Jenny Everett

Kyra Condie Says The Future Of Climbing Is Female

These days it feels as if you cant throw a rock without hitting, well, a <a href="https://www.womenshealthmag.com/fitness/a27699131/rock-climbing-workout-exercises/" id="91c22051-3a2b-3562-aafa-27d38ae25fb4"> climbing gym </a> . Next year the booming sport will make its Olympic debut, highlighting the <a href="https://www.womenshealthmag.com/fitness/a19915366/a-beginners-guide-to-mountain-climbing/" id="ec4b2eb9-80eb-31a7-a14e-1a6c141aa539"> female climbers </a> who have quietly been on the rise. (In the past few years there has been an explosion in womens-only climbing clubs, vacation packages, clinics, and climbing festivals, like those offered by <a href="http://flashfoxy.com/" id="28975b74-055a-3314-a0cc-8bb8efc95b02"> Flash Foxy </a> .)

One thing I love about climbing is that you can never tell by looking at someone who will be the better climber, says Kyra Condie, who did her first climb at a birthday party when she was 11 and is currently on the World Cup circuit hoping to make the Tokyo squad. You can easily go into any gym in the country and see an 11-year-old girl outclimb an athletic adult male.

We cant wait to see her debut at the 2020 Olympics.

This article appears in the July/August 2019 issue of Womens Health. For more intel on how to live a happier, healthier life, pick up a copy on newsstands now.

This profile is part of the Women's Health "Women In Sports" series, which highlights fierce female athletes who are advocating for gender equality in sports. The series is part of our ramp-up to <a href="https://auroragamesfestival.com/" id="81f242cd-4b29-3f03-a13f-5fad99507737"> the Aurora Games </a> , the first-ever all-female sport competition, which will take place in New York August 20-25. <a href="https://www.ticketmaster.com/aurora-games-tickets/artist/2574122" id="b1c7f661-6d55-320b...

Alysia Montao On Maternity Leave For Pro Athletes

When <a href="https://www.womenshealthmag.com/life/a19983968/olympic-runner-alysia-montano-competes-pregnant-for-second-time/" id="ec47e50f-5e42-3ee6-ac4d-bdc916169675"> Alysia Montao </a> recently called out apparel brands like Nike for not providing maternity leave and pausing sponsorship pay for pregnant athletes, companies took notice.

Men in the industry come up with all of these reasons why we cant be a mom and an athlete.

Men in the industry come up with all of these reasons why we cant be a mom and an athlete: no time, too many distractions. Its insane. Proof of that ridiculousness: Montao won national championship titles at 6 and 10 months postpartum.

Watch Alysia Montao compete at five-months pregnant:

Now, thanks to her words, Nike, Brooks, Burton, and Nuun have stated theyll amend their sponsor contracts to better support mothers. I have two kids watching me now, she says. Im here to fight for them.

Alysia Montaño On Maternity Leave For Pro Athletes

Alysia Montaño Says It's "Insane" To Think Women Can't Be Athletes AND Moms

Elite Runner Allie Kieffer Talks Body Positivity

Earlier this year, Allie Kieffer posted a picture of herself flexing on Instagram. The caption read: Strong is empowering. Its knowing you belong in the free-weights section of the gym, holding your own amongst grunting men. Strong is seeing the number on the scale, but knowing it isnt tied to your self-worth. Its the feeling that you can accomplish all of your goals. Strong is standing up for your values regardless of what others say. Its the confidence to be unapologetically you. Strong looks like you!

Strong is seeing the number on the scale, but knowing it isnt tied to your self-worth.

Surely Kieffer looked strong when she stood at the start line of the 2017 New York City Marathon. Not that anyone really noticed. She was virtually unknown. She didnt have a sponsor or even a coach. In fact, she had quit running five years earlier, after injuries and a drained bank account seemed to have doomed her postcollegiate professional career.

I moved to New York in 2013 to be a nanny and didnt have any friends, and people were like, Whats your hobby? Thats how you meet people, Kieffer, now 31, says. So I started running again, then it got a little more serious with each year, and I started coaching myself to run the New York City Marathon.

Kieffer finished in 2:29:39fifth place among women, and the second American woman behind Shalane Flanagan. The world took noticeof both her dominance on the course and her appearance. Running message boards lit up with talk of how Kieffer must be doping, how theres no way a woman with her build could run that pace.

Watch Allie Kieffer recount her surprising NYC Marathon finish:

It wasnt the first time Id been told Im too heavy to be a good runner, says Kieffer. Im just a firm believer that the way I look does not affect my ability to do my job. In fact, Kieffer attributes her earlier injurieswhich forced her to withdraw from the Olympic trialsto her low body weight, which made her look, but not perform, like an elite marathoner.

Running has such a negative diet culture. I wasnt doing any strength work at all and wasnt feeding myself enough food, she says. Leading up to the New York City Marathon, on the other hand, I was lifting in a <a href="https://www.womenshealthmag.com/fitness/a28008828/what-is-crossfit/" id="a9048986-9b27-333d-a136-6ebac50b3df3"> CrossFit gym </a> , I was stronger, and I was running really well. That was the turning point for me in realizing I dont have a racing weight. I dont have to be a certain leanness to be a great runner.

In response to the negative chatter about her body, Kieffer began blasting back and posting video responses on Instagram, saying, The words that Im too old and Im too big and Im doping? Those hurt. Im not too big. And Im not doping. Im here to stay. Next up on Kieffers list? Qualifying for the 2020 Olympics while continuing to be vocal about body positivity.

The more we build on this conversation, the more we help women get to a healthy place of self-love, she says. For Kieffer, opening up on social media was therapeutic. I thought, Im going to be vulnerable and let this out because it will help me, she says. Then people started connecting with me and writing messages, and I realized how helpful it was for them as well. Its created a community where we all support each other. Speak it, sister.

This article appears in the July/August 2019 issue of Womens Health. For more intel on how to live a happier, healthier life, pick up a copy on newsstands now.

Elite Runner Allie Kieffer Is On A Mission To Change How People Talk About Female Athletes' Bodies

Blake Bolden And Taylor Marchin On Hockey Boycott

In May, 200 of the best womens hockey players announced theyd be boycotting all games until the National Womens Hockey League gives them the pay and resources they deserve.

Having no health insurance and making as low as $2,000 a season means players cant adequately train at the highest level, the Professional Womens Hockey Players Association wrote in a group statement.

Like most NWHL players, Blake Bolden and Taylor Marchin have had to take full-time jobs to support themselves as pro athletes. (Bolden runs a mentorship program for athletes; Marchin works at an investment bank.)

Needing to have a second job is a problem.

We are trying to figure out how to make ends meet, just to play the game we love, says Bolden, the first African American player in the NWHL. Needing to have a second job is a problem.

To draw attention to womens hockey, both Bolden and Marchin are participating in this summers Aurora Games, a womens sports competition festival. Its an amazing opportunity for girls to be exposed to womens sports they might not have been able to see, says Marchin. And thats the first step in expanding girls ideas of what they can achieve.

This article appears in the July/August 2019 issue of Womens Health. For more intel on how to live a happier, healthier life, pick up an issue, on newsstands June 25.

Pro Hockey Players Blake Bolden And Taylor Marchin Still Need Full-Time Jobs To Support Themselves

How Aly Raisman Is Fighting For Assault Survivors

The last time we saw <a href="https://www.womenshealthmag.com/life/a19994494/aly-raisman-body-shaming-tsa/" id="60b24697-357b-3d07-a8e7-44020d812028"> Aly Raisman </a> in the gymnastics arena was at the 2016 Olympics, where she completed a stunning floor routine, then burst into tears, knowing she had avenged her loss of an all-around medal four years earlier. In that moment, the little girl whod grown up watching the 1996 Olympics on VHS had won her battle. But her real fight was just beginning.

Less than two years later, she was in a courtroom face to face with Larry Nassar, the former USA Gymnastics team doctor who reportedly abused more than 250 female athletes. For 12 minutes, Raisman stood mere feet from her abuser and spoke her truth. She told him that the women and girls he assaulted are a force and that he is nothingthat the power had shifted. Raismans raw, emotional statement went viral. Nassar went to prison for the rest of his life.

I knew I was part of this army of survivors, this sisterhood of women who are so strong and brave.

It was very triggering in the momentemotionally and physically draining. But at the same time, I had this feeling of not being alone, Raisman says. I knew I was part of this army of survivors, this sisterhood of women who are so strong and brave. It was bigger than me.

Since then, the 25-year-old has channeled her strength into advocacy: Shes supporting legislation that would help bring justice for more than 400 survivors who have accused a USC gynecologist of sexually assaulting them; she funded the #FlipTheSwitch campaign with Darkness to Light, a nonprofit that empowers adults to prevent child sexual abuse; and shes part of York Athletics new Worth the Fight campaign.

Watch Raisman give a speech calling for greater support of sexual abuse survivors:

Whether youre a parent or a coach, if youre an adult stepping into any sport with children, you should be educated on how to prevent verbal abuse, physical abuse, emotional abuse, and sexual abuse, says Raisman. I have not seen USA Gymnastics ensure that coaches and staff are taught that, and to me, its a no-brainer.

While her career as a pro gymnast may be in the past (fun fact: boxing is her favorite workout right now), Raisman is outspoken about her hopes for the future for womens sports, which include more coverage and less focus on physical appearance.

And no matter what, Raisman says shell keep telling her story. Things are slowly changing because female athletes are speaking up, and thats so important, she says. Gymnastics is very different now from when I was watching the 1996 Olympics, but we still have a long way to go. We just have to keep sharing our truth.

This article appears in the July/August 2019 issue of Womens Health. For more intel on how to live a happier, healthier life, pick up an issue

Aly Raisman Is Once Again Going To The Mat—This Time To Fight For Survivors Of Sexual Assault

Abby Wambach Says She Struggled To Pay Her Bills

When <a href="https://www.womenshealthmag.com/fitness/a19896210/abby-wambach/" id="12085654-26b7-31be-a732-74cd11ad7d30"> Abby Wambach </a> co-captained the U.S. Womens National Team to World Cup victory in 2015, the soccer player solidified her iconic status. She retired soon after and found herself standing on stages with other renowned athletes, often men. And thats when it hit her. Here I am, walking into retirement, getting the same awards as Kobe and Peyton, and Im slapped in the face with reality, says the two-time Olympic gold medalist.

For most male athletes who reach the level I did, their biggest worry is trying to figure out how theyre going to invest their money. And I had to figure out how I was going to pay my mortgage. The idea that winning will make you rich, no matter your sport or gender, is a huge misconception, says the 39-year-old.

Last year, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wJe40l2waxs" id="88eb546d-1015-3cd1-a33e-4dfd109d601f"> she gave a commencement speech at Barnard College </a> that became a viral hit and an instant rallying cry for women fighting for gender equality in all areas of life, including sports.

So you can bet she was damn proud when, this spring, just three months before the FIFA Women's World Cup, which started on June 7, 28 members of the <a href="https://www.womenshealthmag.com/fitness/a26764995/uswnt-sues-us-soccer-lawsuit/" id="8263a0ac-da74-3ae5-ab06-400f88891376"> United States womens soccer team filed a gender-discrimination lawsuit </a> stating that not only their pay, but also their fields, their coaching, their training, their medical treatment-all of it-is inferior to that of the mens team. This, despite their playing-and winning-more games.

And progress was swift. Due to the attention the lawsuit has brought to the issue, FIFA doubled the prize pot for this summers Womens World Cup, and changes have been made to equalize things like meal stipends, charters for travel, and hotel accommodations.

Abby feels the USWNT lawsuit could have a domino effect on all women\'s rights.

The spotlight was already on the players leading up to the Cup, making their cause even more visible and the move even more courageous, says Wambach. Theyre throwing all their chips on the table and saying, Were going to bet on ourselves, and if we win, our claim will be even stronger.

Wambach is optimistic that real shifts can happen and the team will see more money. Its an opportunity for not just our national team, but women everywhere, she says. Their process could be a blueprint for all women who want to get what they deserve. The USWNTs bravery could be the start of a much bigger movement to close the pay gap that all women suffer.

The U.S. Womens National Team will play against Chile on Sunday, June 16, at noon EST.

This profile is part of the Women's Health "Women In Sports" series, highlighting fierce female athletes who are advocating for gender equality in sports.

Abby Wambach On The Pay Gap In Pro Sports, USWNT's Lawsuit, And Gender Equality Beyond The Playing Field

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