At the age of ten Courtney Kupets loved gymnastics and, decades later, she still does. Her motto to find the best in a tough or hard situation describes her positive nature and joy in competition and life. Courtney has gone from being an Olympian in Athens, Greece in 2004 to being named the Head Coach of the Bulldogs in Athens, GA in 2017. Courtney credits her injuries for offering her time to reflect, resulting in commitment and focus on her competition in the Olympics. Her advice to others dealing with injuries includes reminding them it is not the end of a career but rather an opportunity to set small goals and a chance to practice patience. Courtney cherished her collegiate days where she enjoyed the sisterhood that she now provides for her student-athletes. She  explains the differences in collegiate and international gymnastics and is clearly a great fan of both, but dedicated to the former and bringing growth to her team as athletes and people.  Courtney shares with us the feeling of scoring a 10.0; being in the zone and ultimately winning the Honda Cup in 2009. That experience was significant as each honoree’s story mattered and the award recognizes what they were doing was worthy.  She speaks of other gymnasts who were Honda Cup  winners and shows her respect for all the sports.  Hear Courtney talk about the outlet that gymnasts now have as performers in productions such as The Reve in Las Vegas.  She leaves us with advice that you won’t be the person you can be without enduring frustration, it is okay to make mistakes and she also explains what she means by ‘Go For It’.

Podcast length: 50 mins

Host: Chris Voelz
A co-production with the CWSA.

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].

Launching a third season of Tucker Center Talks, Dr. LaVoi talks to colleague Dr. Laura Burton, Professor and Department Head, of Neag School of Education at U Conn. Dr. Burton is a Tucker Center affiliated scholar, gender and sport leadership expert, and a woman who has lived a personal and professional life fighting for gender equity. She co-edited a seminal book on this topic with Dr. Sarah Leberman Women in Sport Leadership: Research and Practice for Change (2017). We talk about her work, how to create system change, what she is excited about, and advice for young women scholars. To sign up for the #disruptHERS ‘Stat of the Week’ that draws attention to people, organizations, and events that disrupt the status quo in sport. #disruptHERS is a campaign and movement that highlights disruptions to the normative model of sport, created by and for men, and that privileges men, and why it matters.
24' 30''
Host: Dr. Nicole LaVoi
For complete shows notes and more information, links and resources as well as other 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].
 

Chris and Nancy dive into the top news stories this week from around the world of women’s sport and we have breaking news that England Soccer Coach has resigned. Alison Donnelly from the women’s rugby website Scrum Queens joins us to talk about the state of the women’s game and how the competition season is unfolding in 2021 with the cancellation of the Six Nations Tournament.
Top stories this week:
Australian Open Quarantine Situation
Hockey Australia high performance director resigns
McNeal provisional doping ban 
Kelly Sotherton Birmingham 2022
Greek Olympic champion sexual assault
England Netball 
Neville Steps Down as Head Coach of England’s Senior Team
 
Hosts: Chris Stafford and Nancy Gillen
41' 40"
 
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].

In this brand new show and first episode of Tri This, Kirstin Lauritzen takes us on her journey as a triathlete. We are talking all about triathlon, the different disciplines, nutrition and how she first got started in this sport. You are going to get an inside look into her training as each week Kirstin is taking us with her as she trains for the Coeur D’Alene Ironman June 27th, 2021.  Kirstin is presenting the other perspective of triathlon for those that are “age-groupers”- competing in their age group versus on a professional level. Triathlon, for Kirstin, is a passion and more of a hobby outside of her job as a Functional Medicine Practitioner.  For this first episode, Kirstin tells us her story of her first experiences into endurance sports. Join us as she discusses her first successful Half Marathon and then the next event that left her with injuries that made her question ever participating in endurance sports again.  She even gets into telling the story of her first experience with triathlon where she stated at the end, "I will NEVER do this again". And here we are tagging along on her journey to competing in her first Ironman in June. If you’ve ever thought: “I wonder if I could do a triathlon”, or “I could never do that”, Kirstin is bridging the gap to inspire anyone who wants to dip their toes into the triathlon sport, or just hear a great story and journey through Triathlon on Tri This. 
24' 45"
Host: Dr. Kirstin Lauritsen
For complete shows notes and more information, links and resources as well as other 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].

The WeCOACH Podcast presented by Hudl and hosted by Megan Kahn kicks off a new season with Nicole Van Dyke, University of Washington women’s soccer head coach. Nicole shares her inside track on coaching soccer in today’s world. She breaks down some of the important lessons learned throughout her career journey, her emphasis on team culture, and building a staff. She also candidly talks about balancing motherhood and the demands of being a coach. 
40' 54"
Host: Megan Kahn
A co-production between WeCoach & WiSP Sports
For complete shows notes and more information, links and resources as well as other 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 our weekly roundup of top news stories in women’s sport, Chris and Nancy discuss the latest results in World Cup skiing from St. Anton and Flachau, Tokyo Olympic news, rugby news and more. And Chris chats to Gill Coultard, the first woman to reach 100 caps for England who retired ion 2000 and was awarded the MBE in the N ew Year’s Honors. Gill recounts how she heard the news and the overwhelming impact it had on her twenty years after she retired. She also shares her thoughts on the current game and picks her top three England players. And after some persuasion she tells us which US player she enjoys watching the most.
45' 46"
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].

Welcome back to season two of Mum’s the Word. Thanks for joining us again for another series of interviews with pro athlete moms, health professionals and fitness experts. This week’s guest Sarah Wassner Flynn grew up as a very athletic woman. She competed in Division 1 cross country and track and field in high school, and went on to compete in college. Her student athlete experience was not wholly positive with lots of transition in coaches, lack of guidance and programming so Sarah stepped away from competing for a while.  Still wanting to achieve her athletic goals, Sarah had a burning desire to pick up sport again. Her sisters, Rebeccah and Laurel, are pro triathletes and they encouraged her to get back into sport, even going so far as to become her coach. 
An All American USA Triathlete, Sarah, picked up the sport of triathlon after her third child Nelly was born and started racing when Nelly was about 15 months old. The biggest barrier was the bike section of the triathlon. Learning how to clip in to the pedals and how to navigate the bike course felt intimidating—Sarah was initially a very timid cyclist. She was passed by everyone on the bike, and then would spend the majority of the run trying to catch up with people.
The running theme with most of our guests is that in order to make training and competing work as a mom, you need structure and a good support system. Sarah’s husband provides a lot of that support, taking on the duties of chief pancake chef on the weekends. It is something her kids really look forward to and that gives Sarah peace of mind and space to work on her sport. 
After baby number three she knew she wanted a fourth, but kept qualifying for future races so had to find a time to fit in trying for a baby. Sarah fell pregnant with twins but heartbreakingly after a scan, they were told that one baby did not have a heartbeat. The family then had an agonizingly long week of waiting to see if the other baby would survive, tragically it did not. 
Her miscarriage threw her through a loop and for a while she was not sure whether to keep competing. Sarah shared that it was the hardest thing to ever go through, made worse by the taboo that still surrounds miscarriage. She felt as if her body failed her, and it has been winning and serving her for so long. She needed time for healing, and signed up for lots of races as a way to distract herself. 
Still wanting to have another baby, Sarah was blessed with a healthy pregnancy after that and it helped her scale back training and rest some more, though still training enough to compete in two triathlons whilst pregnant! 
Outside of triathlon and wrangling her four children, Sarah is an author of some National Geographic Kids books. For those experiencing miscarriage or infertility, Sarah shares these words of wisdom; “there is a light at the end of the tunnel, even though you are in the dark right now”.
41 mins
Hosts: Sarah Newberry Moore & Pamela Relph Jones
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 plays and downloads. WiSP Sports is on all major podcast players. Follow WiSP Sports on social media @WiSPsports. Write to us at [email protected].

Cristina Teuscher always felt that it was in the water when she was the most comfortable and this was due to mother taking her to the pool when she needed to calm her down. And from happy place came one of the breakthrough swimmers in the world at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics.  Cristina recounts her breakthrough, and then her unheard of decision, to go to Columbia University, which she chose over top athletic schools offering full scholarships. Her self discipline and feeling of fitting the university resulted in a successful collegiate career capped off with winning the Honda Cup and her second Olympic Games.  Cristina discusses the difference between the Olympics, being captain, and then facing the challenge of disconnecting from her swimming identity. She shares her perspectives and growth, and choices she made for the next 20 years in her personal and professional journey. Hear how Cristina has gone full circle in what she is doing today in bringing joy to those in the pool with her coaching.

Host: Chris Voelz.

Podcast length: 45 mins.

A co-production with the CWSA.

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].

We’re back with a new season of the WiSP Sports Desk, with Nancy Gillen and Chris Stafford bringing you a round up of international news in women’s sport. There is already big stories breaking in this first week and Nancy unpacks them starting with the  Tokyo Olympics.  And we catch up with Canadian Slalom Canoeist and WiSP Ambassador, Haley Daniels,  who has a busy year ahead with both the Tokyo Games and, for the first time in an Olympic year, the World Championships. Haley has been cross training on snow in Calgary and is eager to return to competition after the restrictions in 2020.
Top stories this week:
Shiffrin uncertain of defending Super-G title at Alpine World Ski Championships
Lloyd at Tokyo 2020
Tokyo 2020 vaccines
Netball cancelled
WSL covid rule breakers - Arsenal and more
43 mins
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 first episode of 2021 our regular contributor, Dr Kirstin Lauritzen, covers our next nutrient highlight: Vitamin D. We have briefly talked about the benefits of Vitamin D in previous episodes, so today we are diving deep. It’s of course, January, and we are getting close to the dead center of winter. For people that live in darker areas of the world, like the Pacific Northwest, Vitamin D deficiencies are very common. Vitamin D is a vitamin that will probably show more of its benefits as we continue to study human physiology and nutrition. For now, we see the benefits of Vitamin D on sleep, muscle recovery, immune system, mood and emotional health, and even bone health. It’s a vitamin that Dr K loves to highlight and talk about because common ailments like stress fractures are often due to deficiencies and they can be prevented. She also talks about her own discovery with Vitamin D and her recovery while training for her Half Ironman in Whistler in 2019. This is one you won’t want to miss.
Duration: 23 mins
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].

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