Thanks to Title 9, any young woman who once thought 10 was best can now be an 11!
Did you know that school athletic programs were not uniformly available to young women before the mid-1970s? But with congressional approval of Title IX in 1972, public schools had to provide equal opportunities, equipment, funding and facilities for athletic programs to both genders. Title IX opened many sports to young women and offered them new opportunities to develop physical strength and athletic skills. However, many issues uniquely related to young women, such as body image and self-esteem, remain inadequately addressed in our schools and our mediadominated culture. There is a great need for programs that help young women boost their confidence and enhance their capabilities.
The Be an 11! program is just such a program. It is designed to help teens sort through the confusing issues they face and give them the tools to choose the best path in life. Be an 11! has already reached thousands of young men and women with its message: You can be all you want to be; and if 10 is the best you thought you could be, you can be an 11!
A Sporting Chance The idea to help young women accomplish their goals specifically through sports is a natural. Most women excel in groups, teams and clubs. Ever notice that group aerobic classes are predominantly a female activity? Joining a team sport can provide young women with new friendships and a sense of camaraderie and can spur individual excellence from the competitive spirit. Even so, team sports are not for everyone. There are other options for boosting confidence and well-being through physical activity. Embarking on an exercise regimen is a one-woman task. In the weightroom you compete only against yourself.
The choice of teamor self-competition is yours, but either way, you will enhance your self-esteem, your appearance and your future. It’s a fact that young women who participate in sports in high school . . . • Have higher academic scores Student photos courtesy Trinity Episcopal School • Have higher self-esteem • Have lower rates of teen pregnancy • Are less likely to take drugs and alcohol • Are more likely to attend college • Are more likely to achieve higher-income jobs • Are less concerned with appearance than performance Unmixing the Messages One of the most important issues that Be an 11! addresses is self-doubt.
Young women have been struggling with confusing and conflicting social expectations for generations because cultural, religious and political opinion all continue to send mixed messages. How do young women identify their role in life when they’re told to be all they can be, but they should also tend the home, the family and their men? Why try to be the best, when weak women are perceived as more sexually appealing than strong women, and talented, deserving women still receive less pay than men? The media tell women they need to be beautiful and sexy. But their own peers attack them when they are too beautiful or too sexy.
With all these conflicting messages, most young women leave puberty feeling they are in a no-win situation. Society tells us as much. But the Be An 11! program has a different message: Young women, today you don’t have to be victims of your parents, your peers or the media. You can define who you are, how you act, how you think, dress and look, and what you want to become. These choices don’t all have to be made now, and certainly some of your ideas will change. There are lots of women who reinvent themselves at the rate most of us change our socks. The ability to adapt is in our nature and helps Young women often feel pressured by media-induced images that realistically are unattainable.
In fact, many of the women you see on magazine covers you wouldn’t recognize on the street without makeup. us to survive. Besides, it can be a lot of fun! What is important is that you think big and dream big. Believing is the first step to achieving. Accomplishing any goal, no matter how gargantuan, is done in little steps. You can do it!
Many young women hide behind makeup. Makeup is just that: a false face you put on for the world. Many women put on makeup hoping to hide something humiliating in their past. Others try to reinvent themselves behind a mask. Is that what you want for yourself? If you choose to wear makeup, use it to enhance your natural beauty, not disguise it. The best makeup appears to be no makeup at all. If you want to recreate yourself, do it creatively with clothes, not by painting your face and disguising your true being.
Today’s media and music is filled with demeaning images of women. “She looks like a slut” is not a wholesome message for young people of either gender to buy into. Magazines portray women as picture-perfect. Did you know that most of these pictures are airbrushed and computer enhanced? You wouldn’t recognize most of these models if you met them on the street without makeup. In fact, actress Jamie Lee Curtis, considered to have one of the best figures in Who’s Your Best Hollywood, did a photo layout in the September Friend? 2002 issue of More magazine showing what she had to go While many through to “create” her movie star women unfortunately look.
The before-and-after photos might feel much of their were startling and revealed the self-worth comes from truth about false media images. the attention and “landMost of the “super models” ing” of a man, a lot of are genetic freaks. They can eat the insecurity plaguing Ritz crackers with Cheese Whiz them comes from other and still not gain a pound. They women who are quick were born with bone structures that to incriminate, chastise lend themselves to makeup—most and alienate their own.
often transforming rather horsyFemale friendships looking faces into American beaucan be our greatest ties—and slumped in the makeup source of security; but chair, they have all the sags and celin our teenage years, lulite that normal women deal with. they can be our greatspo is o We all feel pressured by a wh Utah’s Jessica Horton, est source of grief. media-induced image that is often a is ing with Katie Krall on page 71, When this happens, unattainable. When we feel we fall .
former senior-level figure skater our best help is a more short of these unrealistic expectareliable support netShe is now training for the tions, we are filled with a sense of work of people who failure leading to insecurities. Many Olympics in speed skating. really care about us. of us began our journey to women There is no greater bond than between a mother feeling inadequate and substandard because of these and a daughter. In most cases, a daughter’s mom is unattainable images presented in the media.
her best friend, and later in life, the daughter is the She was a 16-year-old competitive figure skater living in Sunnyvale, Texas, but in the summer of 2000 Melissa Hounsel was diagnosed with leukemia. She spent almost three years in chemotherapy and had to quit skating. Melissa could have felt sorry for herself, but she didn’t. She graduated with her class and this May will graduate from Dallas Baptist University with a double major in kinesiology and psychology. Melissa is currently an intern at the Cooper Fitness Center in Dallas and this fall will be working on her master of science degree in kinesiology. mom’s best friend. We both lean on and support one another.
When mothers are not there for daughters, the potential for tragedy looms. Young women need female mentors. If your mom is not available as a mentor, seek out female role models from teachers, the church and even the business community. Women are the nurturers of the world. If your own mom doesn’t fill those shoes, find a woman who does. There are plenty of us out there. If your mom does fill the shoes, enjoy her love and support. Run to her often, listen to her and let her help you become all you can be. Christy Krall competed in the Olympics in 1964 alongside her teammate Peggy Fleming, who took home the gold in 1968.
Christine’s daughter Katie has followed in her mother’s footsteps by becoming an elite athlete. Katie finished her kinesiology degree and is currently training to join BFS as a clinician.
Not every daughter has a mom who is an 11 like Katie Krall’s. Every mother, however, is an 11 when she brings a new life into the world. Your mom may not have competed in the Olympics, but she was an 11 at least once in her life: the day she gave birth to you. If your mother is not your greatest inspiration now, she may be when you grow older and wiser. Never underestimate her capacity to love, forgive and support you.
Taking Control You are not alone: Every young woman feels insecure, inadequate and often at fault for things that she has no control over. Society has set us up for those feelings. Yet each of us can take control by knowing that there are support networks and programs to enable us to become anything we want to be. Right now your body seems to be your worst enemy: It is going through changes that you may not anticipate or welcome. But your body is actually your greatest asset: Your immune system, your recovery, your strength potential and your ability to transform are at the highest levels they will ever be. Now is the time to ask your body for what you want of it, and it will deliver.
You don’t need to participate in group sports. You can take your body to whatever limits, capacity and shape you want. The means are all available because of Title IX. If a Be an 11! program is available in your area, get involved. You’ll find support for every challenge you face. The program will help you get strong and take control of choosing the path that’s best for you. BFS This article was prepared with the assistance of Julie Brooks, a student of journalism and club manager at Laura Dayton’s Lady of America health club in Napa, California.
All BFS POSTERS & CHARTS are 22” wide by 28” high and are printed on a glossy thick paper (even thicker than the cover of this magazine)
• Charts progress for up to 70 athletes • Yearly and school records for the top 10 • These posters are not laminated • Set includes 4 posters: squat, clean, bench, deadlift • Charts progress for up to 60 athletes • Yearly and school records for the top 10 • These posters are not laminated • Set includes 6 posters: total power ranking, vertical jump, long jump, 20 & 40 yard speed & the BFS dot drill • Covers all major core lifts • Includes squat, bench, clean, deadlift and quick lifts • Basic instructional • Extremely motivational • A must for every weight room!
• Complete detailed BFS standards for all athletes, sports and grades 9-12 • Mens & women's jumping & speed • Mens & women's strength & power • Each poster contains safety instruction • Learn how to train safely • Set includes 3 posters: knee safety, back safety, hamstring safety WEIGHT WEIGHTROOM ROOMSAFETY SAFETY 1. ABSOLUTELY NO HORSEPLAY! 1. ABSOLUTELY NO HORSEPLAY! 2. NEVER INTERFERE WITH A PERSON WHO 2. NEVER INTERFERE WITH A PERSON WHO IS LIFTING IS LIFTING 3. MAKE SURE YOUR AREA IS CLEAR OF 3. MAKE SURE YOUR AREA IS CLEAR OF EQUIPMENT BEFORE LIFTING. EQUIPMENT BEFORE LIFTING. 4. MAKE EYE CONTACT WITH THOSE NEAR 4. MAKE EYE CONTACT WITH THOSE NEAR YOU BEFORE LIFTING.
YOU BEFORE LIFTING. 5. MAKE SURE YOUR COLLARS ARE SNUG. 5. MAKE SURE YOUR COLLARS ARE SNUG. 6. PICK UP AFTER YOURSELF, RETURN 6. PICK UP AFTER YOURSELF, RETURN WEIGHTS TO RACKS. WEIGHTS TO RACKS. 7. SPOT CAREFULLY! CONCENTRATE ON 7. SPOT CAREFULLY! CONCENTRATE ON THE LIFTER. THE LIFTER. 8. KEEP IT CLEAN, NO FOOD, GLASS 8. KEEP IT CLEAN, NO FOOD, GLASS BOTTLES ETC. BOTTLES ETC. 9. PROTECT YOUR LOWER BACK: HEAD UP, 9. PROTECT YOUR LOWER BACK: HEAD UP, BUTTOCKS DOWN WHEN LIFTING, BUTTOCKS DOWN WHEN LIFTING, SPREAD THE CHEST, LOCK IN LOWER SPREAD THE CHEST, LOCK IN LOWER BACK, USE A BELT. BACK, USE A BELT. 10. HELP AND ENCOURAGE EACH OTHER. 10. HELP AND ENCOURAGE EACH OTHER.
MAKE YOUR FRIEND GREAT. MAKE YOUR FRIEND GREAT.
805 West 2400 South 805 West SLC, UT 2400 84119South SLC, UT 84119 This simple poster has the potential of preventing needless injury or even a lawsuit!
From BFS Magazine — March/April 2005. Part of the BFS Magazine Archive (1980–2014).
