You Go Girl! Age is no barrier to women in the Olympics
http://www.freep.com/sports/2004oly...4e_20040814.htm
GETTING BETTER WITH AGE
Some of the oldest U.S. female athletes at the Athens Olympics:
ATHLETE SPORT AGE
Elizabeth Callahan Shooting 52
Janet Dykman Archery 50
Martina Navratilova Tennis 47
Brandi Chastain Soccer 36
Celita Schultz Judo 36
Yolanda Griffith Basketball 34
FEMALE OLYMPIANS: Women conquer age-old stigma
BY JEMELE HILL
FREE PRESS SPORTS WRITER
August 14, 2004
ATHENS, Greece -- The story begins with a group of settlers bound for California during the winter of 1846-47.
Their hope quickly turned to despair because of bad decision-making and the elements. They ran out of food and eventually resorted to cannibalism. Of the 87 people who began the journey, only about half survived. But two-thirds of the women made it.
American tennis star Martina Navratilova, who at 47 is making her first appearance at the Olympics, thinks there's an important lesson in that bit of history about the Donner party: Women have more endurance than they get credit for.
"We do give birth," Navratilova said, "so right there, we have to be pretty tough."
The endurance of women is easily apparent at the Summer Games in Athens, where female athletes in nearly every sport are defying perceptions about age and competition.
Navratilova is part of a cluster of older women making their mark. Navratilova, who won 18 Grand Slam titles in singles, is the oldest tennis Olympian ever. Two American Olympians are 50 or older, and another will turn 50 before the Games end.
Australia has its oldest Olympian ever in 57-year-old pistol shooter Annette Woodward, who has six children.
An estimated 44 percent of the 10,500 Olympic athletes are women, and many are 30 and older.
"The bar has been raised for athletes," Navratilova said. "Thirty is not the death knell anymore. Many athletes are doing things at an advanced age; I'm just one of them. I think you'll see that more and more."
But competing at an older age is different for women than for men, especially with finances, age perceptions and childbirth.
Finances are a major issue because companies tend to shy away from sponsoring older women, making it difficult for them to compete a long time. To sponsors, women begin to lose their appeal in their late 30s.
"There's obviously a lot of athletes who are out there in the professional leagues who are older than 31, and they're continuing to do what they love to do because the economics of it work out," said 31-year-old Jenny Thompson, captain of the U.S. women's swimming team.
Even without financial difficulties, female athletes face different stigmas as they age. A male athlete is considered in his prime in his mid-30s. Many female Olympians are considered over the hill in their mid- to late-20s.
There's also the issue of childbirth. Sheryl Swoopes, the third-oldest member of the U.S. women's basketball team at 33, gave birth to her son, Jordan, six months before the inaugural WNBA season in 1997.
Though Swoopes was considered one of the greatest female players in college history, many doubted whether she could be the player she once was. So did Swoopes.
"The toughest part for me was working really hard to get that extra weight off," said Swoopes, who gained 52 pounds during pregnancy. "My entire career, I've always played at a certain weight, and I was very comfortable with that. I had no idea what I was going to be able to do after giving birth to him. But that was a huge challenge for me, and it was something that I wanted to do.
"I love this game so much, and I really wanted to be able to not so much prove to myself I could do it but to a lot of the women out there who feel like they have to make the sacrifice, that once you have a child your career is over."
Swoopes was an even better player after childbirth. She won four straight WNBA titles with the Houston Comets, was named league most valuable player twice and won her second Olympic gold medal with the 2000 team.
Now that Swoopes is nearing her mid-30s, the doubters again have returned -- especially in light of her recent foot and knee injuries.
"You don't hear about a lot of this with the men," Swoopes said. "I don't really even look at my age. True, I'm one of the older players on the team, but I personally feel I could probably play another eight to 10 years. Am I going to do that? Probably not. There are other things I want to do."
The 30-somethings and beyond aren't just role players at the Olympics. Several have significant roles. Swoopes, Lisa Leslie and Dawn Staley are the core of the American women's basketball team -- and all are in their 30s. Thompson's 10 medals are more than any other female athlete, and she needs two more to become the all-time medal winner in her sport.
"I think there is a huge misconception that people think that once a woman hits 30-something, it's time for you to start thinking of doing something else," Swoopes said. "I feel like I am at the peak of my game."
Hybrid Mode
