The Eastern USA Championships, in New York, last weekend had a nice turn out and some great competitors. Pictured is Ava Cowan, overall figure winner, a recent Gaspari signed athlete and early favorite for the NPC Nationals in Florida on Saturday. Here are results and some pictures from Muscular Development:

Women’s Bodybuilding Heavyweight
1. Andrea Giacomi (overall)
Middleweight
1. Myra Adams 
2. Denise Villanueva 
3. Nicole Brugato 
4. Erin Ernst 
Lightweight
1. Maria Penteado 
2. Melissa DiBermdo 
3. Jill Livoti

Fitness
1. Sue Dent 
2. Brittany Fout
Bikini Overall
Monica Eiler 

Figure Class A
1. Allison Frahn 
2. Melissa Gogan 
3. Michelle DeRosa 
Class B
1. Ava Cowan (overall)
2. Deazie Gibson 
3. Danielle Simonelli 
Class C
1. Robynn Europe 
2. Lisa Artigliere 
3. Velena Olshawkaya

Lake Placid, NY hosts the Skate American competition this year. Kim Yu-na took home the title despite losing the free-skate competition the day before. Her loss of the free-skate competition was due to two major mistakes including a fall on an element that she struggles with, the triple flip. Her outstanding score in the short program shot put her into a lead that no one could close in upon, and she win the gold medal by 13 huge points.

The BYU and University of New Mexico, long time rivals, hit the field in a grudge match. UNM player, Elizabeth Lambert, 20 and occupational therapist student, is part of a you tube sensation receiving over 5 million views in under a week. The video shows Elizabeth involved in foul after foul that only resulted in a yellow card during the game. However, after consideration, the University has suspended her from college athletics. She issued an apology for her actions and claimed her emotions got the best of her. I think she would be better suited for MMA and may want to reconsider majors. I would think occupational therapy would require a bit more tolerance and control.

Hall of Famer Nancy Lieberman, who has been a force in basketball since she was 17, is still making waves. Nancy will be coach of the Dallas Mavericks’ affiliate in the NBA Development League thus making her the first female coach for a men’s team. Donnie Nelson, the Mavericks’ president of basketball operations, made the hiring decision.

“She’s got the skins, the experience — she knows what she’s doing — so I certainly hope that we’re well beyond those issues,” Nelson said. “Besides, if you can’t respect authority, no matter what form or color it comes in, I don’t want you on my team.”

Nancy has made history before. She was the first woman to play pro basketball with men and when the WNBA came around she not only played, but coached, was a general manager and set a record as the oldest player in WNBA history when she dressed out for a game at age 50. 

“In 1986, my goal was not to be a girl playing in a men’s league, it was to be a player in a men’s league,” she added. “In 2010, I don’t want to be a woman who is coaching men, I want to be a coach who is coaching.”

I can speak personally about her sacrifice, ability, and heart. Sandi has been an amazing competitor and role model. So many people think that competitors, are just that, competitors. But Sandi, I mean Dr. Thomas-Stuart, has proven that brains and brawn and beauty are not just possible, but an amazing combination.

Elena Tverdokhleb of Ukraine, has always has a fighters spirit. From an early age she found herself in neighborhood fights and always on top. In fact, she notes that her broken nose is a by product of her childhood fights, not the ring. Elena is not just another great boxer with several belts, a world championship and professional status; she also heads the legal department of one of Ukraine biggest gambling industry operators. During an interview Elena was asked if she had any advice for amateur/professional athletes, here is what she said:

“Hardly professional sportsmen need my advice. Speaking about girls starting their carrier in boxing or other single combat, I would advise them to appraise their personal psychological and forceful qualities, and start their trainings only if they are absolutely definite in meeting a real rival in a real fight. Otherwise they would be disappointed. Dancing, aerobics, and usual trainings will be much more profitable for such girls if compared with time spent for boxing trainings. Whatever we may say, boxing and fighting sports fit not to every women, just like it’s not for all men also.”

Several colleges are looking to take the ‘leading’ out of cheerleading. Or at least create a new branch of the sport. While the name has yet to be agreed upon, several colleges have already intergraded the new sport which will include gymnastic type floor routines, with around 20 people, coupled with challenging partner/group stunts. So far, six schools have taken the new sport on, but in order for the NCAA to recognize it, at least four more institutions need to adopt varsity programs or show their intention to do so. If and when this happens, the sport would have 10 years to have at least 40 NCAA schools take on the sport at the varsity level (or show consistent progress in that direction) for the NCAA to enact a championship.

This could erase everything we think of competitive cheerleading. These routines would be incredibly athletic, packed with difficult stunts and competitions would occur more than once a year.

 Felecia Mulkey, University of Oregon’s head coach commented, “we took steps to keep the athletic portion of competitive cheerleading, but we were adding things, because there are some problems in our sport. You take a two-minute-and-15-second routine performed once a year at a national championship and you can understand why a mainstream sports fan would say, ‘This is not a sport.’”

Serena wins the WTA Championships over her sister Venus, continuing the family rivalry that has been rooted since 1998. This was their 23 match against each other, and the win added to Serena’s lead in the family scoreboard, 13-10. Serena was the obvious winner going undefeated in all five matches including the finals against her sister who had a less direct shot to the finals. Her victory won her 1.55 million dollars. To say it was an obvious win does not mean it was easy or pain free. Both sisters nursed injuries during and in between matches, and several of the athletes were forced out of the competition due to injury.

The press leading up to this weekend’s race had all eyes on last year’s winner Paula Radcliff. But she finished fourth behind the two-time Olympic 10,000 meters champion Deratu Tulu of Ethiopia. Tulu finished with a time of 2:28.52, eight seconds ahead of runner-up Russian Ludmila Petrova. Third was Frenchwoman Christelle Daunay, 2:29.16, just 9 seconds before Paula, 2:29.27.

Due to health issues, this was Paula’s first race since winning last years NYC marathon and she began suffering from tendonitis about halfway through the race. ”I knew I was fit coming in, it felt great, then at 11 miles it just went,” said Paula. “For the last miles I was just thinking ‘just hang in there’ as long as I could. Just try to stay with them.” Less than 40 seconds in a two and a half hour race separated Paula from her repeat victory.

Zhou broke the record at the 11th Chinese National Games earlier today. Zhou competed in the over 75kg division and snatched 145 kg in her second attempt and 148kg in her third.  At just 21-years-old, she broke the record by 8kg.

The only sad part of this story is Zhou’s accomplishment will not be written in the world record books.  The International Weightlifting Federation (the governing body), only recognizes records set in world, continental and Olympic competitions. However, her journey in this sport is just beginning and we can look for her to compete in qualifying competitions. Until then, China is proud and a talented girl is in the spotlight.

Here is a video of the China team including Zhou and her amazing lift.

The Jungle Crows Rugby Club has added four more championships to their hall of fame since the adding a women’s team in April. And to boot, four of the girls on the team weren’t even privy to what a rugby ball looked like until seven months ago. “Till February this year, I didn’t know there was a game called rugby. But when one of my friends asked whether I was interested, I said why not,” said Tapasi Nandi, originally a pole-vaulter. The girls picked-up the sport rather quickly and have shown like national stars ever since.

MMA is a tough sport for a young man. It is a newly welcomed sport to women athletes. Should the line be drawn at a grandmother? Walla Walla, Washington resident, 49 year-old DeEtta Petersen seems to think that there should be no line. She began visiting the MMA school to take her son to class and decided she wanted to put MMA on her ‘bucket list.’ I do know I have seen few grandmothers who look like DeEtta or move like her…if that’s what a grandmother can do, sing me up! Check out THIS LINK for video footage of “grandma” at work!

The semifinals of the WTA Sony Ericsson Championships have filled the first open spot. The first spot has been earned  by Serena Williams with her defeate over Elena Dementieva, 6-2, 6-4. This was her third straight win in the round-robin tournament. The last two years Serena never made it out of the round-robin tournament. This win, and the year-end number 1 ranking, is a step towards another dream fulfilled.

ABC news reported: “Williams was broken to trail 2-1 in the first set but won seven straight games to take control of the match. She moved the Russian around the court with her powerful ground strokes. She converted her third match point when Dementieva sent the ball into the net, then pumped her fist and yelled “Finally!”"

The Fairfield Women’s Rugby Club has just cinched its first playoff victory in the history of the club’s 15-years. The team is now advancing to the MET Division III Finals against Hofstra on Sunday at 1 p.m. This is just one step closer to a dream for this Connecticut club.

The Fairfield girls are smaller than the Hofstra players, but their hearts are as big as it gets. This will be their second meeting of the season. The match against Hofstra was the only non-win of the season, but it wasn’t a loss either. The two tied 20-20.

Forward captain Jessica Pierce, senior, said: 

“It’s so exciting to be part of the season we’ve had and to see that our hard work has paid off. To be with a group of girls this dedicated and talented is really an honor. It isn’t over yet though, we’ll be training all week in preparation for Hofstra and hopefully some great matches against teams outside of our league after Sunday’s match.”

The Asia Cup field hockey championship is slated to make history at the Queen Sirikit Sports Centre in Bangkok, Thailand on Thursday. The early games will determine who play in the final game scheduled for November 8th. Due to China’s medal winning performance at the Olympics they have seen a lot of press coverage heading into the Asia Cup. China maybe the favorite but Korea is the only team with three cups. Time will tell if China’s outlook will hold up against the best of Asia.

Lakeland, Florida’s, All-American Gym hosted the World Association of Bench Pressers and Dead Lifters Drug Free Regional Bench Press and Dead Lift Championship. Jamie Doran changed history and shattered many fragile egos. The former Florida Southern College softball player who weighed in at all of 114 pounds stepped up to win the Best Dead Lifter of the Meet Award. This award has only been placed into the hands of men. She won by lifting 330 pounds, three-times her bodyweight. It was a WABDL state record (and 10 pounds more than her previous state record). Jamie wasn’t alone in her victory. TheLedger.com reported:

Victoria Coscia benched 90 pounds, setting a WABDL world record in the 181-pound class for women age 12-13. She also dead lifted a state record 200 pounds.

McKenzie Baxter set two WABDL Florida records in the age 18-19 category, 165-pound class. She benched 95 pounds and deadlifted 240.

Nancy Georges set two WABDL Florida records in the age 54-60, 123-pound category. She benched 80 pounds and dead lifted 180.

If you don’t find a womens football (soccer) team in Qatar newsworthy, you should. In Qatar women wear black garments covering every inch of skin and leave only centermost part of their face exposed. Families are so protective of females and their exposure, one argument to having women play sports is leaving them ‘alone.’

But times are changing. Women are being inspired and families are opening up. The team has already seen, in their first game, a huge amount of support which has aided to their progress. They have a coach, a place to practice and a country behind them. They are planning to participate in the 2011 Asian Cup.

“This is the first national team for ladies in our country and it is a positive development because many ladies in Qatar like football,” young Qatar right-back Mesaad Ali al-Hamad said, “This will show the world that we have ladies playing football as well, and we will support them.”

At the women’s gymnastics all-around world championship in London this past weekend, the Americans had come to make a statement. The statement they left was a big one. Americans Bridget Sloan and Rebecca Bross were in battle for first going into the floor round. Bridget Sloan, the American all-around champion, hit a solid routine. Her level of difficultly was not the highest in any of the events, but her execution was precise.

Rebecca Bross brought a difficult floor routine with near perfect execution. Her near perfect routine found her near first on the podium, in second place. The American team did an amazing job and has spoken their intention to remain as a leading force in the sport!

The LFL, going strong in its first year, issued its first suspension. Dallas Dream’s, Annie Haner, was suspended from this past weekends game against San Deigo’s Seduction. Since this was her first offense, the league opted to not issue a fine with the suspension. Mitchell Mortaza, Founder and Chairman of the LFL made this announcement:

Annie Haner is an incredible talent who plays with a lot of intensity and passion for the game, exactly what we want from all LFL players. However, we are trying to establish crediblity as a league and cannot afford outbursts like the one Annie displayed on Sept 25th against the Denver Dream. Our ladies are professional athletes with young women now aspiring to one day perhaps play in the LFL, our players actions and words have to reflect that of a role model.

Our players are held to the same standards as any NFL, MLB or NBA player and we as a league and my office specifically has to to take action in accordance to send a message.

The LFL seems to have it all, great players, hot girls, tempered outbursts and a highlight reel! Look forward to a long LFL life…

Cheryl Anne Anderson is unbeatable! She is a 3-time USA national powerlifting champion, and weighs in at a petite 105 pounds. Her personal bests are a 287 pound squat and a 336 pound deadlift.

In 2007, Cheryl was involved in a near fatal car accident. 4 months later, she competed in the IPF World Powerlifting Championships. Not only is Cheryl unbeatable…one might also say she’s unbreakable.

When’s she’s not on the powerlifting platform, Cheryl is also a bikini and swimsuit model. She also loves wrestling, and keeps a fan page to the sport on her website.

ESPN wrote: “Nymeyer earned a silver medal in the 400-meter freestyle relay at the 2008 Olympic games. She helped lead Arizona to the 2008 NCAA Division I women’s swimming and diving team championship. She also captured a gold medal at the 2007 FINA World Championships in the 800-meter freestyle relay. The award honors student athletes who have completed their college eligibility, demonstrated academic and athletic excellence and engaged in community service and leadership opportunities.”

The Arizona Wildcats can count this as their third athlete to be honored as NCAA woman of the year. Lacey is the sixth swimmer to win the award.

Height: 5-9 (175.3 cm)
Birthplace: Tucson, Ariz. (10/29/1985)
High School: Mountain View HS ‘04
College: Arizona ‘09
College Major: Physical Education
Coached By: Frank Busch
Club: University of Arizona

Lolo Jones, a world class American track and field athlete, will be taking it off for ESPN The Magazine’s Body Issue. From WhoTV.com:

…Lolo Jones is prominently featured in ESPN The Magazine’s Body Issue. The stunning picture of Lolo is part of a “bodies we want” section. Jones tells our Keith Murphy, she was very concerned about posing nude, and was initially against it.

However, she decided she would do it if she could take a tasteful picture that would send young girls the message they don’t have to be skinny or starve themselves. The 5 foot 9 inch Jones says her weight fluctuates and at times she weighs up to 160 pounds. She knows that number surprises people, but muscle weighs more than fat, and Lolo has a lot of muscle, and next to no fat.

Lolo Jones was favored to win the 100 m hurdles at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, but she tripped on the penultimate hurdle, finishing in seventh place. She went on to win silver at the 2008 World Athletics Final. Her 60 m hurdles best is the second fastest American time, after Gail Devers.

Those were the now infamous words from tennis superstar Serena Williams at the US Open towards a lineswoman. Watch below…

Serena did come back with her sister Venus to win the doubles title which netted them both $420,000 and Serena also earned $350,000 for her singles run, which I am quite sure made the $10,500 fine she received for her tirade even more painless.

Other Serena posts:

-”I’m the best in the world”
- “Giving back”
- “Too Muscular?”
- “Nude Magazine Shoot”

The subject of much prior speculation about her gender, reports say Semenya is missing internal female sex organs (ovaries and womb) and instead has internalized testes which are reported to produce large amounts of testosterone.

The track governing body (IAAF/International Association of Athletics Federation) didn’t confirm or deny the reports, saying it was reviewing the test results and would announce its findings in November.

Semanya was supposed to compete in the South African Cross Country Championships in Pretoria tomorrow, but withdrew today.

Mary prefered motorcycles and bulldogs to bikinis. And she was never really into sports. But that all changed in 2000 when a bodybuilding friend dared her to enter a show. Mary Bell entered her first competition, and was hooked.

Nine years later, Mary’s lifestyle is all about weight training and fitness. She owns Center Stage Figures, a business dedicated to helping competitors become champions, and has a reputation as being the industry’s best coach.

On stage, Mary has won numerous titles with the USBF, NABBA, OCB, and INBF including he 2003 NABBA USA Figure Championship, the 2003 Ms USBF National Figure Championship, and the 2004 Northeast America Figure Championship. Mary also won the Best Swimsuit competition at the 2006 Natural Mania.

Recently, Mary was featured on E! True Hollywood Stories, Female Bodybuilders.

“I love the challenge to get bigger, better, and stronger naturally, and I’m still fighting for that first place in the WNBF. But,” she adds, “I believe that, first or last, you did the work and no one can ever take that from you.”

I guess like most people, she isn’t 100% happy with her body (are any of us?) but it’s somewhat ironic to know that Serena is unhappy with her muscularity – an aspect of her physique which has often been lauded.

Obviously her appearance contributes greatly to the speculation, but the South African team’s head coach does also; Ekkar Arbeit. Arbeit is the former East German coach who has been described as “as a mastermind of the largest pharmacological programmes in history”.

One of Arbeit’s most notorious cases is Heidi/Andrea Krieger, who accused Arbeit of giving her so many drugs that she was forced to have sex-change operation and adopting a male identity as Andreas Krieger.

Heidi as a female left, as Andreas on the right

Krieger competed as a woman in the East German athletics team in the shot putt. She retired in 1990, and in 1997 upon realizing that the steroids had left her with all the traits of a man except an actual penis, Krieger underwent sex reassignment surgery and changed her name to Andreas.

One bright spark is American sprinter Carmelita Jeter. The lone American to place in the women’s 100 meter [3rd], Carmelita was also a member of the ill fated USA 4×100 relay team.

She has a physique that stands out on the track – which is no small feat as most sprinters have pretty impressive physiques…

From The Telegraph:

Preliminary medical tests on Caster Semenya, the 18-year-old South African at the centre of a gender row, have recorded elevated levels of the male hormone testosterone, Telegraph Sport can reveal.

A source close to the investigation into the 800 metres gold medallist has confirmed that tests carried out before the start of the World Championships indicated that the runner had three times the normal female level of testosterone in her body.

Understandably, not all agree with the gender testing that Semenya is being subjected to:

The row over whether Semenya is a woman or a man has become a cause célèbre in South Africa, where the country’s parliament is preparing to file a complaint with the United Nations Commissioner of Human Rights over the athlete’s treatment, saying the gender verification tests are a “gross and severe undermining of rights and privacy.”

Click through to see another photo of Semenya, as well as a video clip of her being interviewed.

You decide:

18 year old Caster Semenya’s gold medal in tonight’s 800m race at the World Championships in Berlin should have been a proud moment of the South African’s life – but instead it is marred with controversy about her gender.

From The NY Times:

Earlier in the day, I.A.A.F. officials had confirmed that Semenya, a muscular 18-year-old from South Africa competing in her first senior championship, was undergoing sex-determination testing to confirm her eligibility to race as a woman.

Apparently some of her fellow 800m runners were not happy. Elisa Cusma of Italy, who finished sixth, said in a postrace interview with Italian journalists “These kind of people should not run with us,” For me, she’s not a woman. She’s a man.”

Mariya Savinova, a Russian who finished fifth, told Russian journalists that she did not believe Semenya would be able to pass a test. “Just look at her,” Savinova said.

22 year old Shelly Ann Fraser, the 2008 Olympic 100m gold medalist, won again in 10.73 seconds, with her teammate Kerron Stewart taking a close 2nd. Jamaica fielded 4 sprinters in the finals – taking up 50% of the spots – not bad for a small island in the sun.

American Carmelita Jeter took 3rd, breaking the Jamaican sweep.

Watch below…

Sue Tibballs, CEO of Women’s Sport and Fitness Foundation, is quoted as saying

With women’s boxing dating back to the 1720s, it’s been a long, hard, fight to get to today’s decision, but we’re delighted that the sport will be on the Olympic programme for London 2012.

We hope however that this move by the IOC marks a wider step change towards gender equality at the Olympics as there’s still a long way to go. In Beijing 165 medals were available to men versus 127 to women. If we’re to achieve a fair playing field, the numbers should be equal.

In her career, King won 39 grand slam titles and is widely known for the “The Battle of the Sexes” in 1973, in which she defeated Bobby Riggs, a former Wimbledon men’s champion – a game which is easily one of the most memorable games of tennis to be played.

Off the court, she is regarded as a trailblazer for women’s rights in tennis, fighting for equal prize money and more.

Click through to watch a video of King recieving the award

A Hindustan Times report claims that Renu along with another upcoming boxer Monica were serving the media personnel at an event. The report apparently quotes her as saying that she has been forced to serve tea and wash cups at the Indian National Institute of Sports (NIS).

Congress MP Rajeev Shukla is quoted as having said:

The news of Renu Gora serving tea and cleaning dishes for visiting officials and media persons at NIS Patiala is disturbing. More than a case of gender bias against female boxers, this is a sorry tale of how female sportspersons fail to find any encouragement from authorities. These women have joined NIS for becoming a coach because they cannot make their ends meet through regular and dignified employment.

If we as a nation fail to provide a dignified living to even our illustrious female sportspersons, it paints an unfortunate picture of the future of female sportspersons in India.

She was born a male in Denmark in 1966, and emigrated to Australia in 1979, where she presently splits her time between Adelaide and Perth.

As the Australian Amateur Golf Association had no existing rulings againest transgenders, Bagger was allowed to compete and won the South Australian Championship in 1999, 2001 and 2002. She was ranked as high as 6th on the Australian amateur golf circuit.

At the time this caused controversy, with strong arguments on both sides.

In 2003 she played in the Australian Women’s Open and attempted to join the Australian Ladies Professional Golf [ALPA] tour. In 2004 she was admitted.

As of 2008, Bagger is still unable to compete in the US based LPGA as they maintain a ‘female at birth’ entry condition.

From People Magazine:

Anna Kournikova ended up with cuts on her neck after getting into a shoving match this past weekend in Las Vegas

An onlooker said Kournikova, 28, and her assistant were sitting at a VIP table when the other woman bumped them. They pushed each other but were separated – until the woman confronted Kournikova again as she was leaving the nightclub.

“The woman came back over and threw a drink on Anna and her assistant,” the source said. “The woman was definitely drunk.”

The other woman grabbed Kournikova by the neck and pushed her into a wall before security broke them apart.

Her adopted father, former British and European boxing champion Clinton McKenzie, is quoted as having said:

“Angel wants a sex change. She wants to become a man and to fight men in the ring. She’s obsessed with boxing and will do absolutely anything to live her dream. She is really convinced that she could become a world champion as a male boxer.

When she told me, I was petrified. I told her she was mad and that I wanted nothing to do with it. She’s very stubborn though.”

Apparently the boxer, 36 year old Russian born Angel McKenzie has completed the initial stages of hormone therapy. She recently appeared on the reality show ‘Big Brother’ and was seen shaving her face on the show.

Angel’s career as a female boxer so far isn’t exactly award winning, she has won only 2 of her 17 professional fights; so I am not exactly sure how a switch to fighting men will help?

Click through to watch a couple of videos of Angel