Who's In?

If birding is a sport, I'm not very good at it, hampered as I am by imperfect vision, impatience, and the presence of two raucous dogs whenever I'm outside. But I believe there is some competitiveness among serious birders, and one could train to be better at it, surely. I tend to see the same dozen or so birds (I mean species, not individuals) over and over again. This must be comparable to the person whose workout consists of the same two-mile jog over and over again. Pleasant and familiar, but ... isn't there more? Got a hint of it yesterday, when I saw an indigo bunting for the first time ever. And this was on my usual dogwalking rounds, nowhere new and exotic. A lesson to keep one's eyes open!

Here's a picture, not taken by me (but by jec6). It's from a fun birding site called Birdpost. You can keep your "life list" online there, and also map where you spotted particular birds. That seems like it could have some interesting applications for those who study bird populations. Perhaps not academically rigorous, but a massive amateur data gathering, kind of like SETI but a bit more down to earth.

Happy birding, all.

Or any weight, or forget the weight loss and improve your health and fitness. I had the pleasure to work with two cool women, who are also fitness experts and writers/presenters, to create a 12-week plan for regaining or improving fitness while dropping some of the pounds leftover from a pregnancy (even if the blessed event was long ago).

Deborah Bohn and Amy Cotta guide you through 12 weeks of “assignments” for your diet, your exercise, and your attitude. They say success is tougher if you don’t work on all three together. They bring a great sisterly and realistic approach to the project, understanding the challenges of limited time, money, or energy that plague most women. Their program and the style of their message brings you to the realization that although they offer 12 weeks of suggested workouts (with videos) and diet tips and advice, what they’re really setting you up for is a life of healthier choices. Not perfection, and not deprivation (one article is called “Hooray for Pizza, Beer, and Chocolate”), but a sustainable, informed way of living.

There are probably other things out there in this line, but this is a charming antidote to tabloid headlines and shouting adverts for the latest nutrition/diet “breakthrough,” or … even … NPR conversations on yo-yo dieting (not the name of a Chinese musician).

Here’s a link to the index page of the website where the Lose the Baby Weight Challenge lives. But as it’s a bit out of chronological order, here’s an overview of the 12 weeks, with links to the weekly content. Check it out.

This press release made me just about want to work for the State Department. At least it made me hopeful that our country may be undertaking outreach other than the kind with weapons in hand.

The U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA) SportsUnited office, in partnership with Global Sports Partners/Sport4Peace, the University of Tennessee and the National Basketball Association, is hosting a delegation of basketball-playing girls and their coaches from Iraq. They are visiting Washington, DC and Knoxville, Tennessee from June 3-18 to experience women's basketball in the United States. The ten girls, ages 14-16, and two female coaches are from Sulaymaniya, Erbil, and Baghdad.

This Sports Visitor program is designed to teach the girls new basketball skills and introduce them to sports in America, through visits and clinics at high schools, clubs, and universities. In addition, the program will provide guidance about nutrition, strength and conditioning, and team building. The girls will have the opportunity to learn about the development of women’s sports, including Title IX. In Washington they will attend a Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) game, the Washington Mystics vs. the Atlanta Dream, featuring the best women basketball players from America and around the world. Basketball is the fastest growing sport in the Middle East, and this group is committed to learning more about the game and taking that knowledge back to their teammates in Iraq.

After their time in Washington, the girls and their coaches will visit the basketball camps of the all-time winningest basketball coach in NCAA history, Pat Summitt, at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville. They will have the opportunity to interact with girls their own age, learn about basketball, and experience life in Tennessee, including hiking in the Smoky Mountains.

I wanna go myself! It's hard to tell how long SportsUnited has been around, but the ECA bureau dates back to 1961. I have to think, however, that the State Department career page's tagline that says, "I will show the world a side of America it has never seen" is a post-January 21, 2009, edit (cool Papyrus font and all).

Time to give some props to Ashoka for organizing a UNICEF-supported sports-as-development competition. (Incidentally, I gave some props to Ashoka in 2001, as project manager on an editorial team that honored 100 organizations (including Ashoka) for innovation—so I’m glad to see the group is still going strong.) Ashoka bills itself as an association of “social entrepreneurs.” Hats off to UNICEF too. And OK, Nike, which gave money. Honestly, I can’t figure out the exact relationship between these organizations and this effort, and it appears the Women’s Sports Foundation is involved some way too; but anyway, I applaud them all!

According to UNICEF, this year’s competition, “GameChangers: Change the Game for Women in Sport,” aimed to bring together the next wave of innovators eager to catalyze change for women and girls through sport – and to bring real solutions to troubling, gender-specific social problems.

That’s a fancy mouthful to describe a dynamic I’ve been thinking is essential for some time. That is, the transforming effect sport can have on people, especially girls. The more beleaguered and oppressed the population, the more they may benefit from the freedom and empowerment athletic endeavors provide. Obviously, not every individual loves sports or physical activities at all, but everyone should have the opportunity to try them out. Which implies too they should have the requisite peace in their neighborhood and food in their bellies to make that possible.

The Game-Changers winners that Ashoka/UNICEF announced last month are:

3 Sisters Adventure Trekking This organization was started by three Nepalese sisters who saw a need for women guides to serve women trekkers, and dared to break out of traditional roles to offer this service. Now 3 Sisters recruits additional trekking guides from within the country, offering educational and employment opportunities never before known by rural Nepalese women.

Moving the Goalposts This organization in Kenya uses soccer to instill confidence, strength, and decision-making capabilities in girls; to expose them to safe and positive social interactions; to provide health education, and training in organization and management as they learn to run the program as well as play the game.

Team-Up for Youth This U.S. program works to expand after-school sports opportunities for low-income children, encouraging college-age women to volunteer as coaches and role models.