Siren 62: countdown to 2022 basketball world cup, Darcie McDonald, baseball & more
A Women in Sport Collective
It’s less than 500 days (499 today!) until the 2022 FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup and the news yesterday that the all-time great and basketball legend that is Lauren Jackson AO would be the event ambassador has pushed our excitement levels off the charts!
Speaking of excitement, the second round of Suncorp Super Netball delivered plenty of that. Catch up on all the talking points of the weekend with the weekly round wrap up from Netball Scoop. For more netty talking points, make sure you add This Netty Life to your podcast rotation.
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In this issue
Amy McCann recaps the recent Australian Women’s Baseball Showcase that was finally able to go ahead after being delayed by the pandemic. Mary Konstantopoulos caught up with sports journalist and former NRL cheerleader Darcie McDonald to chat about her path to the sideline.
We also have an exclusive book chapter to share from the recently released, The Secret Balance of Champions: Health Challenges in Elite Sport, which features the incredible Lydia Williams and her football story.
Kasey Symons has helped to plan this amazing event as part of her involvement with the Our Watch Women in Sports Media Forum. ‘Ahead of the Game: Sport, Storytelling and Symbolism’ will take place in Melbourne on June 1 and features Siren Co-founder Kate O’Halloran and our first Emerging Sports Writer Program participant, Courtney Hagen, plus the great Angela Pippos, Joanna Lester and Rana Hussain. It’s free but will fill fast so book your spot now!
If you can’t make it or live outside of Melbourne, it will be livestreamed by The Wheeler Centre.
Kasey was also a ‘Guest Tess Armstrong’ on the latest edition of the They Came to Play podcast.
Gemma also recently reviewed the AFLW Season for Play On in a bumper two-parter! Read Part One here, and Part Two here.
Australia’s best female baseballers warm-up for inaugural national league in Adelaide
By Amy McCann
Amy McCann recaps the celebration of women’s baseball that was the Australian Women’s Baseball Showcase—the curtain-raiser to the inaugural women’s professional league in Australia.
From ‘The Secret Balance of Champions’ – Lydia Williams
In a chapter from the new book, The Secret Balance of Champions: Health Challenges in Elite Sport, learn about Australian football star Lydia Williams’ journey.
Darcie McDonald grew up dreaming of being a cheerleader. But it wasn’t her only dream. Mary Konstantopoulos spoke with Darcie about her path to the sideline.
Some of our absolute faves have started a podcast! Congrats to former WNBA and Australian Opal superstars Lauren Jackson and Tully Bevilaqua for launching their show ‘Laid Back’ which also includes the super awesome Kelsey Trainor as host. Be sure to add this one into your podcast rotation.
Brittany Carter writes on why following more female athletes could help young girls have a more positive social media experience.
The Australian Human Rights Commission report into gymnastics was released last week and it’s a harrowing read. For the ABC, the incomparable Tracey Holmes looks at what it means for the sport now.
Fiona Tomas posits for The Telegraph that if World Rugby wants to back women's game then more female representation is required at the top table.
Samantha Lewis looks at how women's football is shaping the game's financial future in Australia.
Be sure to follow Rebekah Stott’s brave journey as she battles Hodgkin’s Lymphoma over on her beatitbystotty website, a new blog post is up now. Support if you can.
Mary Konstantopoulos writes about how the recent announcement of two female Origin coaches is a sign of rapidly expanding horizons in women’s rugby league.
From Golf Australia, this article looks at language in sport and what needs to change, particularly in golf that has such a long history of using ‘ladies’. Megan Maurice also wrote this great piece after speaking to Ellia Green on sexist, homophobic language in sport for The Guardian.
Liz Clay just continues to dominate. We love to see it! But her journey has been a tough one, learn more about it here.
Congratulations to Billie Jean King on receiving the Laureus Sport Lifetime Achievement Award!
Lucy Watkin interviews former Hockeyroo, AFLW player and now Essendon VFLW player Georgia Nanscawen about her journey for afl.com.au.
The AFL has announced a new all-time 25,782 record of AFL Women's club members! Great to see these numbers rise!
Scarlett Harris was recently on the Burn It All Down podcast talking all things women’s wrestling and her book, A Diva Was a Female Version of a Wrestler.
The excellence that is Sam Kerr! How many sleeps until the World Cup?
Runner Up
We loved this creative and supportive campaign! More bold marketing moves like this for women’s sports please!