Tag Archive - women’s football

Holley Mangold Leaving The Line, Picking Up The Weights

Post Author: Lori Braun Posted on: May 31, 2010 at 7:39 pm
In: Female Athletes, Stuff With: 0 Comments

The Mangold name has been in the news for years. Nick Mangold was a great college football and is now a New York Jets lineman. However, he wasn’t the only football player in the Mangold family. His sister, Holley, also played high school football. She too was a lineman; she too played at over 300 pounds. What differs is Holley is an acclaimed girly-girl. She loves pink nail polish, ribbons in her hair and dresses.

Had a college coach taken the chance putting a female on the team, she could have easily played college football. She was a good lineman, but Holley found new passions. She earned a Track-and-Field scholarship in shot-put and continued aspirations in weightlifting she developed in high school. When she started lifting seriously, her goal was to squat 500 pounds within two years. She hit that goal in four months.

“I just thought it was really fun,” Holley said about weightlifting. “I realized I really liked it.”

She has been urged by coaches and onlookers to begin training with USA Weightlifting in Colorado Springs this fall in hopes of qualifying for the 2012 Olympics

“Holley shows incredible potential,” said Rick Adams, CEO of USA Weightlifting in a recent phone conversation. “She’s one of the most exciting young athletes .we have. She certainly has the attention of the Olympic Committee, and has our attention. We absolutely think she’s a strong candidate for future international teams.”

Maria Mutola Gallery

Post Author: Lori Braun Posted on: May 16, 2010 at 6:36 pm
In: Female Athletes, Galleries With: 1 Comment

As such an iconic women in Track & Field, FemaleMuscle wanted to bring you a gallery recognizing Maria Mutola’s career.

Maria Mutola: A Dreamer and A Doer

Post Author: Lori Braun Posted on: May 16, 2010 at 4:30 pm
In: Female Athletes, Stuff With: 0 Comments

Maria Mutola, 37-years-old, dominated the women’s 800-meter, middle-distance running for over a decade. She has eleven world championship titles and an Olympic gold medal before she retired from running. She was the fourth Track & Field athlete to compete at six Olympics. Her retirement was cut short, by surprise, when she decided to pursue her long time love of football.

“It was a surprise,” she said in an interview with stuff.co.nz. “I wasn’t looking to play football. I brought a friend here to South Africa from Mozambique to look for a football team. And I ended up playing.”

It was a move that has satisfied her competitive streak and allowed her to utilize her speed and athleticism. She was the leading scorer this season on her team. She has always been an achiever, rather on the track, on the feild or in her personal life.

“My career was very nice,” she said. “I don’t think there is anything I’d like to change apart from staying a little bit longer winning medals for my country and myself. I think I had a wonderful career. I’m very, very happy.”

Best times

  • 200 m 23.86
  • 400 m 51.37
  • 800 m 1:55.19
  • 1000 m 2:29.34
  • 1500 m 4:01.50
  • 3000 m 9:27.37
  • 5000 m 18:15.10

800 m. honors

  • Olympic Games: 1988 first round; 1992 5th and 9th 1500 m; 1996 3rd; 2000 1st; 2004 4th
  • World Championships: 1991 4th; 1993 1st; 1995 disqualified semi final; 1997 3rd; 1999 2nd; 2001 1st; 2003 1st, 2005 Honorable Mention
  • World Indoor Championships: 1993 1st; 1995 1st; 1997 1st; 1999 2nd; 2001 1st; 2003 1st; 2004 1st; 2006 1st
  • World Cup: 1992 1st and 3rd 4×400 m Relay; 1994 1st; 1998 1st; 2002 1st and 4th 4×400 m Relay
  • All-Africa Games: 1991 1st; 1995 1st
  • African Championships: 1988 2nd; 1990 1st and 1st 1500 m; 1993 1st; 1998 1st; 2002 1st; 2008 2nd
  • Commonwealth Games: 1998 1st; 2002 1st; 2006 3rd

All The Commitment, None Of The Promises

Post Author: Lori Braun Posted on: May 15, 2010 at 10:51 am
In: Female Athletes, Stuff With: 0 Comments

The Columbus Comets are categorized as a professional women’s football team. They were promised a salary, but when seven years have passed and the promise still empty, they have quite holding their breath. Many of the girls have quite playing. Holding jobs, and paying to attend practices and play games, just hasn’t done much for player retention.

Carolyn O’Leary, 43-years-old, however, has not given up. She is nearly twice as old as her teammates, but the offensive-guard is hard hitting and devoted.

“People come and go,” said Carolyn. “When you’re not paid and the commitment is so great, you sometimes have to make decisions about what you’re going to spend your time on.”

The Comets have enjoyed six winning seasons and until the playoffs, were undefeated last year. Last season, after the dissolution of the National Women’s Football League, the Comets joined 40 other teams in the new Women’s Football Alliance. The WFA is a non-profit organization and as a result, most players pay about $350 a season instead of more than $1,000 in past leagues.

“For me, it’s worth it (to pay) because I get to play the sport I’ve loved since I was a child,” Carolyn said.

Girls Flag Football Rising Through The Ranks

Post Author: Lori Braun Posted on: May 13, 2010 at 10:44 am
In: Female Athletes, Stuff With: 0 Comments

It wasn’t long ago flag football was just a P.E. activity, a pick up game or college intramural, but today it is more. High schools are picking up flag football as a women’s varsity sport, and the interest is soaring. There is an estimated 19,000 girls taking part nationwide on organized teams, and the NFL introducing some 12,000 girls to the sport in the last year.

At the center of it all is Florida. There an estimated 5,000 girls play at the varsity level.

“I think it’s a very antiquated statement to say that football is a boys sport anymore,” said Samantha Rapoport, who manages the NFL’s Girls Flag Football Leadership Program and a former quarterback herself in her native Canada. “The fact that girls are playing it at such a high level, that’s what is changing people’s minds. If girls couldn’t play this sport, I don’t think people would be that interested. But girls are thriving at it.”

Lingerie Football League Halftime

Post Author: Lori Braun Posted on: February 7, 2010 at 12:09 pm
In: Female Athletes With: 0 Comments

The half time lingerie football game has been with the Super Bowl for some time now, but the stakes have changed. The game is no longer just a pick up game for a hot half time show. Super Bowl is now a destination and goal for a league that practices and plays for months before the culmination of the Super Bowl. FemaleMuscle has followed the lingerie football league this year and are looking forward to the sport generating more fans, attention and respect. The lingerie football leagues website, lflus.com, wrote about the big day: 

“The spotlight of Super Bowl Sunday will be shining bright on Los Angeles and Chicago as they take to the gridiron for the annual Super Bowl halftime championship game, Lingerie Bowl VII. Both teams come into the game with expectations of hoisting the LFL championship trophy in South Florida. 

Los Angeles Temptation (4-1) will feature an incredible defense while Chicago Bliss (4-0) will try to capture the championship behind their blue-collar running game. With both teams having deep rosters, the difference in the game will be each team’s ability to play on the big stage of Super Bowl Sunday.”

LFL Western Conference Looking for Finals

Post Author: Lori Braun Posted on: January 29, 2010 at 6:00 pm
In: Female Athletes, Galleries, Stuff With: 0 Comments

Tonight the Los Angeles Temptation (pictured) will meet the San Diego Seduction in a Western Conference rivalry game that will also mark the end of regular season. This game will determine who will go the finals. There is quite a bit on the line here, and both teams are gunning for blood.

LINE:         LOS ANGELES -9  35 OVER/UNDER

INJURIES:  NONE

STADIUM:  LOS ANGELES MEMORIAL COLISEUM (NATURAL GRASS)

TICKETS: TICKETMASTER.COM OR CALL 1.800.745.3000

KICKOFF:   9:15PM

Cheer Captain Gives Crowd Something To Cheer About

Post Author: Lori Braun Posted on: December 30, 2009 at 11:13 am
In: Female Athletes, Stuff With: 0 Comments

Emanda Doscher, not just a former cheerleader, but a former cheer captain, found a new spot on the field. Emanda went out and made the Tampa LFL (lingerie football league) as a defensive back. Emanda has always been an athlete. In addition to cheerleading she ran track and was on the high school diving team. She also won her conference weightlifting championships class, going undefeatedfour years in a row. She took up strength training and loved it so much she began to train for fitness competitions while serving in the Army National Guard, racking up eight years of war-time duty.

During the first home game, Emanda left the field with fractured ribs…a very painful injury. However, she is not discouraged and looks forward to coming back and delivering some punishment of her own.