Some people just really luck out in the name department. Sixteen-year-old Arielle Gold recently won a bronze in snowboarding at the X Games. Seventeen-year-old Gracie Gold came in sixth at the 2013 World Figure Skating Championships. But both will be aiming for gold at the 2014 Sochi Olymics. They won’t be the only teenage stars [...]
New shifts in sport have been all over the news lately. Danica Patrick is the first woman to shift into the pole position (the top qualifier) at the Daytona 500. And while the International Olympic Committee’s unexpected and shocking decision to drop wrestling from the summer Games impacts more men than women, it’s telling that [...]
When I was 16 I was thinking about college, driving, and my AP exams. The 16- and 17-year-olds I describe below seem similar– but they are also thinking about medals, championships, and endorsement deals. Tennis is used to having young phenoms, though there has been a bit of a decline in recent years. But an [...]
The XX(X) Olympics were an enormous success for women– especially the Americans. If the US women had been their own country they would have placed fifth in the medal count standings. Even more noteworthy is that 60% of the all the US’ medals came from women and 2/3rds of the American gold medal haul were [...]
If you’re anything like me, you and your family are facing a post-Olympics letdown. I have the perfect solution. No, not starting to play any Olympic sports. As I wrote last week, I’m more of a reader than a athlete. I recommend you and your kids crack open the bindings of some of these recent [...]
In the past week the Olympics have brought us pint-sized phenoms like Gabby Douglas (and her hair), Missy Franklin, and Katie Ledecky. But even in the midst of the Olympic Games it’s important to remember that pint-sized achievers come in a variety of forms. Sure, a lot of them are athletes. Some excel in Olympic [...]
I’m a big women’s gymnastics fan. Knowing I love dance, sports, and nearly all things feminine and strong, this should come as no surprise. If you know me it’s also no surprise that while I took gymnastics as a kid I didn’t last long. I was flexible, but I was also fearful (I would think [...]
This blog originally appeared on the Gates Cambridge blog, A Transformative Experience, on July 29, 2012. I was a Gates Cambridge scholar at the University of Cambridge from 2002-2003. It truly was one of the most transformative experiences of my life from a personal and professional point of view. For many years after my time [...]
It’s finally here! This week the Summer Games begin. I– and my DVR– are ready. While some are calling them the Title IX Olympics, I prefer the XX(X) Olympics. Sure it’s the first time that women (269) outnumber men (261) on the US team (hence the “Title IX” moniker [and it helps that this is [...]
So much is happening in the world of sports with the lead-up to the Summer Olympics– and female athletes have been stealing the spotlight, especially in track (so much has been written on the 100m controversy, but I have to endorse this Sports Illustrated article by Tim Layden as the absolute best I have read [...]
