Advocate 54 June 2014

Editorial

Board member Julie Anderson and I met with the Minster for Sport, The Hon. Peter Dutton, MP in before the Budget. AWRA sought the meeting as part of our strategy to influence government and so that we could discuss some of today’s issues affecting women in sport. Julie and I did ask about the possibility of more linkages between his two portfolios of sport and health. We were told that the Government’s priority was to meet its election promises and that there will be little in the way of new sports policies or initiatives, not until the ASADA drugs in sport investigation has been wrapped up, and this budget cycle has finished. The ASC participation policy, which has been under development for a year or so, is still some way off and the Minister mentioned that he would like to see corporate partnerships involved here. However, when the national budget came down there was $100 million for schools to activities across 35 major sports, such as football, , and gymnastics, for three terms each year. The new Sporting Schools initiative (starting in 2015) will replace the Active After-school Communities program which focused on children not engaged in sport.

The new schools’ program aims to link schools with sporting clubs to drive ongoing participation. Teachers will be able to access a range of online training guides and coaching courses. It will target around 850,000 children across more than 5,000 primary schools and 80 secondary schools across . On average, it is expected that each grant would be worth around $1700. But the ASC will be hit hard with 75 job sackings and $50 million of budget cuts the next two to three years. It is expected that the ASC Corporate services will move to the Department of Health and possibly the Grants section as well. Supporting athletes and sports towards the Rio 2016 Games remains the top priority while cuts to “amateur” sports and grass roots participation funding are the trade-off. Programs that encourage the general community to take part in sport and exercise will lose $6.3million in 2014-15 (a cut of 8.6 per cent in real terms), while support for sports excellence will be trimmed by just $3.3million (a 4.7 per cent cut in real terms). At this stage, there have been no announcements about new initiatives for women and girls in sport, nor news about the Women in Sport Leadership grants program. The National Foundation for Australian Women (NFAW), a leading non-partisan women’s advocacy group has found that the biggest losers from the 2014 Federal Budget are women from virtually all walks of life and mostly low to middle income earners. It is noteworthy that as the sport budget is reduced, the Active Healthy Kids Report Card revealed that 81% of Australian children aged 5-17 do not get the recommended 60 minutes of vigorous physical activity a day and 71% exceed the daily recommended guidelines of no more than two hours screen time a day. One in four children is overweight and 63% of adults are overweight. We must do more to educate and advocate for increased levels of physical activity - the return of daily physical education in schools for example - right across the community as we head towards becoming a nation of fat couch potatoes rather than a sporting nation. The news about successful athletes and women in sport is triumphed in the Advocate and as usual we will keep you up-to- date with new developments and research as listed in this edition. Happy reading. Janice Crosswhite OAM Editor

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Executive Officer’s Report

Congratulations to the SA Office for Sport and Recreation for a wonderful “Governance, Diversity and Opportunity: Are you on Board” Conference. The speaker list was outstanding and all participants went away with a much better understanding of how diverse boards can lead to better outcomes. We look forward to seeing the impact of this conference on SA sport. Work on our website continues with new content being added almost weekly. We would welcome some feedback on whether we are covering the right kinds of issues. Have a quick look at www.australianwomensport.com.au. Our second Mentoring Workshop was held in recently with support from NSW Sport and Recreation and was well appreciated by our Sydney based mentees. We are developing a wonderful network of mentors around Australia who are committed to sharing their experience with our mentees. Planning has already started for next year’s program. Much energy is going into sourcing funding for the Executive Officer’s position as our grant from the Office for Sport runs out this December. Several proposals and an expression of interest have been developed for various funders. If you are looking for some professional development in a warmer location over the winter, please consider joining me at the Sport Education Conference, at the University of the Sunshine Coast on 3-4 July (http://www.sunshinecoastsports.com.au/announcements/sport-education-conference). There is something for everyone with three strands: Governance and Leadership, Sports Science and Sports Development. I will be speaking on Gender Equity and Boards in one session. It is with sadness that we acknowledge the closing down of Womensport after over twenty years of operation. A lack of secure ongoing funding was the main reason for the organisation’s demise. We salute the founders, successive Boards, staff and volunteers for their commitment to women’s . Leanne Evans. Contact Leanne on [email protected] 0417 282 293

Congratulations to:

 A strong second-half fight back was not enough for Australia, eventually going down 1-0 to world champions Japan in the Women's Asian Cup final in . The defending champion Matildas created most of the chances in the second 45 minutes, but could not find the that brought them nine goals in their four previous games.  The Australian women's water polo team, the Stingers, have won the FINA World League Intercontinental Cup in the USA, defeating arch-rivals and hosts the USA in the final, coming through a tough match to triumph 7-5.  Australian surfer Sally Fitzgibbons who has captured her first world championship tour event of the year winning the Rio Pro in Brazil.  Australian diver Melissa Wu who has capped off a successful comeback from injury at the Puerto Rico Grand Prix with a gold medal in the 10m platform. The 22-year-old beat out Chinese stars Ji Siyu and Qian Ren while Australian Rachel Bugg finished fourth. The victory added to Wu's bronze in the synchronised platform with Bugg a day earlier. Wu, a two- time Olympic silver medallist, is heading to her third this year and leads a strong female contingent in Australia's 12-person diving team for Glasgow.  The Australian Women's Rugby Sevens team has finished the 2013/14 IRB Sevens Women’s World Series runners-up after slipping to defeat against eventual champions in the Cup Final of the Amsterdam Sevens (12-29). Despite losing out on the team prize, it was a double-awards delight for centre Emilee Cherry, who picked up the 2013/14 IRB Women's Sevens World Series Player of the Year and top try scorer of the season (33 tries).  Paddler Jessica Fox has maintained her position at the top of the canoe slalom summit after winning two gold medals at the 2014 ICF Junior/U23 World Championships. The Olympic silver medallist turned in another top display to win gold in the women's under-23 K1 and C1 events, before adding bronze in the women's under-23 K1 team event on the final day of racing. Fox's triumph in the K1 and C1 events marked the first time a paddler had won both titles at an under-23 world championship. Fox was joined on the medal dais by fellow NSWIS athlete Alison Borrows in the women's K1 team event, with Borrows also finishing fourth in the women's under-23 K1 and 10th in the women's under-23 C1.  Reigning world champion Caroline Buchanan has taken out the elite women’s Oceania BMX Championships. Undefeated throughout the event, she led from start to finish in the final which also handed her the national series title with a fourth win from five rounds.

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 Kim Mickle finished second in the women's javelin in the opening Diamond League meet in Doha. Mickle produced a throw of 65.36m on her final attempt, after dropping down to third with one throw remaining.  cyclist Chloe Hosking has won her first UCI event of the year, winning the 120-kilometre.EPZ race in Holland.  Competing in Racice, Czech Republic, canoe sprint paddler Naomi Flood won a silver medal in the women's K1 1000m despite tough conditions.  The Southern Stars powered to a six- win over to win their third consecutive World . grabbed 3-16 in her four overs and and claimed two each to restrict England to a modest 8-105 after Australia won the toss and elected to field. smashed a 30-ball 44 studded with two sixes and four boundaries as the champions raced home with 29 deliveries to spare in a one-sided final. Perry completed a remarkable all-round display with an unbeaten 31, having added 60 for the fourth wicket with Lanning. Lanning said it was "almost the perfect match" for her team. What a contrast to the success-starved Aussie T20 men, still searching for their first title after enduring a poor campaign in , where they won just one of four matches and failed to advance beyond their group.  World surfing champion American Carissa Moore has won her second successive Bells Beach title defeating Aussie Tyler Wright.  Meg Lanning etched her name into the history books after smashing the highest individual score in women’s Twenty20 history, as Australia flexed their muscles with a record-breaking 78-run win over Ireland at the ICC Women’s World T20 in Bangladesh. She became just the third woman, and the first Australian, to pass three figures in a T20 international, smashing the Irish attack to all parts of the Sylhet International Cricket Stadium on her way to a superb 126 off 65 balls.  Danni Samuels who won her discus title at the Australian Championships, throwing a personal best of 66 metres. Samuels threw a personal best by more than a metre to win the national title by more than 10 metres.  Sculling world champion Kim Crow says she'll become a smarter tactician after being upset by fast-finishing Kiwi rival Emma Twigg in a thrilling Sydney World Cup final. Crow looked set to cruise to her 15th straight victory in the single sculls since taking bronze at the London Olympics but tired badly over the final 300m as a heavy week of racing took its toll at Penrith Lakes. The Australia quad scull won gold with , , and . Other winners were the lightweight women’s double sculls, Hannah Every-Hall and Maia Simmonds and the women’s double sculls with and Sally Kehoe.  Australian gymnast Mary-Anne Monckton won a silver medal on the beam at the World Challenge Cup in Doha. The Melbourne-based 19-year-old executed her routine to score 14.700 in the Qatari capital and finished behind Romanian winner Larisa Lordache (14.850). In the floor final, Australian Lauren Mitchell made a strong return to international competition by finishing fourth. Both gymnasts have been selected for the Glasgow Commonwealth Games.  In an Olympic-class field, Victorians Laetisha Scanlan (Berwick, VIC) and Catherine Skinner (Mansfield, VIC) have rewritten Shooting Australia’s history after winning gold and bronze in the women’s trap at the first World Cup event of the year in Tucson, USA.  17 year old schoolgirl from Ballarat, Holly Dobbyn, won the women's Stawell Easter Gift.  , which defeated Australia to advance in the Fed Cup semi-final in Sydney at Easter will now take on the Czech Republic in the Fed Cup final.

New appointments, awards and changes

 The Hon. Kristina Keneally has resigned as CEO of Australia. The Board of BA gave Kristina up to 6 months unpaid compassionate leave from 1 January 2014 to deal with some personal circumstances but she has now resigned stating “changed family circumstances”.  Nicole Livingstone OAM is the new CEO of the Melbourne Vicentre Club, based at the Melbourne Sports and Aquatic Centre in Albert Park.  Volleyball Australia has announced the appointment of coach Mark Barnard, who will lead the women’s national volleyball team for the 2014 FIVB World Grand Prix campaign.  Karen Murphy (NSW) has been named by as Female Bowler of the Year. She is one of the sport’s most distinguished title winners, and another sterling year of performances on the national and international stage has earned her back-to-back Female Bowler of the Year awards – her third successive finalist appearance in this category.  The Gold Coast Titans have appointed a woman to the Board for the first time in the club’s history. Gold Coast businesswoman Rebecca Frizelle has been appointed Chair of the four-person board which has finally been formed two years after it was first announced. Frizelle is the first female chairperson of an NRL club board.

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 Oprah Winfrey is signalling interest as a potential buyer of the NBA club, the Los Angeles Clippers, after club owner Donald Sterling was banned for life from professional basketball for racist comments and will be made to sell the club.  The NRL will penalise clubs that don’t appoint at least one woman director to boards as part of a plan to encourage women into management positions in rugby league. Only a handful of clubs including – Gold Coast, North Queensland, Canterbury, Wests Tigers, Manly, and South Sydney – have a woman on the board or as chief executive. The plan is to introduce a several standards the clubs will need to follow to ensure their grants, including penalties for failing to comply, and incentives if certain targets are reached.  The AOC has announced that Alisa Camplin OAM will be Chef De Mission of the 2016 Winter Youth Olympic team for Lillehammer, Norway. However, its media release that “Women dominate the AOC” was a tad misleading when you consider that the male President has been there for over 20 years, the board is elected on the President’s ticket and so far all 14 team leaders announced for the Rio team are males with one woman (Chef de Mission, Kitty Chiller).  International Olympic Committee has announced the composition of the IOC commissions for 2014, with an increase in female members (23%) and a much broader geographical representation. There will now be two more commissions chaired by women and 22 more positions held by women in 2014 than in 2013 (female representation from Africa increased by 50%), and a significant overall increase in the representation of members from Africa and Oceania.  Australian has been sacked as head coach of the USA women’s soccer team. After going through 2013 undefeated, the US team had been in something of a form slump to start 2014.  Australian Diamonds assistant coach and former Australian captain has been appointed the inaugural head coach of ’s new Centre of Excellence in Canberra.  Chronic injuries have forced Canberra and Australian star to quit soccer at 26. She says knee injuries convinced her it was time to retire prematurely.  The stand-off between players and coach Hesterine de Reus for control of the Australian women’s football team ended abruptly when the Dutchwoman was sacked as head coach. Football Federation Australia announced earlier it would investigate the complaints from the players regarding the coach, with speculation shortly after that de Reus’s fate was inevitable. Into the breach, stepped the well-credentialled Alen Stajic, a veteran of women’s coaching – most recently with Sydney FC – and a more popular figure among the players. It is likely that de Reus will seek compensation for breach of contract and wrongful dismissal.  Seven years ago, a high school teacher walked away from her job and applied for a pension. A single mother of two, Peta Searle wanted to be a full-time AFL coach and figured she would never know if she could if she didn’t try. Five years later, Searle became an assistant coach in the Victorian Football League. For a woman, this was unprecedented. But Gary Ayres - the ex-AFL coach and Hawthorn hero who in 2012 employed this pioneer at what was then the VFL’s reigning premiership club - considered it a no-brainer. Ayres and Searle met while completing their level-three coaching accreditation. Seeing football knowledge first and a female second, he could not have been more impressed by the head coach of Victorian Women’s Football League club Darebin, who had led the club to five consecutive premierships. In her playing days, Ayres learnt, Searle had also won five premierships and picked up three All Australian selections. At Port Melbourne, Ayres assigned Searle the responsibility of coaching his backline which was regarded as the best backline in the VFL. Then, after a three month contract with Melbourne, Searle then knocked on many doors but could not get another coaching contract. As a single parent, Searle then returned to physical education teaching, needing an income to support her family. She hopes the day will come when the AFL offers dedicated female coaching contracts, to break down the barriers that currently exist.  Happy ending to the above article: Peta Searle has become the AFL’s first full-time female assistant coach after accepting a position at St Kilda. Searle is expected to begin work immediately as a development coach at Seaford after her last game as assistant coach under Daniel Harford at St Kevin’s Old Boys on 7 June. http://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/afl/st-kilda-set-to-announce-former-port-melbourne-vfl-assistant-peta-searle-as- saints-new-development-coach/story-fni5f9q3-1226939100103  Head coach will not renew her contract with beyond the 2014 ANZ Championship season. Plummer has brought more professionalism and high profile players into the team but has not been able to get the results she desired since stepping down from her role as the national coach of the Australian Diamonds to take up the post in WA.  Opal-in-waiting Kristy Wallace is bound for the prestigious Baylor University (BU) basketball program in Texas after sparking a remarkable bidding war featuring more than 50 colleges in the United States. The 18-year-old Queensland prodigy will leave in August but will be released for national duty by BU, starting with December's Oceania qualifiers for the 2015 under-19 world championships. The point guard was first sounded out by US college scouts at just 16 when she helped Australia claim bronze in the World Three on Three tournament in Spain in 2012.

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has announced 15 players to receive 2014/15 playing contracts. Senior players , Meg Lanning and Ellyse Perry feature on the list, with each contract worth between $25,850 and $54,600. Contracted players: (NSW, 30 years old), (WA, 25), Jess Cameron (Vic, 24), Sarah Coyte (NSW, 23), Rene Farrell (ACT, 27), (Qld, 18), Jodie Fields (Qld, 29), (NSW, 24), (Vic, 30), (Qld, 21), Meg Lanning (Vic, 22), (NSW, 24), Ellyse Perry (NSW, 23), (SA, 21), (Vic, 24).

Snippets

 Shane Gould is commencing a PhD at University, after successfully completing two Masters Degrees. Naturally her thesis will be about some aspect of swimming in Australia.  Australia’s world champion Southern Stars are set to cash in as part of a plan to revolutionise the women’s game, with players to have their incomes doubled in some cases by featuring in a new Twenty20 tournament to be held in . The likes of Meg Lanning, Ellyse Perry and Alex Blackwell are being lined up to star in the inaugural Women’s International Cricket League, which will pay top players up to $40,000 each for a six-team competition to be played over 10 to 12 days. Australia’s women received a landmark pay rise last year but the 14 centrally contracted players still earn only $25,000 to $52,000 plus match payments, while those with state deals are on $2,500 to $7,000 a year not including match fees. The new league, the brainchild of former Southern Stars all-rounder and business partner Shaun Martyn, hopes to change the landscape of the women’s game. ‘‘Some of our tier-one players for the tournament will earn $30,000 to $40,000,’’ Martyn said. ‘‘And that’s only in year one. We have to move that salary cap up each year as we grow the business. ‘‘What we’re trying to do is create an opportunity for women that they don’t have. We want to be able to say to young girls around the world ‘There is actually a career pathway here.’’ Under the business model, the league’s six teams will be privately owned, with the WICL in final negotiations with franchise owners from Australia, the United States and . Discussions have also taken place with British broadcaster BSkyB and Star Sports in India about television coverage.  Several of Australia’s leading rugby league players (Jillaroos) are considering approaches to switch codes to union in a bid to play in the 2016 Olympic Games. Apparently the money on offer is hard to refuse: $700 a week plus $5000 for each tournament in the IRB Women’s Sevens World Series.  Ellyse Perry’s journey as an amazing dual-international sports star appears over. Perry has spent nearly seven years juggling her commitments between football and cricket, but the Matildas have now sent a blunt message that she is unlikely to continue to play both at the top level. She was left out of the 23-player Matildas squad for the Asian Cup.  Girls’ program builds soccer dreams—Football Federation SA has launched a girl’s soccer program aimed at producing the next generation of Matildas. (Rob Greenwood, Advertiser)  Have you seen this? http://www.smh.com.au/sport/olive-bowers-hits-out-at-surfer-sexism-20140329-35qei.html The story is making waves all over Facebook amongst ex-pat Australian parents and friends with girls, from UK, , Singapore, etc. It’s great to have a teenager, Olive Bowers speak out on sexist sports coverage.  This website (though American and very USA-centric) has lots of books for young female athletes http://www.amightygirl.com/books/general-interest/sports-games  Mo’onnia Gerrad, the former Australian netballer now trying to make Australia’s Olympic rugby team, is in Tonga (she is half Tongan) working with netball associations to train more netball coaches as part of an Australian Government funded anti-obesity program.  Canberra basketballer Abby Bishop has put family ahead of playing for her country, quitting her world championship dreams after introduced a new parenting policy. Bishop would have lost money on her bid to represent the Australian Opals in Turkey after BA ruled she would need to pay for flights, accommodation and childcare for Zala, the seven-month-old baby in her care. As revealed in The Canberra Times in January, Bishop volunteered to take custody of Zala from her sister for personal reasons. BA officials were happy for Zala to travel with the Opals, but a tight budget meant they were unable to offer financial support. The Canberra Capitals and her European team have assisted Bishop with looking after Zala, but BA is standing by its decision to ''keep the sanctity of high performance''. (Ed: AWRA is putting together an information paper on Pregnancy and Parental Care for Athletes).  The Logan Thunder women's basketball team will not contest the 2014/15 WNBL season after withdrawing its submission for a team. The team had been struggling to get sponsors for the upcoming season, with its licence submission relying heavily on a radical funding model involving considerable community-sourced funds.  World Number 1 golf amateur Minjee Lee (WA) and World Number 5 Su-Hyun Oh (VIC) are the recipients of the 2014 Karrie Webb Series scholarships.

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 The Queensland Government has hosted four forums around the state to focus on practical ways to boost participation levels in women’s recreation and sport. Led by the Ministerial Committee for Women’s Sport and chaired by Doune Macdonald, the first forum has been held on the Gold Coast. Each forum aims to build local capacity to meet the needs of women and girls.  It is likely that Cricket Australia will launch a Women’s Big Bash for the 2014-2015 season, with the same eight teams as for the men’s competition. It is likely there will double headers with the women and men playing on the same day.

Resources

You should take a look at the Encyclopaedia of Women and Leadership in Twenty Australia which has just been launched. It has taken 15 years to be produced online, covering 78 themes, including sport, listing 680 women and across 321 occupations. This was a major collaborative project led by the University of Melbourne and the National Federation of Australian Women. The section on women’s sport covers the twentieth century and the stories of leading women across those years. (http://www.womenaustralia.info/leaders/index.html) Read the entries on Heather Reid AWRA Ambassador and Janice Crosswhite, AWRA Board member. Celebrating women in football (video)—from Auskick to AFL, saluting the girls and women who participate, from the board room to juniors.

Research

 Aussie kids graded D in first ever physical activity report card Australian school children rank among the worst in the world for overall physical activity levels, narrowly avoiding a FAIL in a new national report card released by the National Heart Foundation of Australia and Exercise and Sports Science Australia. The inaugural Active Healthy Kids Australia Report Card on Physical Activity for Children and Youth has found 80% of 5-17 year olds are not meeting the Australian physical activity guidelines of at least 60 minutes of exercise each day. Report author Natasha Schranz, PhD from the University of South Australia said too many Australian parents believe playing sport is enough to keep their kids healthy. “Australia is a sporting nation, and vast numbers of children are involved in some type of organised sport but this report clearly shows we need to be looking at further ways to keep kids active when they are not on the sports field,” Dr Schranz said. The Heart Foundation’s National Lead on Active Living, Associate Professor Trevor Shilton said the evidence can’t be ignored. “We’re raising a generation of couch potatoes and if we don’t start to reverse this trend this will drive up health problems in the future – obesity, high blood pressure and heart disease,” he said. “We know what works. We need high quality, mandatory physical activity in our schools. We need to encourage and support our kids to stay active in everyday life – to be social and play outside, to walk and cycle in their neighbourhoods, do some household chores and limit hours of screen time. Full copies of the Report Card can be downloaded at www.activehealthykidsaustralia.com.au  Taking iron improves women's exercise performance, study shows—women who take iron supplements experience a marked improvement in their exercise performance, a new study shows (University of Melbourne, Science Daily).  The ASC has funded a research project to investigate the issues and barriers that exist for inviting and retaining women into leadership positions within elite , and developing practical responses and strategies to address these issues to create positive, lasting change. “Despite the rhetoric, sport continues to remain an ‘unequal playing field’ and the under-representation of women on elite sporting organisation boards and in senior management positions across Australia is a serious issue which requires genuine action to reform. Gender equity is not only an issue at the leadership level, but the ability to appeal to and attract greater numbers of women and girls as participants, coaches, members and fans of sporting organisations and clubs is a critical bottom line performance indicator”. Sports consultancy Bluestone Edge has partnered with Richmond Football Club, the Australian Sports Commission and the Australian Football League to research this issue across different levels of society and sport so that we might thoroughly understand how barriers for women (real, perceived and symbolic) manifest in the sports’ context; develop and implement practical and robust strategies to respond to these issues, and; test the veracity and impact of such interventions. AWRA’s EO Leanne Evans was interviewed as part of the research project.

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 Lack of exercise is the biggest risk factor for heart disease in women aged 30 and above, according to a new study. If all over-30’s followed recommended guidelines on exercise, nearly 3,000 lives could be saved each year in Australia alone, say researchers. A team at the University of Queensland, Australia tracked the health of more than 30,000 women born in the 1920’s, 1940’s and 1970. They found smoking had the greatest impact on women's heart disease risk below the age of 30. Again the message is clear, we need to keep middle-aged women active and then keep them active into old age with women (and men) doing an hour’s physical activity a day.  ACT research into homophobia in sport has found that over 40% of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTI) Canberrans have felt unsafe in a sporting environment and 32% have experienced verbal homophobia in sport. For more information on The Inclusive Sport Survey, visit the ACT Government’s Sport and Recreation Services website: www.economicdevelopment.act.gov.au/sport_and_recreation  The AFL is funding research into building an injury profile for women and girls in AFL because there is no clear understanding of what impact the sport has on female bodies. The AFL is under some pressure to gather the knowledge quickly as the game’s popularity rises – in 2013 more than 169,000 females played AFL. Research of soccer and basketball injuries found women suffered 6-8 times more ACL injuries than men which has been attributed to the different hip and knee alignments in females.  Findings into Women’s Cycling Habits: Feeling unsafe on the road and a lack of confidence is preventing Australian women from riding more regularly, a new report from has revealed. Over 50% of the women surveyed for the report said they would like to feel more confident in their cycling abilities so they could ride in traffic, yet 55% said they didn’t have access to safe on-road facilities to do so. These women indicated that safer bike lanes and pathways, access to other women who ride at their level, as well as access to organised riding groups would motivate them to ride more. “Women ride for fitness, fun, to improve their health, to socialise and to challenge themselves, yet feeling unsafe on the road, work commitments and lack of time are the top three challenges that inhibit them from riding more regularly,” said Cycling Australia’s General Manager of Participation Gareth Watkins. The survey of 2,400 Australian women also found:  52% of women currently ride alone  61% of women describe their skill level as intermediate  Women currently ride an average of 3 times a week  92% of women enjoy reading stories about women’s cycling  51% believe that media coverage for women’s cycling is improving Despite a significant growth in the number of women cycling for recreational purposes, a gender imbalance still exists in Cycling Australia’s membership that sees women represent only one in every five members. It is hoped the findings from this report can help improve this number, as well as facilitate change organisation wide to improve women’s participation in cycling.

Thumbs down to:

 A Melbourne restaurant which is advertising women wrestling in jelly (live shows as you eat) and defended the entertainment “as a sporting element to eye candy”.  The lack of female sports reps in the redevelopment of the fab new which has grandstands, eateries and statues named after male sports people but nowhere does it honour any of South Australia’s leading female cricketers for example. Maybe women don’t exist in Adelaide?  A former netball association secretary, and a founder of her association, has appeared in a Melbourne court charged with 56 charges of theft and fraud, related to stealing hundreds of thousands of dollars from the Banyule and Districts Netball Association from 2007-2013.

Thumbs up to:

 Cycling Australia, in conjunction with the Amy Gillett Foundation, Mountain Bike Australia, AustCycle, Cycling Queensland and Cycling , have launched a new national riding initiative for women called She Rides. She Rides will run between May and July and is aimed at women over the age of 30 who want to ride for health, transport, fitness and fun but lack the access, skills, confidence or support to make a change. Nine pilot programs will be delivered in New South Wales and Queensland, with the opportunity for expansion into other states in the future.

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 City of Sydney has started a successful drop-in Lady Hoops program at the KGB Centre (Sydney Rocks area) to win women back into basketball, as it noted that numbers were falling in its organized competitions.  Record crowds to the ANZ Netball Championship games show just how much elite netball has been accepted across the country as a genuine spectator sport. Over 10,000 fans screamed the NSW Swifts to a thrilling three-goal win over the and in the process wrote themselves into the record books as the largest regular-season crowd in the seven years of the competition. In Melbourne, the Vixens hosted the West Coast Waves in front of 8000. has pointed out that these crowds fair very favourably with rugby league crowds that same weekend.

Quiz:

1. What Australian basketballer has won the MVP in the WNBA for three seasons? 2. Between 1932 and 1968, over what distance was the women’s Olympic hurdles race run? 3. What is the current hurdles distance for women? 4. The runner-up at the 2014 Australian Open was Dominika Cibulkova. What is her nationality? 5. Abby Bishop dropped out of the Opals squad because she needed child care. Who does she play for in Australia? 6. Who is the world’s fastest female swimmer? 7. Which two teams are on top of the ANZ Netball Championship ladder? 8. Name the four cities and the years that Australia has hosted the Commonwealth Games. 9. Who is the new Australian female record holder for the 100m track sprint? 10. Becoming well known in January 2014, with which sport is Canadian Eugenie Bouchard associated?

Answers: 1. . 2. 80 metres. 3. 100 metres. 4. Slovakian. 5. Canberra Capitals. 6. Cate Campbell. 7. Melbourne Vixens and . 8. Australia has hosted the Commonwealth Games four times: Sydney (1938), (1962), Brisbane (1982), and Melbourne (2006). 9. Melissa Breen. 10. Tennis – she made the Australian Open semi-finals.

What’s On:

 Australian Women’s Keelboat Regatta to be held in Melbourne 7-9th June. For more info: http://www.awkr.com.au/ This event attracts teams of women from all over Australia and for the first time in its 24 year history, the Northern Territory will be competing.  From Narelle Gosstray: I have recently been appointed Assistant Coach to the Australian Women's National Baseball Team (the Emeralds). I'm very excited and humbled to be part of this team, and looking forward to the 2014 World Cup. Whether you are a baseball fan or would just like to see an Australian Women’s sporting team come home with a World Cup, I would love if you could donate to our campaign to get the girls to Miyazaki in September without them having to pay to represent their country. If you would be so kind here is the link for your donation: http://www.gofundme.com/digdeepfortheemeralds2014  Australian Calisthenic Federation (ACF) National Championships will be held from the 9th-12th July 2014 at Hamer Hall in Melbourne. Hamer Hall will showcase Calisthenics at its best, with lighting enhancements in all sections accentuating the artistry the sport. TICKETS: purchase online (www.artscentremelbourne.com.au) or telephone 1300 182 183.

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JUNE 2014 17-21 Canoeing World Wildwater Canoe Championships Valtelinna, Italy Australian Canoeing 19-22 Golf Golf Major - US Women’s Open North Carolina, USA 21-22 Rowing World Cup 2 Aiguebelette, France 22 or 23 Netball ANZ Netball Grand Final TBA Netball Australia 23-6 Tennis Grand Slam – The Wimbledon Championships Wimbledon, England JULY 2014 4-6 Diving Australian Elite Junior Diving Championships Sydney, NSW 5-12 Basketball U16 Australian Basketball Championships Geelong, VIC Basketball Australia 5-13 Orienteering World Orienteering Championships Trentino-Veneto, Italy Orienteering Australia 7-13 Polocrosse Australian Polocrosse Championships Darwin, NT Polocrosse Association of Australia 11-20 Basketball U17 Women’s FIBA World Championships TBC Basketball Australia 12-13 Rowing Rowing World Cup 3 Lucerne, Switzerland Rowing Australia 19-20 Archery Australian Indoor Archery Championships TBC 21-27 Orienteering Junior World Orienteering Championships Borovets, Bulgaria Orienteering Australia 23-3 Multiple Sports Commonwealth Games Glasgow, Scotland 26-27 Rowing U23 World Championships Varese, Italy Rowing Australia 26-27 Ice Racing Duke Trophy Sydney, NSW Australian Ice Racing 27-3 Darts Australian Open Darts Championships Adelaide, SA Darts Federation of Australia 2-9 Ultimate Frisbee World Ultimate Club Championships Lecco, Italy Australian Flying Disc Association 6-10 Rowing World Junior Rowing Championships Hamburg, Germany Rowing Australia 6-15 Tenpin World Youth Tenpin Bowling Championships Hong Kong Tenpin Bowling Australia 14-17 Golf Golf Major – LPGA Championship New York, USA Golf Australia 14-24 Softball Women’s Softball World Championships Haarlem, 16-28 Multiple Sports Youth Olympic Games Nanjing, China Australian Olympic Committee 18-31 Tenpin Bowling World Tenpin Bowling Championships Las Vegas, USA Tenpin Bowling Australia 21-24 Swimming Pan Pacific Championships Gold Coast, QLD 24-31 Rowing World Rowing Championships Amsterdam, Netherlands Rowing Australia 25-7 Tennis Grand Slam – US Open New York, USA Tennis Australia

Australian Womensport and Recreation Association PO Box 887, Panton Hill VIC 3759 P: 03 9719 7553 | E: [email protected] W: www.awra.com.au | T: @auswomensport ABN 606 258 03567

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