Leaning Into Basketball
When I was in the 7th grade, the librarian at my school called my father and told him, "Mr. VanDerveer, I am concerned about Tara. She has read every book in this library about basketball." He laughed a little, relieved knowing I could be in a lot more trouble than that!
Today the Menlo Park librarian could be calling too because I have been reading all of their books on leadership and mentorship.
Currently I am reading "Lean In," by Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg. In her book, Ms. Sandberg writes about the lack of progress for women in leadership positions. She notes that women are now 50% of our college graduates yet women are woefully underrepresented in leadership positions in industry and government.
She could have added sports too! Like Ms. Sandberg, I am concerned about the direction I see in athletics and specifically in women's basketball. According to the Women's Coaching Alliance, women hold only 19% of all coaching jobs. In women's basketball, women hold just over 40% of coaching jobs. Why is the number of women coaches so abysmal?
In the early years of women's athletics, over 90% of women's teams were coached by women. Most of these positions were either volunteer or minimal pay. The AIAW (Association of Intercollegiate Athletics for Women), the governing body of women's sports, was run and directed by women athletic directors.
When the NCAA took over administering women's athletics many of the female coaches and administrators were reassigned, phased out or replaced. When coaching women became more lucrative and prestigious more men became interested in these positions.
Ms. Sandberg encourages women to, "Sit at the table and lean in!" This is great advice. Throughout her book I would laugh or nod my head in agreement with the stories she told.
It reminded me of my experience as a young girl going out to play basketball with the neighborhood boys. They didn't want me to play with them just because I was a girl (or maybe because I was a better player!). I tried "leaning in" but the result was a fight and a bloody nose. When I came home bleeding and crying my mother's reaction was, "Clean up and go back and get in the game." She asked me, "Are you going to give up something you love because of a bloody nose?" My mom went into the attic and returned with a new basketball. She said, "Here is an early Christmas present. If they want to use your ball, you play." It worked.
As the Olympic Coach in 1996, my staff (all women) and I were the only female basketball coaches in Atlanta. On our trip to Russia, one of the Russian directors was totally amazed and flabbergasted that a women's basketball team would have all women coaching and leading the team...and winning I might add!
At Stanford we are one of a few all female basketball coaching staffs. As an experienced coach it is important for me to mentor young coaches. I am excited to see former players and coaches having the opportunity to coach their teams. These women are knowledgeable, hard working and enthusiastic teachers of the game.
Mentoring and giving women opportunities is not only women's work. I encourage and applaud men in athletics who are developing women coaches and administrators. Playing college basketball definitely prepares women to "lean in" (even if it means having an ice bag handy!).
I need to invite Ms. Sandberg to one of our games and have her meet our team. After spending time with people like Chiney Ogwumike, she will be more optimistic about the future of women as leaders!
-Tara VanDerveer
Jill's Italian Survival Guide
Jillian Harmon, '09, was a member of four Pac-10 championship teams and two Final Four teams, as well as a member of the New Zealand Olympic team in 2008. Jill has played professionally in Italy, where Stanford women's basketball will take its foreign tour this summer, the past five seasons and has returned to the Bay Area this off-season to train and intern at a local company.
Buongiorno a Tutti!!!
Since I hear the team has an exciting trip to Italy planned for this August, I thought I would jot down a few things out of "Jillian Harmon's Survival Guide to Italy" to help them get by. For any of you former Stanford Women's Basketballers reading this who have yet to visit Italy: LISTEN UP and then GO!Vocabulary
Let's start with a brush-up on some basic vocabulary:"Ciao" - You automatically know two words in one with ciao. Hello and goodbye. Use it all the time - Italians love it. If you want to go that extra mile as Stanford people generally do, there are more formal ways of saying hello and goodbye: "Buongiorno" is good morning, "Buona Sera" is good evening, and "Arrivederci" is goodbye.
"Grazie" - One of the things that drive Italians nuts is the mispronunciation of grazie (thank you) by foreigners. Grazie is as follows: the "i" is pronounced as "e" and the "e" is pronounced as "a". Imagine it spelled like this: "Graz-E-A", and not "Graz-EE".
"Non Era Un Fallo" means "That wasn't a foul." (You all will actually be playing a little basketball over there right???)
Driving (Or Not)
Thankfully none of you will be driving during your time in Italy. I could write an entire blog on this alone, but I will save it for another time. What you can do, however, is look out the window while you're on the bus and observe - you'll see what I mean.Wi-Fi
Don't expect it. It is rare to find in cafés unless you are in some of the more touristy parts of Rome or Venice, and quite often it isn't functioning at your hotel. Yes, when you book the hotel Wi-Fi is generally promised. However, things such as, "wind, too little wind, rain, no rain, no sun, or too much sun," will be used as excuses as to why it just might not be running that day (or your entire time there).Coffee
Coffee is meant to be drunk at the café. It is nearly impossible to find a to-go cup in Italy, so sit down, relax, and enjoy your coffee. Coffee is also much cheaper in Italy than your four-dollar latte in America, but it is also much smaller. You might get your first latte and think, "Where are the other two-thirds of this?" Italian coffee is sacred to Italians, so do not expect to find a Starbucks because there isn't one. Despite its differences, Italian coffee is delicious and absolutely not to be missed.Change
Italians like exact change. If you go to buy a gelato for two Euros (which you have to do), handing over a twenty will get you a big-time glare. Either carry around change at all times, or just go ahead and hand over that twenty. This type of glare is a uniquely Italian experience.Enjoy
Most of all: Enjoy! Italy is one of the most beautiful and culture packed places in the world!! Buon Viaggo e Buon Divertimento!-Jillian Harmon '09
Proud To Be A Cardinal
Guard Jasmine Camp is primed to make an increased contribution in the 2013-14 season after battling injuries her first two years on The Farm. Known for her high energy and vocal enthusiasm, the Georgia native has made a strong showing in spring workouts and will benefit from the team's summer training and foreign tour.
Wake up. Go to class. Go to practice. Eat dinner. Study. Go to bed. Wake up and do it all over again. As students, we often get lost in the monotony of our daily routines.
In an attempt to remember when Computer Science assignments are due and how long papers need to be, knowledge of the outside world and its happenings often pass us by. We could easily allow the hectic nature of our schedules and the stress of academia to consume every minute of our attention, but we don't.
Among the laundry list of things that I love about Stanford, one of the things that I'm most proud of as a Stanford student is our relentless desire to connect with the surrounding community and the greater world. Our athletes are not only skilled, physical specimens, but also helping hands in the surrounding community. Our students are not only brilliant minds with 4.0 GPAs, but teachers in the making.
Even our faculty extends their knowledge to us students through more than just lectures and assignments. After reading and discussing a research topic, one of my psychology professors always presented us with the question of, "How can we use this research to change workplace and school environments and improve the world around us?" It was a constant reminder that the things we learned were not just for mere memorization but to be put to use in order to better our communities and the futures of those around us.
From research and education reform to community service and peer tutoring, Stanford is a place that provides so many opportunities to impact the world on any scale, large or small. Last year, a couple of my friends and I worked and participated in the Relay for Life fundraiser, and we had a blast. The event was a lot of fun, but what I remember most about that fundraiser wasn't the beads we got for laps that we walked, or the carnival games that we so eagerly played, but the fact that everything that we did that day helped keep someone alive.
In those moments, I realize that life is so much more than grades and eating lunch out on the lawn. This world is bigger than just our Stanford community, and there are people in this world that need whatever knowledge, help, or skills we can offer. Some of the greatest minds in the world walk this campus, and I have yet to meet someone who was intent on keeping all of that knowledge to oneself.
This is what makes Stanford special. This is why I'm proud to be a Cardinal.
-Jasmine Camp, '15
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