McGillis
I believe that Wildwood Running, while seemingly simple, is rather groundbreaking in the sport of distance running. Through this organization, Robyn and Marie are hoping to create a more balanced culture and empower young women in body and mind. I think this episode of Running on Om with Dr. Melody Moore and Lauren Fleshman was one of the best discussions I’ve ever heard on the problems within women’s running, specifically eating disorders. Listen to that episode, and then circle back and listen to Robyn and Marie talk about the work they are doing to change this!
Announcements and Actions
This month, I want to focus primarily on LGBTQ+ inclusion in sport. There are so many folks doing important work to create a sport community that is welcoming to athletes of all genders and sexual orientations.
Help fight anti-trans bills!!
Chris Mosier posts updates and actions on his Instagram page regularly. These posts make it easy to take action!
Schuyler Bailar, the first trans D1 NCAA athlete, also posts important action items to fight trans exclusion regularly!
Athlete Ally is studying the experiences of LGBTQ+ athletes at religiously affiliated schools. If you would like to participate, there is more info in this post, and you can email anna.baeth@athleteally.org.
The Philadelphia Distance Run opened registration! This is the first road race in the United States to have a nonbinary category all the way up to the elite level, with equal prize money for male, female, and nonbinary athletes. Learn more and register here!
I appreciated Nikki Hiltz’s story about how, at six years old, they didn’t participate in Junior Guards because the girls’ bathing suits didn’t reflect their gender identity. This was a powerful example of how gender exclusion can affect kids at young ages, preventing them from gaining all of the benefits of sport.
Speaking of Nikki Hiltz, registration for their Pride 5k opens tomorrow, May 1st!
ReNew Earth Running has launched a running team and you can apply here! Their goal is to “protect and heal the environment by restoring land to the stewardship of Tribal Nations and Indigenous leadership.”
Radical Adventure Riders (RAR), featured on this episode of Social Sport, will be granting six new chapters the funding, training, and other support to carry out RAR’s mission: supporting femmes, trans, women, and non-binary folks (FTWN-B) while centering those who are Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) in the cycling and outdoor scenes. Applications close May 10th! Learn more here.
What I’m writing
Aside from sports, I also do some writing in the environment/sustainable agriculture realm. This feature in Taproot Magazine, “Behind the Market Stands,” is about NYC-area farmers during the pandemic. I feel that a lot of pandemic accounts of farmers’ lives paint pictures of absolute despair. At the same time, media often romanticizes small-scale farmers’ lives. I wanted to write a more complex account—not just romantic, and not just despair.
What I’m reading
I just read Jesmyn Ward’s memoir, Men we Reaped, which is a cutting reflection on the deaths of five men close to Ward, all who passed away—from drugs, accidents, murder, and suicide. It is, most of all, a look at the dire effects of racism and poverty on Black men.
I am obsessed with the genre of writing on the trauma and plight of teenage girls—call it a quarter life crisis? My recent reads in the genre include Emma Cline’s incredible first novel, The Girls, which is loosely based on the Manson Cult. It fulfills so many of my guilty pleasures—girlhood plight, 1960s California hippie culture, etc.
What I’m obsessed with
Besides the above, the fact that people are getting vaxxed left and right, the weather is getting warmer, and things like races will be (safely) back on soon. That is all. Thanks for reading, and stay tuned for Monday’s episode of the Social Sport Podcast!
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Stay sporty & keep resisting,
Emma