Weekend Randomness – Super Bowl edition

I should probably consider changing this to Weekend Randomness, as Friday Randomness seems a bit ambitious for me these days.  Anyway, I wanted to give a quick wave to all of the new (and damn, there are a lot of you!) readers who made their way here over the past week.  Hi, and welcome!

Before I get started, I wanted to point out this discussion at Metafilter that started   after someone shared a link to my post about six-pack abs and “real girl bellies.”  A link to a link to a link – how meta!  Anyway, while the conversation devolved into a bit of the standard fat-shaming (now flavored with Science-y “Proof”!) I did think the majority of the comments were great, so I wanted to share the link with you.

So, let’s begin:

There’s a petition at Change.org to show support for women who wish to wear hijab while playing soccer.  FIFA’s ban on hijab – even hijab that has been modified so as to not cause a safety hazard – has resulted in many teams simply opting not to play.

Anna at the Pursuit of Harpyness parses reactions to a photo of motorcross racer LeClan McMillan breastfeeding her kid, while in motorcross gear, sitting astride her motorcycle.  Debate aside (because if there is anything I know about breastfeeding, it’s that people love to debate it), I thought it was a really cool, sweet photo.

Erin at Fit Bottomed Girls wants us to all stop talking about clothing sizes already.  YES. COSIGN.

Sad news: the Women’s Professional Soccer league has suspended its 2012 season due to legal issues it’s facing over the termination of the magicJack franchise.  Ken at After Atalanta doesn’t think it’s terrible news, though.

Not only has the “Shit ______s Say” meme been run into the ground by now, but maggots are already feasting on its corpse.  That didn’t keep me from finding a “Shit Runners Say” video to be quite amusing.

Here’s another really sad and scary story:  a Montana woman, Sherry Arnold, was apparently abducted while running last month, and one of the two men arrested in her disappearance has confessed to killing her.  Her cousin, Beth of the awesome running blog Shut Up and Run, has organized a virtual run in Arnold’s memory.  The run is to take place Feb. 11.  Consider taking part if you can, and also, please stay safe while you are out there on the roads.

There’s so much interesting news coming out ahead of the 2012 London Olympics, and the possibility of Afghan women competing as boxers is just the latest thing I’ve heard.

Here’s another article on Olympic women’s boxing, but this one talks about the unexpected problems that have come up due to the fact that there are only three weight classes and the weight classes are so far apart.

And because everyone is all hot on the women’s boxing tip, here are two more pieces: one from NPR and one from the New York Times.  Everyone seems to love the juxtaposition of femme-y ladies who climb into rings to pummel the crap out of each other.

Veronica at xoJane would really like it if you stopped complimenting her on her weight loss.

Sally at Already Pretty asks if you think of your body as your friend.  I think this is a point that cannot be emphasized enough, that we shouldn’t view our bodies as enemies against which we have to wage war, but to accept and appreciate them as an integral part of who we are.  Honestly, I’d like to get away from the idea that who we are is somehow separate from our bodies.  No body, no “me.”  No “me,” no body.  It’s all one and the same.

Tomorrow, if you watch the Super Bowl, the people at SPARK and Miss Representation want you to keep a few things in mind during the commercials.  If the trends of recent years are anything to go by, we critically-minded feminist folks are going to have a lot to squall about on Monday morning.

The deadlift is one weightlifting move I really want to jump into doing, but I haven’t been because I’m so focused on my running and cycling (and seriously, the balance between training legs and training for a sport is something I have been desperately searching to find for a few years now).  Reading Nia Shanks’ “Ode to Deadlifts” and watching all of the videos has me all anxious to try it anyway.

Joan Benoit Samuelson topped a recent list of the top 10 U.S. women marathoners.  I’d love to see one of the world’s top 10 women marathoners.  The marathon is such an interesting sport, in that you can practically track geopolitical trends based on trends within the elite marathoning community.

Here’s a powerful piece at xoJane about fat-shaming.  It’s a great piece and Lesley really breaks it down in a clear, effective way.

Finally, check out this great slideshow from Sports Illustrated of U.S. Olympians of the past and the future. You guys, I am SO EXCITED about the Olympics, I cannot even say.  I used to act all blase whenever it came around, like, “oh, the Olympics, I hate those,” but then by day nine I’d be glued to my set watching curling or biathlon or freestyle medley swimming or whatever.  So now I’ve just chosen to embrace my Olympic fever, and why not?  The Olympics are freaking awesome.

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On a personal note, I’m all excited because I’m going to take part in my first duathlon this weekend!  The duathlon is down at Fort De Soto, which is like the most beautiful place in all of Pinellas County, and it involves a 5K run, a 10-mile bike ride and another 5K run.  I’ve really grown to adore cycling over the past few months, and so I look forward at having the opportunity to put it together with two of my other passions: running and competition.  Wish me luck!

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