And The Times Says...

An athlete I held in extremely high esteem has been sentenced to six months in prison after lying to federal agents about her use of performance-enhancing drugs . I admired this woman – arguably the world’s most famous female athlete – for her remarkable strength and beauty as well as her college-honed intelligence. After the 2000 Sydney Olympics, the world beheld her as the first female athlete to win five track and field gold medals in the Games. What an awesome role model for little girls and old women and every female, I thought. Her talent, coupled with an apparent work ethic, undoubtedly inspired all sorts of folk outside of running circles. Denying some degree of admiration or affection for an Olympic champion, especially one with such a shining smile, is a task for the apathetic of hard-hearted.

Such recent allegations and judgements about athletes and performance-enhancing drugs proliferate in the media and spawn debates. All sorts of discussions render sports fans and athletes on either side of smudged pro-con lines. I am whole-heartedly disappointed by the necessity of these trials and accusations, primarily because I am one of those idealists who cherishes sport – and the sport of running in particular – for the unadulterated joy of pursuing both objective and subjective goals.
Regardless of the rose-colored glasses through which I wish I could continue to view the tainted scene of elite running, the saga of Marion Jones points to an important moment in the young history of women’s track and field. This scandalous current event highlights the high stakes and the big players in the business of sports. Frankly, the fact that a female athlete buckled in the face of these pressures is a corollary to the advancement of women’s athletics.

Back In The Day

Sure, we as a gender have been competing in some event or another in the Olympics since 1928, , and Title IX was instated in all its debatable glory… But we, as ambitious high school, collegiate, post-collegiate and recreational runners, may easily take for granted how lucky most of us are to be able to (a) debate the merits of a female superstar runner and (b) lace up our trainers with physical – but relatively little social and economical – resistance.

When my mother and aunts were in high school and college, the most school- and/or community-sanctioned athletic participation they could opt for was cheerleading or playing volleyball. Obviously, the athletic opportunities presented to me as a grade-schooler far surpassed theirs. What did it take to get to this point, to have little girls encouraged to dream about running - maybe even to Olympic gold? It has taken the drive not only to compete, but to achieve certain standards of success in athletics in a sphere populated and dominated by men. Women historically masqueraded as men to get entry in races – for the chance to even try. Back in the day, the women of Ancient Greece held their own Games of Hera; virgins and prostitutes were the only category of females allowed to even watch the Ancient Olympic games (see www.olympicwomen.co.uk).

What Have We Got To Give?

Today, select women find themselves in the midst of the massive economy of sports and the culture of consumerism that appropriates all things marketable. Yay, dare I cheer? Have we arrived? Not so fast, I say. Female runners have arrived on the world’s stage, but the birth of this story is fresh. Its conception ought to be explored for many reasons; we, as individuals, glean much from these her-stories.
Take the social and economical implications of running, which are dwarfed by the multitude of physical issues within the male-written paradigm of training and competition. Even hear of the Female Athlete Triad? Ever compete alongside an iron-deficient adolescent? Ever worry about a pregnant jogger? While many running “issues” are universal, many are specific to women and remain unexplored as we are uneducated... And/or easily pressured into corners we would otherwise not find ourselves – or a prominent one of us – backed into.

So, Marion Jones lied; that saddens me. However, the limelight is livable, if not hospitable. Female athletes - besides being viable human beings outside of the economy - constitute an enormous market segment. Most major corporations, especially those with running niches, are targeting active women. “Objectify Me,” challenges Lauren Fleshman for Nike; and, for example, Kara Goucher is flipping awesome (See www.flocasts.org/flotrack/speakers.php?sid=25).

Strong, hard-working role models dare the world to challenge their pursuit(s), and their positive voice persists in increasingly widespread circles. Let us let them – and let us help them to – encourage each of us to carry on our individual and collective momentum.