SPKN’s SIDELINE

Kawser Amine is a former member of the historic Afghanistan Women’s National Soccer Team and currently serves as an activist for women’s rights. Kawser explains what has changed in women’s sports since the fall of Kabul in 2021, and how it has impacted young women growing up in Afghanistan. Kawser is the founder and CEO of Women's Solidarity for Peace and Leadership (WPSL), a non-profit dedicated to advocating for global change and raising women’s voices, especially in countries where women are facing oppression. To support Kawser and Women's Solidarity for Peace and Leadership visit http://www.wsplglobal.org/ .

Dr. Helen Lenskyj is Professor Emerita at University of Toronto. Helen works as a researcher, writer, public speaker and community activist. She has authored several books highlighting the adversity women and LGBTQ+ athletes face in the Olympics and sports culture. Ali Durham Greey is a doctoral candidate in the Department of Sociology at the University of Toronto. Ali is the co-editor of two volumes with Helen Lenskyj: Justice for Trans Athletes and Trans Athlete Resistance. Ali is a retired member of the Canadian national boxing team and is actively involved with Athlete Ally, a non-profit devoted to advancing LGBTQ2SIA+ inclusion in sport. 

Dr. Robin Scholefield is the Senior Associate Athletic Director of Culture, Wellbeing & Sport Psychology for USC Athletics. She specializes in team culture, cohesion, leadership, performance enhancement, and individual services for student athletes. Robin teaches Meg and Dr. G about the mindset for success and how to cultivate responsible and accountable student athletes. She provides consultation for USC coaches and staff regarding team dynamics, mental health issues, conflict management, as well as a host of other challenges that student athletes face in a highly competitive environment. Robin also earned a bronze medal in the 1976 Olympics swimming for Canada’s 400 meter medley relay team.   

Megan Bartlett is the founder of the Center for Healing and Justice Through Sport, a nonprofit organization focused on integrating sports with healing and justice oriented philosophies. Megan has spent more than 15 years supporting organizations that use sport to promote youth development and collaborating with coaches to discover tools that help kids heal. She co-created innovative coaching initiatives, and partnered with Bruce Perry, M.D., Ph.D. to create the Neurosequential Model in Sport.  She is also the author of A Kids Book about Trauma and co-author of Re-Designing Youth Sports: Change the Game.

Check out Megan's books below:

Sylvie Parent, PhD, is a full professor in the Department of Physical Education at Université Laval and she holds the Research Chair on Safety and Integrity in Sport. Her research focuses on violence in sport. More specifically, her current work focuses on four (4) thematic: 1) measuring the prevalence of violence toward athletes and the associated risk factors, 2) the impact of violence in sport on the physical and mental health of young participants, 3) the violence experienced by young officials in the course of their duties, and 4) various contexts of victimization of athletes (university environment, sexual minorities).

Chantal Vallée is the Head Coach of the Windsor Lancers Women’s Basketball program. Chantal inherited a team with only 4 winning seasons in 50 years and went on to win 5 consecutive National Championships. Dr. Gordon Bloom is a Professor and Director of the Sport Psychology Research Laboratory in the Department of Kinesiology & Physical Education at McGill University located in Montreal, Canada. Bloom and Vallee have collaborated together multiple times to conduct research on the knowledge, strategies, and behaviors employed by coaches in terms of leadership practices, mentoring, and team building that are designed to develop successful and well-balanced athletes.

Jen Southall is a strategist for inclusion and equity of disabled athletes. She is currently the running back and center back for the Oregon Ravens of the WNFC and the only deaf player on the roster. Jen has played a variety of sports and she provides insight into the experience of a deaf athlete. Jen has a unique perspective on how disability is handled in the sports community. She reveals how inadequate the resources are for athletes with disabilities and the obstacles that must be overcome to enjoy sports. Jen educates us on her advocacy for not only Athletes with disability but especially BIPOC deaf athletes who are severely underrepresented in sports. 

USADA Director of Science Laura Lewis and Olympic Medalist Allison Wagner discuss Anti-Doping regulations and intricacies. Meg and Dr. G seek to understand why we need Anti-Doping agencies and why it is important to protect the integrity of sport. Allison won multiple silver medals at top level competitions including the Olympics only to find out that those who had beaten her were later proven to have doped. In this episode we learn how athletes can educate themselves on the Anti-Doping process and how they can advocate for themselves to create a healthier competitive community. 

Andrew Maraniss is known for his sport biographies of athletes who push the envelope and serve as beacons of inspiration. Andrew has written biographies on Perry Wallace, Glenn Burke, and the first US Women’s Olympic basketball team. In this episode, Meg and Dr. G gained insight into the history of these revolutionaries and what it takes to stand against the status quo and be a leader in the face of adversity. Additionally Andrew provides advice for young writers and athletes as well as a hint to what he’s working on now!

Strong Inside: Perry Wallace and the Collision of Race and Sports in the South

Inaugural Ballers: The True Story of the First US Women's Olympic Basketball Team

Games of Deception: The True Story of the First U.S. Olympic Basketball Team at the 1936 Olympics in Hitler's Germany

Strong Inside (Young Readers Edition): The True Story of How Perry Wallace Broke College Basketball's Color Line

In this episode of Sideline, former NFL tight-end Asante Cleveland and clinical sport psychologist Dr. Trevor Cote,  share their personal stories and discuss the importance of caring for the athlete at all levels of performance. Player transitions throughout their career - high school to college, college to pro, pro to the rest of their lives -  play an integral part in the overall mental health of athletes.

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