Y’all!  I’m excited.  EXCITED, I tell you!  Why?  Because I have the opportunity to host Miranda Kenneally, author of Catching Jordan, on the blog today.  As you’ll find out in my review tomorrow I absolutely adored this book which is just released from Sourcebooks Teen Fire.  When I say you need to rush out to a bookstore or the library to procure a copy I’m not thinking you should take a leisurely stroll.  I mean get there sooner than later!  Oh, and let me add that Miranda is also a fellow metro-DC dweller which makes me want to support her all the more.  Holla to the Nation’s Capital!

Please join me in welcoming Miranda to Galleysmith.

Girls Playing with Boys

According to statistics there are over 1,200 female high school football players across the country. What are some of the positives and negatives of blurring the lines between female and male sports? Do you support it?

Positives:

  • Girls can be just as strong and fast as guys. Why not prove it?
  • If girls prove they are as awesome as guys on the field, they can prove they’re awesome off the field. I can’t wait until we have a female president of the USA.
  • Or even a Vice President!

Negatives:

  • Girls’ body frames are more fragile than guys’. They get hurt more easily. I would be remiss if I didn’t say this.
  • I don’t think there are any other negatives!

I definitely support girl power. One woman who truly impresses me is former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice. I bet she’d get along well with my character in Catching Jordan, Jordan Woods. Not only is Dr. Rice a beautiful woman, she’s smart and she followed her dreams. She loves football, and would love to be the NFL Commissioner one day. She’s not scared to be herself: unique. I’ve met her and heard her speak many times about how her ancestors from Alabama were sharecroppers. As an African-American woman, she had many hurdles to get past in her life, and I know she’s glad she took risks. Everyone should take risks, regardless of sex or race or background. Otherwise, we’ll never evolve as human beings.

I guess what I’m saying is, Yes. Most guys are stronger than most girls. But if girls keep trying and working hard, they’ll eventually evolve to become stronger – maybe even stronger than guys one day.

I very much relate to Dr. Rice. I grew up in Tennessee. Not many people in my family had been to college. Hardly anyone thought I’d succeed in life. My high school guidance counselor told me I probably wouldn’t make it at a big university in Washington, D.C., and then she encouraged me to go to a local community college instead.

But I disregarded her comments and did what I wanted to do.

You should never let anyone hold you back from your dreams. I certainly didn’t. Dr. Rice didn’t.

I’ve gotten way off topic here, so getting back to girls playing sports generally played by boys. I think girls should play the sports they want to play, while keeping safety in mind.

If we all don’t try to improve or move beyond the status quo, the human race will only move backwards.

Miranda, thank you for joining me on the blog today.  It’s wonderful to get some girl power inspiration in the form of Jordan and you! And readers, don’t forget to visit again tomorrow to see my review of Catching Jordan.