Sport in Focus

Cass Cross is is a national-level synchronized skating coach and the Director of Skating for the Team Ashburn Synchronized Skating teams.  Cass has participated in the sport since 1995 earning many national and international medals with The Colonials Synchronized Skating teams as a member of Team USA.  She also won two national championships with the Esprit de Corps Adult synchronized skating team representing the Hayden Recreation Center FSC. Prior to moving to Northern Virginia, Cass was the Assistant Coach of the Adrian College Varsity Synchronized Skating and Figure Skating teams in Adrian, Michigan. She has coached synchronized skating teams from the beginner through elite-senior levels.

Host: Chris Stafford

For more information, links and resources plus conversations from the world of women’s sport including articles, blogs, videos and podcasts visit wispsports.com. WiSP Sports is the World’s First and Only Podcast Network for Women’s Sport with more than 60 hosts, 1300+ episodes across 50 shows and over 7 million downloads. WiSP Sports is on all major podcast players. Follow WiSP Sports on social media @WiSPsports. Contact us at [email protected].

Our guest is Patricia Gregory, an historian of women’s football in the UK who is writing a book on its history.  Patricia became the Hon. Assistant Secretary of the Women’s Football Association from its inception until taking over as Hon. Secretary from Arthur Hobbs in 1972.  A position she held until 1981 when through her encouragement a full time official was appointed –  a full time job, running a club and a league as well as duties for the WFA proved too much.  Prior to becoming an Hon. Life Vice President in 1984, until the dissolution of the WFA in 1993, she served for a year in each capacity as Liaison Officer and Chairman.  She was invited to become a member of the UEFA Women’s Football Committee in 1979 serving 7 terms until 1993.  After the WFA ceased she served for a time on The Women’s Football Alliance Committee of The FA.  Patricia has been a Vice-President of The Women of the Year Association since Tony Lothian first invited her to take the role along with the late Erna Low.   She has spent over 45 years in sports broadcasting for BBC and ITV and was one of the founders of the Women’s Football Association in the  late 1960s.  Patricia was one of the first women in England to qualify as a referee and was a member of the UEFA women’s football committee for fourteen years.

Host: Chris Stafford

For more information, links and resources plus conversations from the world of women’s sport including articles, blogs, videos and podcasts visit wispsports.com. WiSP Sports is the World’s First and Only Podcast Network for Women’s Sport with more than 60 hosts, 1300+ episodes across 50 shows and over 7 million downloads. WiSP Sports is on all major podcast players. Follow WiSP Sports on social media @WiSPsports. Contact us at [email protected].

On this episode of Sport in Focus Chris Stafford talks to boxer and author Malissa Smith who is the author of A History Of Women's Boxing which will be in its second edition in time for the 202 Tokyo Olympic Games,. Malissa is a speaker and writes frequently on the topic of women's boxing. She is also a practitioner of the sport herself and as she puts it has a keen understanding of the demands of the sweet science on the women who contest the sport, as well as the challenges they face.  The sport has a curious history women’s game since it dates back to the 18th Century and we learn perhaps surprisingly that variety dancers were known to enjoy prize fighting.

Throughout boxing’s history, women have fought in and out of the ring to gain respect in a sport traditionally considered for men alone. Records of modern female boxing date back to the early eighteenth century in London, and in the 1904 Olympics an exhibition bout between women was held. Yet it was not until the 2012 Olympics—more than 100 years later—that women’s boxing was officially added to the Games. A History of Women’s Boxing traces the sport back to the 1700s, through the 2012 Olympic Games, and up to the present. Inside-the-ring action is brought to life through photographs, newspaper clippings, and anecdotes, as are the stories of the women who played important roles outside the ring, from spectators and judges to managers and trainers.

Host: Chris Stafford

For more information, links and resources plus conversations from the world of women’s sport including articles, blogs, videos and podcasts visit wispsports.com. WiSP Sports is the World’s First and Only Podcast Network for Women’s Sport with more than 60 hosts, 1300+ episodes across 50 shows and over 7 million downloads. WiSP Sports is on all major podcast players. Follow WiSP Sports on social media @WiSPsports. Contact us at [email protected].

Double Olympic bronze medal wrestler Sally Roberts founded Wrestle Like A Girl in 2016 to provide opportunities for girls to take up the sport while empowering them to do much more beyond the mat. Given her background enduring a challenging childhood which saw Sally struggling with petty crime she was offered the choice of juvenile detention or find an after school sport. Hence her introduction to wrestling and the start of what was to become an Olympic career and service as a U.S. Army combat veteran. Once she retired from the sport at the age of 36 Sally decided to use her experience and skills to help girls find their way in wrestling and to give them a platform that would empower them in all walks of life. Sally explains how the organization has evolved, the progress they have made to expand the sport, and what their goals are for 2020 and beyond.

Host: Chris Stafford

For more information, links and resources plus conversations from the world of women’s sport including articles, blogs, videos and podcasts visit wispsports.com. WiSP Sports is the World’s First and Only Podcast Network for Women’s Sport with more than 60 hosts, 1300+ episodes across 50 shows and over 7 million downloads. WiSP Sports is on all major podcast players. Follow WiSP Sports on social media @WiSPsports. Contact us at [email protected].

On this episode our Sport in Focus is golf and joining me to explain the subtleties of the sport is South Asian professional golfer, three time All American and All Region West Player in Div 3, NCAA Maya Reddy. Maya turned pro in 2015 and played consistently on the mini tours plus the LPGA Monday qualifiers, and gained some status to the Symetra tour. Sadly Maya ultimately stopped playing in events because of the mental and emotional toll that the exclusive nature of the sport took on her. Her favorite golf courses are Torrey Pines South Course in California, Talking Rock Golf Course in Prescott Arizona and Golconda Golf Club In Hyderabad, India. Maya is founder of The Gaysian Project and an ambassador for Athlete Ally. She is also an incoming JD candidate at the University of Pennsylvania Law School. Maya is passionate about intersectional queer inclusion, especially in sports, and is pursuing a legal education in order to strengthen her work in inclusive policy initiatives.

Host: Chris Stafford

For more information, links and resources plus conversations from the world of women’s sport including articles, blogs, videos and podcasts visit wispsports.com. WiSP Sports is the World’s First and Only Podcast Network for Women’s Sport with more than 60 hosts, 1300+ episodes across 50 shows and over 7 million downloads. WiSP Sports is on all major podcast players. Follow WiSP Sports on social media @WiSPsports. Contact us at [email protected].

Australian Football is growing in popularity and there will be eight nations taking part in this year’s International Cup in Melbourne from August 5-19th. Hilary Perry will return as Vice-Captain for Team Canada and will be joined by ruck Patricia Jaworski. Both women had diverse athletic careers before taking up the sport and they share their experiences of how they became converted to the sport. We also learn some basic rules of the game and how it involves a mix of rugby and soccer. Both Hilary and Trish are regular team members of the Calgary Kookaburras.

Host: Chris Stafford

For more information, links and resources plus conversations from the world of women’s sport including articles, blogs, videos and podcasts visit wispsports.com. WiSP Sports is the World’s First and Only Podcast Network for Women’s Sport with more than 60 hosts, 1300+ episodes across 50 shows and over 7 million downloads. WiSP Sports is on all major podcast players. Follow WiSP Sports on social media @WiSPsports. Contact us at [email protected].

Kitesurfing is a sport that catches the eye for its spectacular images and daring athleticism as kitesurfers parry with the wind and the waves yet it remains in the shadows compared to mainstream sports. Daniela Moroz is a sophomore at Campalindo High School in Moraga, California. She is also the 2016 Kitesurfing World Champion at the tender age of 15. Her training beaches are within the reflection of the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco Bay. Already Daniela has no problem finding sponsors and has become the golden girl for sport. Beating the reigning world champion Russia’s Elena Kalinina, 18, to take the title from her in China firmly stamping her authority; and showing her maturity in the sport to come from behind has made her the one to watch in this exciting sport.

UPDATE: Sept 8, 2021; New to the United States SailGP Team roster this season, four-time Formula Kite World Champion Daniela Moroz joined the American team hailing from San Francisco as one of two new athletes chosen through the team’s open application process for female athletes this past spring. As part of a multi-pronged approach introducing her to SailGP’s F50 racing platform, Moroz has attended each event to date on the SailGP Season 2 calendar where she has started to rotate into active roles on the catamaran during practice, receiving valuable coaching from the team on the water and on shore.

Host: Chris Stafford

For more information, links and resources plus conversations from the world of women’s sport including articles, blogs, videos and podcasts visit wispsports.com. WiSP Sports is the World’s First and Only Podcast Network for Women’s Sport with more than 60 hosts, 1300+ episodes across 50 shows and over 7 million downloads. WiSP Sports is on all major podcast players. Follow WiSP Sports on social media @WiSPsports. Contact us at [email protected].

Moira Lassen is the first woman to be elected to the International Weightlifting Federation (IWF) and is also Chair of its Women’s Commission. A recent decision by the IWF to add a weight category thus ensuring female weightlifters achieve gender parity was the result of her work to continually develop the sport for women. Moira explains where the sport is now and how women are making their mark for athletes today and future generations in all roles.

Host: Chris Stafford

For more information, links and resources plus conversations from the world of women’s sport including articles, blogs, videos and podcasts visit wispsports.com. WiSP Sports is the World’s First and Only Podcast Network for Women’s Sport with more than 60 hosts, 1300+ episodes across 50 shows and over 7 million downloads. WiSP Sports is on all major podcast players. Follow WiSP Sports on social media @WiSPsports. Contact us at [email protected].

Our Sport in Focus this week is Roller Derby and among us are Gotham Girls Roller Derby Blocker & Pivot Danielle Flowers, aka OMG WTF, Finnish player Joanne Koskinen and the Women's Flat Track Derby Association (WFTDA) Marketing & Communications Manager Jenna Cloughley.

Host: Chris Stafford

Sport in Focus is available on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, iHeart Radio,  Spreaker, Podbean, Podcast Addict, Podchaser, Deezer and other podcast apps.

The current World Champion; American Gretchen Johnson explains that Speedgolf is a relatively new sport in which the USA is leading the way and her main goal this year is to defend her title. British newcomer Kathy Leppard talks about her introduction to the sport and its accessibility for women of all ages to participate at some level.

Host: Chris Stafford

For more information, links and resources plus conversations from the world of women’s sport including articles, blogs, videos and podcasts visit wispsports.com. WiSP Sports is the World’s First and Only Podcast Network for Women’s Sport with more than 60 hosts, 1300+ episodes across 50 shows and over 7 million downloads. WiSP Sports is on all major podcast players. Follow WiSP Sports on social media @WiSPsports. Contact us at [email protected].