Huzzah, the NFL season is finally over. It was quite a year on the gridiron. While the pigskin is usually known for portraying the highest levels of athleticism, the 2017 NFL season instead highlighted deeper issues. Instead of high-quality play taking center stage, all eyes focused on racial injustice, sexual harassment accusations, and the league’s declining TV ratings. I guess that’s another reason why President Trump isn’t a fan.
This past Saturday, Sam Gordon, a 14 year old from Salt Lake City received the first-ever Game Changer Award at the 2018 NFL Honors. Gordon established a Utah girls football league in 2015, and it is her mission to fight for equal opportunity and respect for young women who want to be involved in sports.
I believe and cherish Gordon’s mission, and a day earlier, I performed in College Feminists’ latest production of the Vagina Monologues with that exact intent.
I started with a personal tale, and my narrative uncovered how, for so long, my knowledge of sports was a shock to my peers. During my first year at the University, jaws dropped when I could predict an inside blitz. My knowledge was immaterial, a bit outlandish, and far from taken seriously.
“Wow, Jackie, you know so much,” they all said.
I shifted my routine away from my story and began discussing accomplishments of UR female athletes. Periodically in this column, I discuss the injustices women encounter in sports. And while reporting on injustices can become rather draining, I made the case this past Friday night that my reason to persist is of our University’s female athletes.
That night, these moments about UR women engaged my audience the most.
In honor of that, I challenge you. How much do you know about female athletes and their teams here at UR? These women stand with Gordon and me everyday. Take this quiz and you’ll see that our female athletes are forces to be reckoned with.
1) Which UR team went on an 11-game winning streak, won six all-conference awards, and in the past three years had three All-Americans?
A. Soccer
B. Field Hockey
C. Basketball
D. Swimming and Diving
2) This senior helped UR achieve five total shutouts in the past year. She also has been honored by the UAA three times in her career:
A. Sydney Melton
B. Hannah Geitner
C. Gabriela Alatorre
D. Kiran Sundaram
3) Sophomore Camilla Garcia was…
A. 8-for-10 shooting from the field against WashU.
B. awarded Liberty League athlete of the week in 2017.
C. regionally ranked 13th for doubles in the Northeast.
D. victorious in the 200 fly during a meet against RIT.
4) Junior Becca Selznick finished her sophomore season in 2017 as a top scorer for which UR team?
A. Field Hockey
B. Swimming and Diving
C. Basketball
D. Soccer
5) Who became the third UR athlete to win two national championships?
A. Monica Jackson
B. Rachel Bargabos
C. Claire Dickerson
D. Kylee Barlett
6) Junior Clara Martinez, junior Alara Kocak and sophomore Beth Ghyzel all:
A. racked up over 175 kills in 2017
B. scored hat tricks this fall
C. received UAA honors
D. hit 20 RBIs
7) Who ranked second in the Liberty League in goals against average?
A. Gabrielle Cantley
B. Madilynne Lee
C. Conley Ernst
D. Rebecca Fuchs
8) Which team sent four players to play in an All-Star Championship in Florida and is currently ranked eighth in the nation?
A. Basketball
B. Rugby, the Sledgehammers
C. Softball
D. Field Hockey
9) In 2017, which pair recorded a .436 batting average and a 1.72 ERA?
A. Madeline Levy and Jamison Seabury
B. Lydia Petricca and Sam Malecki
C. Sayaka Abe and Nancy Bansbach
D. Harleigh Kaczegowicz and Eleni Wechsler
10) Which of the following are accomplishments of senior Al Leslie?
A. had a higher free throw percentage than Anthony Davis, Carmelo Anthony and
Lebron James in 2017.
B. was named d3hoops.com East Region Player of the Year
C. received State Farm’s Assist of the year.
D. Both A and B
If you got 7–10 correct answers, you are a real Yellowjacket, congratulations! If you got 4–6 correct: Go hibernate with the groundbois. And 0–3 correct answers earns you a sting from Rocky.
Answers: 1) B 2) A 3) C 4) B 5) D 6) A 7) C 8) B 9) D 10) D
Take a listen to the audio of my piece “You Know So Much” live at the Vagina Monologues. Join Sam Gordon and me as we fight for equal opportunity for all women in every aspect of sports. I challenge you to go see at least two women’s sports events this semester. I’m sure you’ll have a jolly good time and may even learn something. Was your mind blown? How did it make you feel? I’d love to hear about your experiences. Write me at jpowe20@u.rochester.edu.
“Everybody Talks” is a radio show on WRUR’s the Sting that highlights women’s involvement in sports and the social issues that surround athletics. You can listen to it every Friday from 1–2 p.m. on thesting.wrur.org.
