Adena Andrews.com

Originally posted on espnW.com

Some women view sneakers as just another item to be tossed in the bottom of a gym bag. For WNBA stars Essence Carson, Alex Montgomery, Tina Charles and Cappie Pondexter, sneakers are a way of life. These self-proclaimed “sneakerheads” — collectors of high-end athletic footwear — seek out the finest rubber soles the world has to offer.

From Reebok to Nike to Louis Vuitton, these ladies consider sneakers an extension of their personality. With more than 200 pairs of sneakers combined, they are bucking societal trends and putting sneakers first when it comes to finding the “it” shoe.

“It’s expected for guys to be into sneakers and have a collection,” said Carson, the New York Liberty’s All-Star forward. “But when you’re a girl who collects sneakers, and you know your stuff and you look good in them, you have the best of both worlds.”

And the manufacturers are paying attention. Companies such as Jordan fuel the sneaker-collecting nation by releasing limited editions, prompting a frenzy for the coveted and unique shoe lines. In the summer of 2011, collectors waited in line at the Wrentham Village Premium Outlets in Wrentham, Mass., for up to 10 hours just to grab a pair of the limited-edition Air Jordan 1 “Banned” sneakers.

“It’s hard work to be a sneakerhead,” said Montgomery, who also plays for the Liberty. “You have to save a lot of money to get the things that you want. When they come out, you have to make sure you are the first to sport them.”

Montgomery has 55 pairs of sneakers, the stacks of boxes flowing out of her closet and into her living room. She says her favorite pair are the Nike Air Max 2011, a versitile running sneaker that comes in a variety of colors with the classic air bubble through the length of the shoe.

“They’re comfortable, fit my style and match all my basketball shorts,” Montgomery said.

Carson, also a self-proclaimed sneakerhead, has lost track of her collection.

“I have boxes stacked up on top of bins and bags,” she said. “My favorites are the Jordans and Nikes.”

Carson loves Nikes and Jordans because she feels the sneaker craze orignated with these brands.

Female sneakerheads are often overlooked by athletic-shoe companies, which cater mostly to men’s sizes. When collector’s items are released, women are forced to purchase children’s or men’s versions because of the limited availablity in women’s sizes.

“When I was younger I had big feet and couldn’t find Jordans in my size so I had to pay the adult price, which was about $150,” said Carson, who wears a size 12.

Along with quantity and quality, price is another major factor that separates the average sneaker wearer from a sneaker connoisseur. Sneakerheads spend large sums of money to grab the most sought-after pairs.

Two-time WNBA champion Pondexter recently spent $500 on a custom pair of NikeiD sneakers. She was surpassed by her teammate Carson, who owns a $700 pair of Louis Vuitton sneakers. At these prices, it isn’t uncommon for one pair of shoes to cost about 1 percent of the average WNBA salary. Whether the price is worth it comes down to personal perspective.

Connecticut Sun All-Star Tina Charles summed up the reason behind the sneaker craze, citing individuality as the main motivation for purchasing expensive rubber-soled footwear. “How I carry myself with my sneakers on makes me unique,” she said. “I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

originally posted on espnW.com

From London to the Lower East Side, Holcombe Rucker Park in Harlem is known as the mecca of street basketball. Although Rucker Park is world-renowned for the NBA players it hosts (like the Thunder’s Kevin Durant and Lakers’ Kobe Bryant), each summer streetballing women with deadly crossovers participate in the historic Entertainer’s Basketball Classic.

The EBC originated in 1980 in Mount Morris Park in east-central Harlem and consisted of two rival male rap groups, Disco Four and Crash. In 1985, EBC found its permanent home in Rucker Park at 155th Street and Fredrick Douglass Boulevard, where it has played host to basketball icons such as Julius “Dr. J” Erving, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Earl “The Pearl” Monroe.

From professional athletes to financial secretaries to a mother and her kids on the sideline, you can see players from all walks of life at the Rucker.

Allison Glover, 33, former Fairfield University power forward turned executive assistant, grabs rebounds in the paint while her husband and 4-year-old daughter, Brianna, blow kisses from the bleachers during timeouts.

“By playing at the Rucker, I’m laying a foundation for my daughter to let her know she can do anything she wants in a male-dominated society,” Glover said. “If Mommy can do it, so can she.”

Her husband, Brandon Glover, added, “Having me in the stands is different from the norm but I’m fine with that. I’m cheering on my wife while she plays at the famous Rucker Park. It doesn’t get any better.”

For the past decade, at least once a week — Tuesday and Thursday this season — is ladies’ night at Rucker Park. New York’s finest female ballers hit the court to amaze below the rim. This year’s six-team women’s tournament in the EBC will culminate with a championship game in the third week of August.

WNBA players Kia Vaughn, Teresa Weatherspoon and Epiphanny Prince have made cameos in this concrete coliseum.

“Being from New York, I played a couple of AAU tournaments there growing up,” said Vaughn, a center for the New York Liberty. “The legend of Rucker Park is that the greatest ballers play there. It must be true since I was there.”

Although it’s called ladies’ night, there’s nothing dainty about the weekly showdown between these roundball warriors.

“The game is very aggressive,” said Yolanda Rousse, who plays for the team Black Pearl. “We are banging bodies down low. You have to go hard to get to the rack. You leave with battle wounds.”

One member of Black Pearl showed off a bloody thumbnail while others boasted of scrapes and bruises.

Rousse added: “We’re ballers. That’s what we do. We show up to play.”

originally posted on espnW.com

While the NFL and its players were meeting in fancy Park Avenue boardrooms deciding how to divvy up $9 billion, the players of the Women’s Football Alliance were running routes on the gridiron for a more valuable reason — love of the game.

And love, it turns out, isn’t free. Participation in the WFA is contingent upon meeting a $1,000 player fee, which is required of all athletes who want to play.

“To have to go through so much effort to play is frustrating,” said Lauren Pringle, wide receiver for the New York Sharks, the WFA’s oldest team, having begun as a member of the Women’s Professional Football League in 2000. “To see [NFL players] fighting over millions more dollars than they already have is upsetting. What they make in one game could fund our entire season. Heck, they could give us the change in their couch.”

The WFA, which began play in 2009, is a nationwide league of 60 teams in the United States — but this is not your mother’s powder puff gang and it’s light-years away from MTV’s scantily clad “Lingerie Football League.” The WFA gives everyday women with the financial means the opportunity to participate in full-contact tackle football.

Fees vary for each team and cover the cost of equipment, field rentals, travel and other team needs. Because athletes have to meet fee requirements, they maintain jobs off the field. With the 44 players on the Sharks, occupations range from student to project manager to information technology specialist.

Despite all obstacles, players of the WFA can’t see their lives without the game.

“One of our teammates told a New York Giants player she played in the WFA and didn’t get paid. He asked, ‘Then why do you play?’” said Sharks quarterback Karen Mulligan. “He forgot about the love of the game.”

Pringle added: “I played a lot of softball and track growing up but never loved a sport more than I love football.”

Because there’s no salary to be had, players get into the league for a variety of reasons.

“Three years ago the roller-skating-themed movie ‘Whip It’ was released, so I was searching the Internet for local roller derby teams,” said Sarah Schkeeper, a Sharks guard. “The ad for the New York Sharks kept popping up on the website so I decided to check it out.”

Sharks fullback Yatia Hopkins had a more conventional reason: “I played basketball throughout high school and played football with my brothers when I was younger. When I graduated college I was depressed and getting fat so one of my friends told me to try out for the WFA team.”

These women were forced to make a huge financial decision by joining the Sharks, one of the most expensive teams to maintain because of the Big Apple’s cost of living. It costs approximately $100,000 to maintain the team during the regular season, according to Sharks general manager Crystal Turpin. Poor ticket sales — $2,000 per game for the Sharks — and lack of sponsorships keep most WFA teams, including the Sharks, in the red.

Few teams are fortunate enough to garner enough money and wins to make it to the playoffs. This season, the San Diego Surge take on the Boston Militia in the WFA championship game on July 30. The New York Sharks were eliminated in the first round, which was ironically fortunate — they no longer had to worry about funding trips deeper into the playoffs. Squads have forfeited playoff games due to insufficient travel budgets.

Bickering NFL owners and players could learn something from the women of the WFA, who have no price for their pigskin passion.

“Honestly, when I listen to NFL lockout discussions I’m jealous,” said Pringle. “It pisses me off that they don’t appreciate what they have. If I could play football full- time and just not have to pay, I would be a happy woman.”

Roller derby jammer and competitive runner Carrie Hanson needs the proper fuel to keep up with her practice schedule.

Natasha Hastings is a professional sprinter and 2008 Olympic gold medalist who resides in Atlanta.

I’m a very natural eater and pride myself on not taking many supplements. I only take an iron pill and multivitamin each day. Right now I’m in Europe training. Surprisingly, my diet is cleaner when I’m overseas because the foods aren’t as processed as in the United States. In Europe, the track meet organizers feed us food that’s specially prepared for the athlete — lean meats, veggies and rice. Sometimes we have pasta, as well.

Today, I started my day off with a cup of hot tea, eggs, turkey bacon and some toast. I also had some fruit and yogurt with my breakfast. Lunch was a roast beef sandwich, though sometimes I’ll just have leftovers from dinner instead.

To keep my energy up, I make a protein shake for a snack. I usually throw a granola bar or some fruit into the mix. I also drink lots of water throughout the day to stay hydrated.

For dinner, I bake most of my meats. I like to eat lots of chicken breast and fish; my favorite is salmon. On the side, I have brown rice or whole-wheat pasta and steamed veggies flavored with a little bit of butter, salt and pepper.

I try to stick as close to possible to a clean, healthy diet. Sometimes I do indulge with a burger or some ice cream. My biggest food weakness? That would have to be cheesecake. But I usually only have it after I’ve had a good competition.

Carrie Hanson is a roller derby jammer for the Charlotte Speed Demons. From Ann Arbor, Mich., she is also a senior vice president for retail banking strategy at Bank of America.

I’m a jammer, so that means I’m a fast, small and agile skater who scores points. I need the proper fuel to keep up with our practice schedule of two hours, three days a week. I’m also a competitive runner and run up to 15 miles a week.

I’m pretty consistent and eat just about the same thing every day. For breakfast, I always start with a cup of coffee and put a dash of cinnamon in there. I read in the book “The 4-Hour Body” [by Tim Ferriss] that cinnamon will lower your LDL cholesterol and help regulate your blood sugar throughout the day. Then I cook plain Quaker oatmeal with some more cinnamon and a handful of blueberries, and have that with two Jimmy Dean sausage patties.

For lunch, I use Fresh Express bagged salad as a base and throw in whatever I can find in the kitchen. I normally have Boar’s Head turkey and a scoop of tuna. Then I add fresh vegetables, which I get from one of my teammates who grows her own veggies. For an extra treat, I’ll toss red grapes or diced apples into my salad, too. I’m pretty lucky because I work from a home office. So if I keep my house stocked with healthy foods, I’m not tempted to stray for lunch.

I used to add a handful of grated cheese on my salad, but I realized there were better ways to get protein than from dairy. Plus, I don’t think dairy is great for my system; I’ve pretty much given it up altogether.

Dinner is usually my “meal in a bowl”: Kashi 7 Whole Grain Pilaf topped with ground turkey, salsa and black beans. It’s easy to eat, and I make enough so that I can have it the next day, too.

My favorite snack is a sliced apple with crunchy peanut butter, but I also love Swedish Fish and frozen Milk Duds. I can pass by cakes, doughnuts and bagels, but if you put some candy in front of me — that’s my weakness.

originally posted on espnW.com

n the Pro’s Questionnaire, our favorite sports figures take an abridged version of the most famous personality test, the Proust Questionnaire. Danielle Adams, a San Antonio Silver Stars power forward who led Texas A&M to the 2011 NCAA women’s basketball championship, talks about how she works on her stamina, admires her mother and patterns her game after Lisa Leslie’s.

What is your idea of happiness?
Danielle Adams: Surrounding yourself with people who can encourage you and are friendly.

What is your idea of misery?
DA: Being around negativity all the time. Misery is also surrounding yourself with people who really are not doing anything for themselves and are just trying to bring you down along with them.

What is your main fault?
DA: Conditioning and stamina. Coach [Dan Hughes] has me doing extra work before and after practice to work on this. I don’t really have any faults off the court.

If not yourself, who would you like to be?
DA: My mom. She is a hardworking woman, a single parent, and she never gives up. She works for Sprint in their finance department.

Who is a hero or heroine you admire the most?
DA: Lisa Leslie. Growing up I would watch the things she did on the court and try to mimic my game after her.

What is your favorite food and drink?
DA: Any kind of sushi and fruit punch Gatorade.

What is a talent you would like to possess?
DA: I like to play video games. I am real competitive in video games. I wish I could play those better. I actually like to play the basketball video games.

What is your greatest fear?
DA: If something bad were to happen to my family.

What is your greatest extravagance?
DA: Jordan sneakers. I have about 11 pairs.

What is your most treasured possession?
DA: My Bible.

What is your present state of mind?
DA: Just being encouraged to be a better role model to younger kids and teaching them that doing all the bad stuff is not good for them. I want to let them know that working hard in school and paying attention will help you live your dream.

originally posted on espnW.com

Like every golfer at the U.S. Women’s Open, amateur Mariah Stackhouse placed her ball on the tee at the start of competition. The only difference between her golf ball and the others’ were two letters: M and d. The uppercase M stands for Mariah and the lowercase d stands for David, a small guy from the Bible who defeated the giant Goliath. That ritual of inscribing her golf balls rings true for every match she competes in — the story resembles the life of Stackhouse, a petite 5-foot-2, 17-year-old prodigy.

Stackhouse competed in her first tournament at age 6 against a field of 9-year-olds. She tied for first place. Since then she has amassed 168 top-10 finishes and 99 tournament wins. She’s ranked 21st by the Atlanta Junior Golf Association, has a 3.8 USGA handicap and was the fifth-youngest player at this year’s U.S. Women’s Open. She also was the only African-American in a field of 156 golfers there.

“I was practicing my chipping across the green and Juli Inkster walked by,” Stackhouse said, with a smile worthy of a toothpaste sponsorship. “I’m like, ‘Wait, that’s Juli Inkster!’ That’s when it hit me that I was playing in the U.S. Women’s Open.”

Ken Stackhouse, Mariah’s father and a partner in the architectural firm Cornerstone Design Group near the family’s home in Riverdale, Ga., recognized Stackhouse’s talent early and put his recreational golf aspirations aside to carry the bag for his wunderkind.

“When she was 5 years old, I was at the course and she was playing around but hitting the ball so purely,” Ken said. “People started gathering behind us to watch this little girl hit golf balls. That’s when I knew she had skill and my game began to take a back seat.”

The younger Stackhouse has cultivated excellent accuracy on her drives. She demonstrated her prowess during Atlanta sectional qualifying for the U.S. Open in May, when she hit her longest drive of the day on the 18th hole, a 562-foot uphill par 5, to make par and win a sudden-death playoff and earn a spot in the Open.

“Driving is the most consistent part of my game but most of the time I have a pretty good wedge game, also,” Stackhouse said.

Stackhouse missed the cut at the U.S. Women’s Open, shooting 79 and 84 in the first two rounds. She’s currently competing in the 63rd annual U.S. Girls’ Junior Championship in Olympia Fields, Ill.– just one week after the Open.

Besides precision, Stackhouse’s top weapon on the course is her mental approach to the game. Her motto is “The most important shot is the next shot,” and she doesn’t dwell on the insignificant. For a mentally tough player like Stackhouse, being the only African-American at the Open was of no concern.

“When I step onto a golf course, I don’t see myself as the only African-American,” Stackhouse said. “I see myself as any other golfer just trying to go for a low score.”

Stackhouse encourages African-Americans who excel in sports where they are the minority to pursue their heart’s desire.

Her father added, “For young black girls who want to play golf, forget about the fact that you’re black as soon as you can,” Ken said. “There will be challenges far greater than your blackness.”

Stackhouse’s parents shield her from newspaper articles pegging her as the next Tiger Woods. Their goal is to keep their daughter grounded and focused on academics while they also raise their 14-year-old son, John. In September, Stackhouse will enter her senior year at North Clayton High School in College Park, Ga., with a 4.0 grade-point average. She’s verbally committed to enroll and compete in 2012 at Stanford University, the alma mater of golf superstars Woods and Michelle Wie.

With tremendous parental support and personal drive, Stackhouse will have a future as bright as the multicolored Nike Dri-FIT T-shirt she sported during our interview that read “Can’t Stop Me.”

Truer words were never spoken.

originally posted on espnW.com

originally posted on espnW.come

Lori Chalupny is a professional soccer player, 2008 Olympic gold medalist and captain of the Atlanta Beat. She is from St. Louis.

live in a house with five of my teammates, so keeping track of my special foods can be a daily task. The one thing of mine in the refrigerator that no one can touch is my fruits and veggies. I keep them in a separate drawer. If they’re running low then I know something’s up!

I’m in season now, so I started my day at 8 a.m. with peanut butter on toast, yogurt and two hard-boiled eggs. A daily caffeine fix is necessary, so I stopped at Starbucks on my way to practice. My drink of choice: a grande nonfat white-chocolate mocha.

After practice, I had a turkey, cheese and avocado sandwich on Ezekiel bread with veggie chips and strawberries on the side. My midday snack was pita chips and hummus. I also drank lots of water. I have a gallon a day to stay hydrated. With the heat in Atlanta and our long practices, there’s no room for improper hydration.

We like to grill in this house, so for dinner I’ll have a grilled chicken breast along with some asparagus and pasta salad. For dessert, I have Hershey’s Nuggets candies; the freezer is stocked with them. Although I usually eat healthy, I’m not a total food nerd. My one weakness is soda. Whenever I eat out, I feel like I have to have a Dr. Pepper. Also, once in a while I’ll stop by Chick-fil-A for a crispy chicken sandwich with waffle fries. The key to treating yourself is to not worry about it — just enjoy your food.

Featured on Lady Ballers.net on 7/12/11

Have you heard about espnW.com? Yes, it is a bit different from the LadyBallers mission but just as strong towards respect for female sports fans. ESPNW’s “first business dedicated to serving female athletes and fans. We’ll shine a brighter spotlight on women’s sports, and put you in touch with top female athletes from across the globe.” Today we have the pleasure with learning more about one of their columnists, Adena Andrews who has been in the sports industry for 7 years.

Please give us a little background on how you got to your current role: After graduating from the University of Southern California in 2007 with a B.A. in Print Journalism I interned with ESPN The Magazine for six months. After that I began working at NBA.com as an editor. Two years later, espnW was born and I was ready to embark on my new adventure. Lots of networking and the power of social media helped me get where I am and sharpen my skills.

How did you decide you wanted to get into the sports industry? Real haphazardly actually. I played sports since I was a child, so my freshmen year I decided, this will be easy to write about for the school newspaper. I started off with the sports I played, swimming and basketball, and just stuck to that. I considered doing hard news if I found a job in that field but, the world of sports wrapped me up and never let go. I wouldn’t have it any other way.

What was the first step you took to get into the sports industry? While the school newspaper was the first place I wrote sports material it would have probably deterred me from the sports world if I stayed there. My first real step into the sports industry was my sophomore year when I walked into the offices of the Los Angeles Wave, a weekly newspaper in downtown LA, and decided to start covering high school sports. I had no experience, wasn’t from Los Angeles and didn’t even know the names of the high schools. I just walked into the newspaper and said “I need clips and I go to USC. Can I help you, help me?” They let me cover some excellent games like the championship at the Pyramid in Long Beach. Of course, I did this all for no pay. I’m glad I had parents to support me while I chased my dreams. It all worked out in the end when I walked across that stage with a job lined up after graduation.

Was there a time or situation that made you second-guess your path? My first article that got chopped up by the school newspaper sports editor was pretty tough. At the time, I was real sensitive about my writing and he gave me some speech that basically translated to “You suck. Why are you even here?” in my mind. I crashed and cried on the floor of my plush USC apartment (we rolled pretty nice). I started to think, “Why I’m I here? What am I even learning in school ? If I can’t write in the school newspaper, how can I ever get a real job?”

That was just one of those growing pain periods and I got over it by just hitting the pavement and writing more.

Whenever I run into roadblocks in life, I actually draw inspiration from Kanye West. No, I don’t go around drinking in public and crushing teenage girl’s  dreams like he did to Taylor Swift. I remember how tons of people turned him and his beats down when he was a budding artist. Some of those same beats won him Grammy’s years later.

You just have to keep on pushing.

Please let us know whom your mentor(s) were/are on your journey. Shout out to the Sports Task Force of the National Association of Black Journalists. That  group has been very influential in helping me throughout my career. Black or white, if you want to be in sports journalism, join this group.

– Marc Spears of Yahoo! Sports who helped me through times when things got so bad I was actually thinking of leaving journalism and the country.

− A. Sherrod Blakely of Comcast Sports Net who is always there to help me navigate this labyrinth they call the sports industry.

− Michael Doyle and Tony Lamb at NBA Digital, they always listened to me rant and believed in my zany story ideas. As a twenty-something bursting with energy, sometimes all you want to be is heard.

− Ndidi Massay and Crystal Howard, they kept me in check as an intern at ESPN The Magazine, while also schooling me in some ways of the world.

− J.A.Adande, my sports journalism professor at USC. During my senior year, he dropped some pearls of wisdom that I still use today.

− Keith Clinckscales, the man with the plan. Point. Blank. Period.

− I really don’t want to continue naming folks because I feel like I’ll forget someone….

Lastly, my mother / momager / toughest editor / biggest fan.

What tips or advice would you give to a female wanting to enter the sports industry?  Use social media and your blog as your training ground. It’s where you can develop your voice and hang out with some of the brightest sports minds around while adding your two cents. Also, smile, look people in the eye and give a strong handshake.  It’s universal for “I’m hungry. I’m trying to eat. And I’m not about to wait. Let’s get it.”

Also, don’t just contact people when you want something from them. Make it a habit to just email/text/call people to see how they are doing and update them on your life. People are always interested in what their former intern is up to. They feel as if they had a hand in your career and want to see the fruits of their labor. Even if it’s just to tell them your birthday is coming up and you’re going on vacation, reach out to them. So when you do need something from them, you won’t seem like a total leech.

Do you think there is a negative ring that automatically lies around females within the sports industry since it’s a male dominated industry? No.

What would you say to the men who don’t see women as being on the same level when it comes to the sports industry? I don’t know any men like this so I can’t really talk to them.

What is your biggest accomplishment to-date in terms of your experience in the sports world? I’ve had some really great moments in my short career but I wouldn’t say any were my biggest accomplishment. I am just doing my job. My biggest accomplishment is being a healthy, intelligent and self-sufficient 25 year old who is open to the wonders of the world. It took me a while to get here and I have so much further to go.

If there were one thing you could change about the sports industry, what would it be? More press conferences that end in ice cream and cake for the media like Shaq’s retirement press conference. If this happened, the world would be a better place. Also free iPads or the newest gadget for “product testing”. Can you tell how bad I want one?

What is your favorite sports moment? Muhammad Ali refusing to enter the armed forces. I love to see someone make the unpopular decision and stick with it. Going against the crowd is one of the toughest things to do.

What is your favorite sport quote?

“I hated every minute of training, but I said, ”Don’t quit. Suffer now and live the rest of your life as a champion.” — Muhammad Ali

What are your favorite sport websites? ESPNW.com! Then ESPN Page 2 and I’m really loving the new Grantland. Outside of ESPN, I like NBA.com for stats, Deadspin and Sports By Brooks for laughs,The New York Times and Ball Don’t Lie.

Any advice for female fans or female sports professionals?

“If you’re going through hell, keep going.” – Winston Churchill