Gotta admit, Chuck, that comment about girls' soccer rubbed me the wrong way too. If you think these girls are defined by rolled sleeves, "I love you" and "sweetspots," you have a lot to learn about female athletes. I'd like to introduce you to a few.
I've known girls who have played through broken bones (inlcuding feet and toes), concussions, torn ligaments, and twisted backs. I've seen girls in conditioning who push themselves so hard they veered out of the drill, hurled their entire lunch into the nearest trash can, and kept right on running. We've practiced in heat, torrential rain, and even in ice when the rest of the school was sent home for a snow day, and the girls have been clamoring for more after many of the boys are begging to go home. I've seen them play and practice literally through blood, sweat, and tears, and many have stayed long hours pushing themselves after everyone else has gone home because they know they have much left to learn, and it means that much to them to get better, to prove themselves as athletes, to become more today than they were yesterday. These are the marks of athletes. They inspire ME to become more today than I was yesterday, and they are the reason I am on the field. "I love you," indeed...at the varsity level, these girls are tough and fearless...and this is one coach who has the bruises to prove it. So let's give our female athletes a little respect, shall we? Comparatively speaking...
Chuck Norris would have plenty of time to talk about how tough he is while he's sitting on the bench.
