Courtesy of Sophie Matthews.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\nBefore wanting to be a sports writer or a lawyer, or even a dentist, my dream was to be a soccer player. From the age of 4, the sport consumed my life. But it wasn\u2019t until the age of 9 did I know that there were professional soccer players that looked just like me. Seeing the USWNT win the World Cup gave me this newfound love and admiration for what the world of soccer could do. Yet, it also taught me about the power of representation. I was in awe of their power and perseverance. I bought magazines with their faces on the cover, and above my bed was a poster of the entire team. The female soccer players demonstrated to me that I could really be anything I wanted. And I think that is something all girls deserve to have. Being a sports writer means more than just covering athletics. It means bringing a voice and platform to those who may not always get it. It means showcasing the highly talented people and their journey through life. And it means showing little girls, like I once was, that the world of sports is meant for them.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Kendall McCaskill, Daily Sports Writer<\/strong><\/p>\nCourtesy of Kendall McCaskill.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nI didn\u2019t always play sports. In fact, I was confined to tutus for the greater part of my childhood. I only joined in when I saw my triplet brothers\u2019 deep passion and love for sports develop and wanted to see more Black female visibility. After that, it didn\u2019t take long before I began trying sports like swimming and cross country to see what I liked. I eventually landed on basketball and volleyball, and soon enough, I was caught in the rapture. I began creating special bonds with my teammates, engaging in long battles, and even winning district championships \u2014 all things I had dreamed of prior to becoming an athlete. To me, being a woman in sports means showing resilience, intelligence, character and confidence. Now, being on the other side as a writer has only continued to amplify my love and passion for the game. Just like when I joined this section, women in sports are the thing that continues to inspire me.<\/p>\n
Mackenzie Mielke, Daily Sports Writer<\/strong><\/p>\nCourtesy of Mackenzie Mielke.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nSports have always been a part of my life and I knew from a young age, they would end up being my future. From my early school mornings of watching ESPN to the comforting TV noise of a football game on a Sunday afternoon, sports became intertwined to who I am as a person today. Growing up it took little time to see the drastic difference in both the support and media coverage for women\u2019s sports compared to their male counterparts. When I joined The Daily, I was terrified that I was walking into a room that felt the same disdain for women in sports. The only thing I found was a community of women that made me feel welcome and celebrated. I feel honored in getting to play a role in sharing female athletes stories in a way that I never saw growing up. The women on this section have taught me that not only do we deserve a spot in the room, but our voices deserve to be heard. To me, Women\u2019s Month is making sure that young girls like me don\u2019t have to question whether they belong in the sports world, but know they already have a spot saved for them.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Ellie Richard, Daily Sports Writer\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n\n
As a young girl, it never occurred to me that there was a difference between men and women\u2019s sports. I watched every Washington Capitals hockey game with my dad. I played basketball with my brother everyday after school. I engaged in touch football games with the neighbors whenever I had the chance. Sports felt like a great equalizer to me \u2014 a common thread that connected me to people in my life that I cared about.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Then I was asked to \u201cname three players.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
To the elementary school boy who asked me this question after I told him about my love of hockey, I have not forgotten about you. I still think about this moment from time to time. Why did I need to prove that I actually know and care about sports? Why did he seem surprised when I named the Washington Capitals starting lineup? My elementary school self simply could not wrap my head around the fact that women didn\u2019t belong in the sports world because in my life they were always intimately connected. My love for sports never wavered.Whether I was playing soccer in pre school, basketball in elementary school, or field hockey in middle and high school, I always came back to sports. That reality rings true today, as I find myself venturing into the world of sports journalism at The Daily. Sports mean everything to me and being a woman doesn\u2019t impact that. In this way, I guess my younger self was right after all.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Regina Roose, Daily Sports Writer<\/strong><\/p>\nCourtesy of Regina Roose.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nI can confidently say that sports have played a major role in shaping the person I am today. Growing up, I spent summers on softball fields in various states and winters playing in gyms or domes. I met multiple lifelong friends who I am lucky enough to call the sisters that I never had. Playing softball and other school sports allowed me to join a community that quickly turned into my second family.\u00a0<\/p>\n
My love of sports would not have been a reality without my dad. We always watched every major sporting event together and often attended Michigan football, basketball, and hockey games. He taught me everything I needed to know and the importance of sharing a love of sports with others. As a result, I have been fortunate enough to share my passion for sports with others through writing. I never imagined the incredible community that I would become a part of in this section and the amazing women that I would meet. The women in this section inspire me everyday, just as I was inspired by the broadcasters and athletes that I grew up watching on my TV screen.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Katie Rose, Daily Sports Writer<\/strong><\/p>\n\n
Courtesy of Katie Rose.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\nGrowing up, I wasn\u2019t the most athletic, but I always had a connection to sports. I remember playing soccer in first grade and kicking the ball towards the wrong goal. My parents cheered anyway, both surprised and excited that I actually kicked the ball. My mom, a Michigan alum, made sure to share her Michigan pride with both me and my sister by taking us to football games since I can remember. At first, I remember being there mainly for the fun and the food and was so confused by the game. But even through the tough seasons, especially the Brady Hoke era, I didn\u2019t care about being confused and was always so excited to watch the players jump and hit the banner. As I grew older, I started to learn the rules of the game and fell in love with football and the tradition.\u00a0<\/p>\n
When I found out The Daily had a sports section, I was very excited. I\u2019ve always loved writing and the idea to combine that with my growing passion for sports felt perfect. As a woman in sports journalism, it\u2019s been refreshing to be in an environment where I can share my love of sports with others. I have found it empowering to be around an amazing group of women who share the same passion for sports that I do.<\/p>\n
Molly Ross, Daily Sports Writer<\/strong><\/p>\n\n
Courtesy of Molly Ross.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\nSports have always been more than just games to me. Growing up in a small suburb outside of Boston, sports were my entire life. As an avid Boston sports fan with a love for college sports \u2014 instilled in me by my parents, both University of Michigan and University of Wisconsin graduates \u2014 it\u2019s been a B1G part of who I am. Not only did I grow up around championship teams, but I was also privileged to play. I started with ice hockey and lacrosse in first grade, later picking up field hockey, and I graduated high school with 12 varsity letters and a \u201cC\u201d sewn onto my jerseys. Sports have always represented more than just competition \u2014 they embody camaraderie, resilience, and determination. Through it all, I\u2019ve witnessed firsthand the grit, teamwork, and enthusiasm that define women\u2019s sports.<\/p>\n
My love for sports journalism began during my freshman year of high school when I decided to write for the school paper, Wildcat Tracks. Over the next four years, I went from sports writer to editor-in-chief, and it became my goal to one day write for The Daily. Now, as a writer for The Daily, covering women\u2019s field hockey and lacrosse allows me to give these incredible athletes the visibility they deserve, while staying connected to the sports that shaped me. Writing about Michigan\u2019s women\u2019s teams is especially meaningful because I grew up a Wolverines fan. Covering this program \u2014 one I\u2019ve admired since childhood \u2014 feels extremely full circle.<\/p>\n
During Women\u2019s Month, I\u2019m particularly grateful for the opportunity to contribute to the growing recognition of women in sports. Their stories deserve to be told, and I\u2019m honored to help make that happen. My ultimate goal is to one day report for the NHL and continue to elevate the visibility of women in sports everywhere.<\/p>\n
Lyra Sharma, Daily Sports Writer<\/strong><\/p>\nWhen I tell people that I am a sports writer, I am often met with one of three reactions: laughter, shock or confusion. Sometimes it\u2019s understandable, because for many who truly know me, it\u2019s a little strange to think that this is my college passion. After all, my status as former theater president and my usual pastimes of writing music and completing the computer science projects I have put off don\u2019t exactly fit the profile. But other times, for those who don\u2019t know me, their reactions are rooted in something else entirely.<\/p>\n
I understand the confusion it brings many people, being not only a woman, but a woman of color, my passion doesn\u2019t fit the usual perception of my culture and upbringing. And so I hid this part of myself for a long time, never leaving the four walls of my home.\u00a0<\/p>\n
But it was in that very home, from that very culture that my love of sports truly began. It was waking up early to watch the Cricket World Cup with my father, the late nights yelling about Rafael Nadal with my mother, and my brother\u2019s fanaticism for soccer that defined my childhood. We were a sports family through and through, even if it didn\u2019t align with the way this country might perceive us.<\/p>\n
I don\u2019t know what possessed me to join The Daily. Maybe I knew college was the opportunity for me to branch out and show this part of myself or maybe I was just bored. Whatever the reason, I know that this was the best decision I could have ever made, not only because of the fun I have and the friends I\u2019ve made, but because with my pen I get to represent something bigger than myself.<\/p>\n
Vily Souris, Daily Sports Writer\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\nAs a young athlete, I saw how important it is to empower the voice of women within sports. The resilience and integrity I learned from my coaches at a young age pushed me further in my athleticism and drives me to work harder even today.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I\u2019ve gained a lot from my first Women\u2019s Month at The Daily and all of my opportunities to speak to female coaches and athletes. Hearing their stories and amplifying voices inspires young athletes to find their own voices in the community. Women have fought their fair share of battles in the sports community from receiving adequate funding and resources to equal representation. Seeing passionate women drive sports forward makes me honored to tell even just a small piece of their stories.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Mirielle Wong, Daily Sports Writer<\/strong><\/p>\n\n
Courtesy of Mirielle Wong.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\nGrowing up, it was the women in my life who taught me the ways of diehard sports fandom. For my Mother\u2019s Day article<\/a> last year, I wrote about how my mom passed her love for sports on to me, and yes, my mom is the one ultimately responsible for my obsession with all things sports. However, my maternal grandmother was a sports fanatic as well: She built her social schedule around college football and NFL kickoff times, and we\u2019d talk on the phone after every Michigan football game. Today, my aunt is the one who holds the family season tickets to Michigan football and watches every away game with me.<\/p>\nBut even surrounded by female sports fans, I mostly watched men\u2019s sports growing up. Women\u2019s sports simply weren\u2019t available on the mainstream TV channels, and when they were, the surrounding coverage was lacking. When my sister and I delighted in Michigan softball\u2019s run to the Women\u2019s College World Series in 2013, The Daily was the place we went for our postgame reading fix. Having articles to read fed our excitement and passion for the team and the game of softball.<\/p>\n
And that\u2019s why Women\u2019s Month at The Daily is so important. Coverage of women\u2019s sports is still sorely lacking despite the progress that has been made since 2013. Women\u2019s Month is an opportunity to spotlight the stories, accomplishments and accolades of Michigan\u2019s women\u2019s sports. It encourages us, as female sports writers, to go deeper in our coverage and write features that truly dive into the stories of these incredible athletes. It\u2019s been a privilege to be a part of Women\u2019s Month during my time at The Daily.<\/p>\n
Grace Wright, Daily Sports Writer<\/strong><\/p>\nCourtesy of Grace Wright. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\nSports have always been a big part of my life. Whether it was yelling at the TV with my dad watching Notre Dame football or playing soccer on my high school\u2019s junior varsity team, sports have always been a driving factor in my life. My family is one of those families that has an athletic gene running through them, my dad was a high school pole vaulting state champion and my mom ran Division I track. Both of my younger sisters are fierce competitors, one of them a sprinter in her own right and the other a killer on the volleyball court. Clearly, I\u2019m the weakest link athletically. But I\u2019ll always be the number one fan. Whether that means cheering for my sisters or for our favorite professional teams, I\u2019ve always been entrenched in the sports world. But that world was limited to my family and a few boys at school for the most of my life. Then I joined The Daily.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I never planned on writing for sports. I was new to the University of Michigan and was looking for a way to make friends. But I was completely entranced with The Daily\u2019s sports section and the people that make it up. I\u2019ve made my best friends on this section and had the opportunity to cover some amazing sports. In just two years, my sports world is suddenly overflowing with a slew of amazing people. I finally found a place where girls my age cared about sports and were excited to talk about them. This community is something that I\u2019ll cherish forever, and I\u2019m proud to be one of the women that make up The Daily\u2019s sports section.<\/p>\n
Hadley Zann, Daily Sports Writer<\/strong><\/p>\nCourtesy of Hadley Zann.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nSports have always been a huge part of my life. I grew up in a family where sports were prevalent, whether it was going to my brother\u2019s club baseball games, watching Michigan football, or coming downstairs in the morning to SportsCenter on the TV. I followed in my brother\u2019s footsteps as a soccer player, and that dominated my life for the next 16 years.<\/p>\n
Coming to Michigan, I knew I wanted to write, and I knew it wanted to be for the sports section. But I missed the mass meeting for sports, and after I eventually shadowed my first game, it took me months to pick up an actual event. I was so intimidated by the knowledge and experience of the people around me, and I was scared I wouldn\u2019t fit in.<\/p>\n
However, as I picked up more stories and interacted with the people around me, I began to find my place, largely due to the other women on the section. I covered games with other women, and when Women\u2019s Month rolled around, I felt so empowered by the women around me to use my voice. As a woman in sports, I feel a lot of pressure in such a male-dominated field, but the other women on the section have given me so much confidence to be myself. Being a woman in sports has given me an irreplaceable community.<\/p>\n
Getting to see other female sportswriters \u2014 like watching Mina Kimes on ESPN every day after school \u2014 showed me people like myself in a field of which I dreamed of being a part. I\u2019m extremely grateful I got to see people like her on TV every day to remind myself that I belong, and I hope that girls can read articles from The Daily, see that a woman has written them, and feel the same way I did when I was 8 watching SportsCenter from my couch.<\/p>\n
Catie Push for The Daily<\/strong><\/p>\nSports have been the one constant in my life that I will forever cherish. It has been, without doubt, the most enthralling experience to watch me and my fellow teammates work hard everyday, make countless McDonald\u2019s runs after practice, and get yelled at for being too loud on a late bus ride home from far away games. It gives me goosebumps just writing this, as a large amount of my most important memories have come from sports. They are flooding my head and making me appreciate every teammate who has ever put their time and effort into me, our games, and all of the fun stuff we would do on the side. To be a woman in sports is often difficult as the comparisons and lack of coverage feel like they outweigh the constant record breaking and inspiration for future generations. This is part of the reason why I chose to join The Daily. I have witnessed firsthand how every woman in The Daily works just as if they were on a sports team: fostering community, continuing to inspire those around them, and having constructive, yet crucial, communication. It just so happens that this occurs in a newsroom instead of a court, field, or course. I am really new to The Daily, but have already found a team that has empowered me to write the way I desire to, making me feel incredibly seen and valued as a woman.<\/p>\n\n\t\t<\/aside>\n
Related articles<\/em><\/h3>\n<\/p><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Technically, March 31 marks the last day of Women\u2019s Month. But here at The Michigan Daily, celebrating the accomplishments of women in sports doesn\u2019t end when March does. The women on The Daily\u2019s sports section never stop working to tell female athletes\u2019, coaches\u2019 and journalists\u2019 stories. Here\u2019s what Women\u2019s Month means to us. Taylor Daniels, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":638,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[17],"tags":[652,627,213],"class_list":{"0":"post-637","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-sports","8":"tag-means","9":"tag-month","10":"tag-womens"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/tmbglobal.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/637","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/tmbglobal.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/tmbglobal.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tmbglobal.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tmbglobal.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=637"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/tmbglobal.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/637\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":639,"href":"https:\/\/tmbglobal.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/637\/revisions\/639"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tmbglobal.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/638"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/tmbglobal.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=637"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tmbglobal.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=637"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tmbglobal.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=637"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}