Really, they were just beautiful women in dresses. But the fact that they were basketball players seemed to make all the difference in the world. Last fall, when Florida State University launched its new women’s basketball Web site, seminolehoops.com, they sparked a blaze of unpredicted controversy. It seemed that the concept of women athletes in glamorous attire was a touchy subject. Radio shows received calls, FSU’s media relations phone lines lit up, and Head Coach Sue Semrau found herself facing and responding to tough questions about beauty, identity and femininity in sports.

On this day, you left nothing behind. Your sweat-soaked uniform provides the proof. As you stand alongside your teammates you can hear the sound of the exuberant crowd cheering. In time, your body will ache, but not now. Not just yet. It will be tomorrow before the cuts and bruises remind you of the painful, hard-fought game. For right now, posters wave and arms remain outstretched in celebration. These are the sights and sounds of victory. Unfortunately, they are not for you. Your supporters are silent and still; they are rocks among the waves of fans who have crashed the field to celebrate with the victors.
 

Selected Struggle: Striving

Dictionary definition: “To struggle vigorously.”

My definition: “To be consumed by angst. To not give everything to God and to worry constantly, feeling like the more you do, the more you are going to get done and achieve.”