From around the blogosphere

I started this post forever ago because I was looking for a quick post to dash off before I headed to Denver for a conference. But compiling information actually takes longer than one might think. And now I am on pseudo-vacation so I thought I would revisit it. Some of the information is old but I haven't heard much coverage of some of the stories so I don't feel too bad putting them out there now.

• I have been a fan of Ashley Fiolek's since I first read about the motcross star last summer. I voted for her in the recent WSF Athlete of the Year Awards (she lost to Nastia Liukin, which I am still getting over). But even if WSF voters did not recognize Fiolek's accomplishments and contributions, others have. The editors at TransWorld Motcross magazine have. According to the story at Because I Played Sports, Fiolek will be the first woman to appear on the cover of the magazine. She also has a regular column in the publication called Silence in which she talks about her deafness.

• Also another follow-up type story from Women's Sports Blog, Christine Daniels, a writer for the LA Times, has decided to detransition. Daniels announced in April of 2007, writing as Mike Penner, would be transitioning from a man to a woman. Penner wrote a column about his decision and his coming-out process, and as I noted seemed very excited about and supported in his transition. Penner has not revealed why he will be detransitioning but there is a very good column linked to in the WSB post that explain the realities of transitioning and detransitioning.
• Diane at Women Who Serve has a great Top 10 list and commentary of the 2008 season on the WTA.
• How the economic downturn (that's putting it mildly, right?) is affecting sports is a hot topic these days. (I may actually devote a longer post to it at some point.) The Title IX Blog has a couple of posts about how intercollegiate sports might (or are) deal with economics and Title IX.
• Also in the area of year-end lists, Pat Griffin at It Takes a Team comments on OUT magazine's top 100 influential people in the GLBT community. The skinny: very few athletes and an underrepresentation of women and people of color. Pat's planning on writing to OUT and making some suggestions regarding some of these absences. You can too!