A while ago, I blogged about how the pandemic had affected not just my swimming habits, but also the great plans I had for my child’s early contact with water. More than two years of COVID-related disruptions mean that there are now huge waiting lists for swimming lessons at any age, and many baby swimming classes that took place at small school or hospital pools are still not taking place.
In July, I managed to snag a spot for the small human in a toddler swimming class on Sunday mornings. The class would start in mid-September. I was elated. I managed to get him in because I was actually awake during our holidays when the email came in early in the morning; five minutes later all spots had been filled. My son loves the water. It’s been a very hot summer and he’s been in the paddling pool a lot. He loves baths (most days). He loves going to the pool with mama. But I want him to learn proper water skills and I feel like it’s better for both of us if he’s taught by… not me. I was so, so excited for that spot and couldn’t wait to start. Big win!
Today, I heard the rumour that due to the energy crisis following the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the pools are going to be closed in the autumn and winter. AGAIN. I’m completely deflated. Not only will my lifesaving team not be able to train if they decide to also close the small school pool we use for practice, but again, countless kids including my own will be left without the chance to learn how to swim or learn valuable water skills. This is awful.
I get that this is very much a first-world problem. But I know how good swimming is for my mental health, and I love watching my child having fun in the water. I get the need to save energy, I really do. But does it really have to be the pools again, after two seasons of pandemic-related closures? I just can’t anymore.
Riders heading into Montreal, our team at the center. Selfie taken by Rally’s Angels Team Co-Captain Michael
This is just a very short post to let you know we’ve made it to Montreal.
Thanks Robert, Byron, Kira, and Tracy for donating and helping out the rally.
Thanks to my very wonderful team co-captains Vanessa and Michael for all of your work organizing us and keeping us connected during the week. I loved the Rally’s Angels temporary tattoos you gave us for the ride into Montreal.
Today began super early, breakfast at 530 am, to make sure we could all meet up in a Lachine to ride into the city together as a group.
After Sarah and I stopped for ice cream in Lachine, we had a great ride into the city along the Lachine canal. And here we are in Place Émilie-Gamelin where we gathered for speeches and a welcoming celebration.
Sam and Sarah in the middle, with team co-captains Vanessa and Michael on either side. We did it!
Here’s our route:
We’re staying in the Grey Nuns residence at Concordia before taking the train home to Toronto and then on to Guelph. My bike is getting home in one of the bike rally trucks.
There’s a party tonight but we’re too tired. It’s been a big week of riding and camping. My heart is full from the closing ceremony this morning. I’m happy to be in Montreal, happy not to be riding my bike, proud of all that we’ve done, but I’m also very sad to be leaving my bike rally family for another year.
Here in the Boston area we have a championship football team. They are highly-skilled and they are fierce, offering a demonstration of athletics and collegiality with every game. Maybe you’ve heard of them?
Boston Renegades logo
The Boston Renegades (did you think I was going to say The Patriots? Nah!) are a team in the Women’s Football Alliance (WFA). They are four-time back-to-back winners of the WFA Pro National championship game, with an earlier win making them 5x champions. In addition to the “big wins” the Renegades have a 31 game winning streak going, with their last losing game dating back to April 2018.
The team consists of individual record-holders in their specialty sub-fields, and several players recently competed in the 2022 IFAF Women’s World Championship games. Eight Renegades and their coach brought home the gold for Team USA this month. With a wealth of diversity, the Renegades are a well-rounded team of athletes that deserve kudos and celebrations like their male counterparts.
WFA logo
I first found out about the team a few years ago when I became acquainted with one of the players. Despite the home games being played just a few miles from my house, I had never heard of them until I met this player. At the time she was working a full-time job, a part-time job, and growing her family, while also being a supportive teammate and strong competitor. She invited folks in our shared network to come to a game and support the team, and my spouse and I have been going every season since then.
Having been to many professional sports games in the past, I wasn’t sure what to expect given that the stadium where they play was much smaller. When I arrived I quickly noted that fans could bring in food and drinks, seating was not reserved and informal, and most fans in attendance sported team apparel. The relaxed atmosphere felt incredibly welcoming, and it was easy to see how much easier it would be for families with young children to attend and not have to limit their belongings to the bare necessities or what would fit in a clear, small backpack (a requirement at most major league stadiums these days). My group quickly honed in on what we think of as “our seats” and set about supporting the on-site vendors. The ticket prices are reasonable, the food vendors on-site don’t increase their regular prices for “stadium fare” and the games are fun! They even have the “End Zone Militia” at every game, ready to fire off their muskets at each Renegade point scored, prompting the announcer to whoop “here comes the boom” before they unload. Many in my group knit or crochet, so some of us often have a project going, along with a good bit of conversation, while also watching the game. Some of us (that would be me) don’t really understand the rules of football very well, but are happy to be in the environment having a nice time with friends and supporting a great team.
What makes this team great? I already mentioned their winning streak and championships, which I think speaks to their football skills and abilities. But from the first game I attended, it was easy to see how this team, this environment, was different from other professional games I have seen. The team camaraderie, the way these players care for one another, is so easy to see. The players connect with their fans in the stadium, and you can see them looking for their loved ones in the seats throughout the game. In 2019 a player from an opposing team got injured during a Renegades home game. Her injuries required her to stay in a Boston hospital for several weeks. While the player’s team set up a gofundme page to help with expenses, members of the Renegades shared that link with their fans and on their team page. A team member with an empty rental unit offered the injured player’s family use of the rental, and Renegades players reached out to their networks to furnish the unit with linens, cookware, and furniture for the family to be as comfortable as possible while they were caring for their loved one.
One thing that stands out in the story above, aside from a community banding together to support one of their members, is that the injured player (and family) was reliant upon gofundme donations and other types of financial support. While this is a professional football league, the players do not earn anything close to a living wage playing the sport, let alone the mega salaries we see reflected in the National Football League. Most of the WFA players work outside jobs. The teams do have corporate sponsors, but they are often local businesses rather than national corporations. When players travel to away games, championships, and even the IFAF World Championship they set up fundraisers to offset the travel expenses. The team holds a 50/50 raffle at every home game, and the person selling the tickets is usually one of the team owners. It is an “all hands on deck” situation, and everyone does their part to make it work. Despite that, it is easy to see the differences in financial and community support between the Renegades and the Patriots!
Do these differences matter? No one team or league can be exactly like each other, right?! Right! The mega salaries that NFL players make are not the same as the mega salaries that NBA players make… they’re just very similar. Obviously a critical difference between the NFL and the WFA is the gender of the players. This impacts how much media attention, funding, and other crucial support the WFA teams get versus the NFL. A neighbor recently decorated their boat with all the local sports teams for our local boat parade – Celtics, Patriots, Bruins… but no Renegades. When I suggested they needed an addition to their “boat costume” they weren’t sure who the Renegades were. In other discussions about why I enjoy watching the Renegades play I’ve had men tell me they would rather watch the “lingerie league” football games.
A Wilson-brand football on a white line on the field. Photo by Dave Adamson on Unsplash
Representation matters! Diversity, equality, and equity in sport are all needed. It is easy to see this if you have ever been at a Renegades game, watching the players excitedly sign autographs for kids after the game, posing for pictures with their exhausted bodies and beaming smiles. These teams and leagues need our support just as much as we need their spirit and passion while we all push the limitations imposed on women’s sports.
Want to know more about women’s tackle football? Born To Play is a great documentary featuring the Renegades: https://vimeo.com/433214324.
Do you have a favorite WFA team? Another women’s sport that you love? Please share in the comments!
Amy Smith is a professor of Media & Communication and a communication consultant who lives north of Boston. Her research interests include gender communication and community building. Amy spends her movement time riding the basement bicycle to nowhere, walking her two dogs, and waiting for it to get warm enough for outdoor swimming in New England.
Today we rode 113 km to Lancaster. We had a really wonderful day 5 of the bike rally. I mean yes, it was a lot of riding, after days of lots of riding. But there was an awful lot to like.
Here’s some of the highlights:
I love the Long Sault Parkway and riding on the paved bike paths through Upper Canada Village.
I had the best freezie of my life thanks to Tourism Cornwall who were handing them out.
We had a terrific tailwind after lunch. Zoom. Zoom. Fun.
Sarah and I have been getting better at riding together as the week continues and today we had fun working together and setting a reasonable pace while still having fun.
The day ends at Dairy Queen just outside camp. I had a cherry slushie float. Yum.
Finally despite scary clouds in the afternoon we never actually got rained on.
Scary cloudsLong Sault ParkwayServing breakfast at 6 amDairy Queen stop Trees at camp Sam and SarahBiking through Upper Canada Village
(I think I was surprised by how good today was. Memories of rainy day fives of years past are still sharp in my memory!)
We won’t mention that we’re staying at Camp Spider. Shhh.
That’s one of my least favorite things.
But otherwise, a pretty wonderful day of riding. Wow.
Here’s the map:
We are almost to Montreal. Just 100 km away. We’re still not quite at our 1.5 million dollar fundraising goal. You can donate here.
I usually pay little attention to sports bras, as I don’t seem to need much support and the one I wear is based on whether or not it is clean. Any love I have for sports bras comes wearing them exclusively since giving up underwire padded bras during the COVID-19 pandemic. Sam put it best here: “I’m still in love with lots of my formal work clothes but never again will I wear a bra that pokes in my ribs.”
I am a no-sports bra drama kind of person.
Bras Win Euros?
When I read the headline of the The Guardian article, “Secret support: did prescription bras help Lionesses to Euro 2022 glory?” I rolled my eyes at the sensational lead. Way to diminish the accomplishments of female soccer athletes. Would a male soccer player’s win be attributed to his underwear if he ran around in them after a winning game?
I have already written about how media commentary athletes’ bodies can reinforce gender stereotypes, undermine women’s athletic performance, or both. Our FIFI bloggers have also explored the topic of sports bras and athletic wear, highlighting the challenge of fit, double standards, and other gendered nonsense.
The Guardian’s headline led to more than sensational bra talk. The article described the findings of what little sports bra research is currently available: poorly fit bras can shorten women’s strides up to 4 cm. A seemingly small measurement, but “marginal gains” can add up to a big impact when it comes to athletic performance.
My Bra-Nundrum
When I am in a sports store, I walk right by the sports bras section, eyeing its wares with equal parts suspicion and derision. I am stubbornly uninformed about sports bras because I believe the industry is exploitative: the more women need these products the higher the price they seem to be charged for them. Brand logos inflate prices further. It’s all a bra racket to me.
But as I read article, my mind wandered to my own sad collection of stretched-out or over-tight sports bras I have acquired over the years. If I am honest, most of my off-off-the rack sports bras don’t fit or support me the way they probably should.
Left to right: A black sports bra that is literally spandex; a grey sports bra from Goodwill (lost padding); a teal sports bra I have had since my 20s, a newer yellow sports bra that does not fit because it was an online impulse buy. Not shown: the one well-fitting sports bra own, worn wearing while taking this photo.
The article made me wonder: By not buying quality sports bras, am I forfeiting some comfort and performance out of principle? Did the purported bra drama lead me to realize that maybe I should invest in research-designed sports bras…because gender equality in sports research is a principle I believe in too?
The Need for (Some) Bra Drama?
It’s not new news (to me) that the Lionesses’ custom sports bras would fit better and be more supportive than those found in the bargain bin. And it’s also not newsworthy that the “prescription” outer- and under-wear articles for which elite athletes pay top dollar remove some impediments to their performance.
The real newsworthy story is the paucity of research on the fit, comfort, and support of women’s athletic gear, which includes sports bras. Women’s sports continue to be seen as second-class, right down to the lack of substantial research on an clothing item so clearly necessary for so many women athletes.
It’s a little sad that this disparity needs a woman athlete celebrating in a sports bra to draw attention to it. Perhaps The Guardian article is a fine piece of feminist sports journalism precisely because the sports bra drama is leveraged to spotlight the (lack of) research of athletic clothing design for women.
Let’s hope that an increase in research sports bra design eventually leads to better sports bra products for everyone—so that more than just top female athletes can perhaps get their 4 cm back when they play.
What’s your take? Does media sports bra drama usefully draw attention to the need for more research on women’s athletic clothing? What factors do you consider when you buy sports bras?
On Day Four we set out from Kingston, led by the rally’s top fundraisers. I joked that since the route out the city involves hills the top fundraisers ought to get a bus.
It was a quick 30 km to Ganonoque for break and then another 20 or so along the Thousand Islands Parkway to lunch. The parkway is one of my favorite sections of this ride. It’s all newly surfaced and completely separate from car traffic.
You know, I think of myself as someone who is pretty comfortable riding near cars, in traffic. I do it most days. And yet, on the parkway, my spirits lift, I smile more and I’m really relaxed. It makes me realize how much of my bike riding brain is occupied with safety on city streets. Sarah and I had a lovely ride talking with Stephanie Pearl McPhee, aka The Yarn Harlot. I’m in absolute awe of how much money she raises for the rally. She’s always one of the top fundraisers for this event.
But once we get off the Parkway, into Brockville and beyond, we’re on terrible shoulder of badly bumpy roads for the last 30 km or so. So bumpy. I wasn’t tired at the end of the day. I feltt more banged up from all the bumps and gravel and disappearing shoulder. There were also some grumpy drivers.
The campground here is beautiful though and we all got in pretty early. Even the sweeps were in by 4 pm giving everyone time for a dip in the lake before dinner.
Our fundraising is going well. We’re almost at our goal. Your donations help in important ways, even small donations.
Here’s Stephanie’s description of what they do, “The funds raised by this ride go to making a direct and fundamental changes in the lives of people with AIDS. It is help for mothers, food for children, rides to the doctor, someone who cares if they are lonely, support, love, care, haircuts, pet food, hospital visits, childcare… Every dollar you donate makes a real, tangible and important change in the life of another human…”
I’m very sleepy now. It’s after 10 at night and we’ve been taking part in the rally’s candlelight vigil where we hear from some of the rally’s participants about the their experiences with HIV/AIDS and the bike rally.
Also, my team, Rally’s Angels, is serving breakfast in the morning. That means we need to be dressed and ready to help at 530 am. Night night!
It happened. After almost 2 1/2 years, four vaccines, masking, avoiding indoor spaces and constant vigilance
Mad-Eye Moody from Harry Potter reminds us about the importance of constant vigilance.
I caught COVID. It could have been much worse. Mostly it has felt like a cold. I haven’t even been taking decongestants for the last couple of days.
I haven’t even missed my on-line ballet classes, but I haven’t been going out, so there has been no walking or swimming. As a result, I am feeling logy and flabby, and I really miss being able to tick off an update in the 222 workouts in 2022 Facebook group, or put my workout times into the Participaction app.
I hadn’t realized until this week just how important activity has become in my life. I usually think of myself as a recent convert to fitness, something I started back when my son was nine so I could be a role model. In fact, my son will turn 29 on his next birthday, and I have been some sort of heart-pumping movement regularly for almost 20 years. For the last few years, it has been 5-6 times a week.
I’m still feeling grumpy about my COVID, but I am celebrating I was a good role model to two very active kids, and looking forward to getting moving again, very soon.
Me in better times, wearing a yellow cap and red goggles, in the water at a sunny beach.
It’s the shortest day on the rally, just 60 km into Kingston. Now that’s not nothing but it’s less than half of what we did yesterday. It’s also Red Dress day or Dress in Red day, your choice.
Here’s Sarah and me at the start. Or as Sarah and I like to call it, the hurry up and wait, part of the morning. You rush to have breakfast, get dressed, take down tents, pack bins and load bins on the truck, but then you can you can’t leave until all of the trucks and loaded and have left.
But the weather was good this morning and so we sat in the grass pretty happily. It is overcast and in the low 20s. No bright sun, no rain, just perfect riding weather.
We also took the time to take team photos in all of our red dress finery.
Why the slow roll approach? Well we’re staying in the residences at Queen’s tonight. Thanks Queens! And while there are hot showers, laundry, real beds, and air conditioning, we don’t have access to our rooms until 1. So if we leave camp at 9 that’s 4 hours to do 60 km.
Our team decided it was a good morning to stop for coffee en route. Sarah and I were also slowed down by our first flat of the rally.
Here are all the bins in the courtyard of the residence at Queen’s
Here’s some video from the day
And our team at the Kingston sign.
Rally’s Angels
Tonight it’s team dinner plus a drag show in the park after. If you’re around, stop by.
“DRAG IN THE PARK: Trellis HIV & Community Care, Tourism Kingston, and the greater Kingston community invites The Friends For Life Bike Rally to DRAG IN THE PARK, a showcase of fantastic (and slightly naughty) entertainment under the open sky in Confederation Park (that’s the big park between Kingston City Hall and Lake Ontario). The show will start at 7:30pm on the veranda of the Kingston Visitor Information Centre.”
Tomorrow we ride Kingston to Johnstown, about 110 km.
We’re now halfway to Montreal and I think about $30,000 away from our 1.5 million dollar fundraising goal. If you’ve been thinking about donating, every bit helps, and here’s the link.
Yes, it’s August. School will be starting soon in lots of places in the Northern Hemisphere. But that doesn’t mean we’ve already hung up the swimsuits and stowed the beach towels. Oh, no– far from it. Especially with the extreme heat many of us have been experiencing in the US and Canada, we want to be in water as much as possible. But what to wear?
Well, we at Fit is a Feminist Issue have got you covered, so to speak. Here are some blog posts that address a variety of your swimwear concerns. Here are just a few of our posts, in case you are desiring some consultation. Read, enjoy, and make sure not to get your phone or computer wet…
Today is the rally’s longest day, 126 km from our campground in Port Hope to Adolphustown. We’re traveling through Prince Edward County and the last leg of the trip involves a ferry.
Ferry selfie
The weather changed. We were expecting overnight rain and possible thundershowers after which the weather was supposed to turn into something more reasonable. Instead we got heat alert day 2. I hate the part of the heat alert that says ‘avoid outdoor exercise.’
Sarah and I talked lots about how best to handle it. We opted for a very reasonable pace, stopping at all the stops, and drinking all the things. It’s a long haul to the first test stop on day 2, 38 km, but after that there’s lunch and two more spots and we just kept our focus on getting to the next break.
We’re working hard, riding in weather the no one would choose to ride in, and as a friend said over dinner, it’s all pointless if we don’t raise money to help people living with HIV/AIDS. These are people who need food, wellness care, peer support or just to be in a place that is welcoming and safe for them. We’re riding to raise 1.5 million dollars for the Toronto People With Aids Foundation.
Rear view of Rally’s Angels
I ended the day today happy. I’m happy that we made it in good shape, still feeling strong, happy to be riding with these wonderful people, happy to go for a swim when we got in, happy to be working together raising money for an important cause, and happy tonight for the rally’s talent show.
