The battle for Texas is at Globe Life Field in Arlington October 18, 19 and 20 (if necessary), the first time the Rangers and Astros have ever met in the ALCS. So far, the games have been heart-pounding, so we get it if you need to have a drink and relax before or after the game. And if you…
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Fort Worth has been selected as the host city for the HYX 16th World Wushu Championship. The World Wushu Championships take place every two years, and this year it will be held November 16-20 at the Fort Worth Convention Center. What is Wushu, you may ask? Here are some things to bring you up…
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The Fort Worth-based PBR team Texas Rattlers is one of the most exciting teams to watch in Professional Bull Riding. With a group of top-notch athletes hailing from all over the world, the Texas Rattlers coach, legendary Cody Lambert, has built the team on trust, hard work and discipline, values…
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With the PBR World Finals just around the corner, there's no better time to explore the latest trends in Western fashion. Whether you're a longtime rodeo fan or simply want to embrace your inner cowboy or cowgirl, we've got you covered with the hottest styles to flaunt at the PBR World Finals in…
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Whether you’re a scratch golfer or just got into the game, Fort Worth’s golf courses will make you want to hit the links. The gently rolling hills of Fort Worth allow for exquisite courses built for every skill level by world-renowned golf course architects. Get a view of downtown or simply…
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Whether you are tuning in to TCU football, the Superbowl or the Cowboys (the football ones) there are plenty of places in Fort Worth to get in on the action. TCU Campus-Adjacent Dutch’s Hamburgers and Dutch’s Burrito Bar can always be counted on to crank up the game day fun. Jon’s Grille is a…
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An NCAA public service campaign emphasizes that student athletes overwhelmingly “go pro in something other than sports,” with the implication that their playing experiences help them in their jobs after they’ve hung up their high tops, skates, or cleats. Judy Bernas works for an NCAA member institution in a non-athletic capacity and feels the games she played growing up have influenced her career. “Sports has so many lessons for all of us -- how to be gracious winners, even more gracious losers, discipline, consistency, commitment, and most importantly, teamwork. The lessons from sports are used in my professional life every day,” said Bernas, who currently serves as the associate dean and chief strategy and communication officer for the TCU School of Medicine in Fort Worth. “I played softball, volleyball and lots of golf,” she said of her sporting activities growing up. Her father was the driving force in her development. “An entrepreneur who started his own company, he was my softball coach. He loved to play golf and taught me how to play. We actually both had holes-in-one on the exact same hole (many years apart) at Encanto Golf Course in Phoenix, AZ. He was a New Yorker by birth and followed football, basketball, and golf religiously. He taught us the importance of putting effort into what you are doing and to shooting for the stars – ‘if you don't do it, someone else will,’” she said. “When I play golf and make a terrible putt, I can still hear him saying, ‘C'mon Judy. Make it count!’” She’s used what her dad taught her for more than just inspiration. “Golf has been important professionally as a way to connect with colleagues and associates. And a little competition never gets in the way of a great partnership!” Judy’s lifelong love of sports did, in fact, lead her to professional opportunities in the industry. “I have served on the Arizona Sports and Tourism Authority and currently serve on the Fiesta Bowl Board of Directors, where I am Chair-elect…
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Becoming an elite athlete takes more than talent. Elizabeth Northern knows all about that. The Fort Worth runner danced and ran for fun as a child, and actually discovered her true talent level relatively late in life. “My dad ran cross country in high school,” she said of her roots in running. “And so I'd been running with my dad, and then my mom and I would do Race For The Cure each year. I've done (the) Cowtown (10-kilometer race) since I was in third grade. It's always been a part of my family, just something that we did together. And then in high school, when I did cross country, it was for fun. I had a bunch of friends that were doing it. And so it just kind of was more for social things. And I wasn't very good. Like I was decent, but I was not, like, recruitable. Elizabeth was a member of the cross country team at Fort Worth’s Nolan Catholic High School her junior and senior years. She then matriculated to Trinity University in San Antonio with no intention of pursuing further formal competition until a fortuitously-timed trot around the school’s grounds. “It was during freshman orientation. I was just kind of jogging around campus and ended up on the track and the cross country team was there. And they kind of hollered at me. And they're like, ‘Do you want to run cross country?’ And next thing I knew I was on the team,” she explained about how the day progressed. “I was in the gym and getting all my physical stuff checked out, and I got a uniform, and then I was racing, like, two weeks later.” She quickly found success at the non-scholarship Division III school under the Tigers’ then-head coach Jenny Breuer. “I walked onto the cross country and track teams at Trinity,” Elizabeth said. “Coach B noticed pretty early on that I was really good at long runs, like, that was where I excelled and so she knew, even from the first couple of months, she was like, ‘You're gonna do the 10K in track.’ (I was) like, ‘What? I don't know if I want to do that.’ But sure enough, my best event in college was the 10K. And since then I've just gone longer.” She ran in the 2006 and 2008 NCAA D-III national cross country meets and helped the Tigers’ squad to a best-ever sixth-place national finish in 2008. In 2009, she won the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference 10,000 meters and competed in the 2009 NCAA D-III 10 km national track and field championships. Shortly after graduation, after having moved back to Fort Worth, she returned to San Antonio to try running a marathon. “My best friend from college wanted to do one. So we did it together. That's literally the only reason why we did it, because the only reason why I did it was because she was doing it.” Elizabeth had not trained for run of that distance before. To complete a marathon, one must traverse 26.2 miles. “I did not do a long run longer than 16 miles (in training) and so that first marathon was a lot of crying. I mean, I still ran a fantastic time considering how bad it felt but I didn't do another marathon for two years. I was like ‘Never again, I'm never doing this again.’ And then I've done like 15 more.” She did some half marathons before trying another full one in 2012. It proved her breakthrough. “In 2012, I had signed up to do the New York City Marathon that year, and that was the year of Superstorm Sandy. And the race was canceled. We were in New York City when it got canceled.” She managed to get into a race scheduled for the follow weekend, ironically in the Alamo City. “I said I'd never do it again. Then two years later, I did the exact same race. And I cried, and by far my worst marathon ever was that one in 2012, because it was, like, 80 degrees.” She fought through oppressive humidity to finish the race and realized she could potentially have success at longer distances. “I decided to, like, really, really, really train for (the) Cowtown (Marathon the) next February,” she said. “That Cowtown has pretty much launched my whole next trajectory because I just ran my heart out and I ran a 2:46 there and shattered all their records.” …
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“Title IX has provided a vehicle for equity for women to engage in sports and embrace their talents and skills beyond traditional roles. It is indicative of how equity provides opportunities, which gives space for the impossible to occur,” explained LaDondra R. Wilson. She serves as Vice President of Social Responsibility for both the Dallas Wings and Panther City Lacrosse Club and as executive director of the teams’ community foundations. Participants in sports can realize many benefits beyond a court or field. The athletic opportunities provided to women thanks to Title IX legislation have helped them prove that to be true regardless of gender. Wilson’s current job involves using sport to benefit the wider community in multiple ways. Both team foundations she oversees look to use their platforms to promote causes like health and wellness, education, and social justice, with the WNBA’s Wings having a particular focus on women and girls. The law’s 50 th anniversary falls within the basketball team’s season and with many of their players and employees having benefitted from it, they’ll commemorate the day accordingly. “We actually play on the actual anniversary of Title IX on June 23,” she pointed out. “Through our content capture day, we've had (Wings players) share their personal reflections of Title IX and we've asked our opponents (the Indiana Fever) to do the same, and so during our game, you will see a video of from our players’ and our opponents’ perspectives of how it impacted their lives.” In addition to the video, LaDondra and her Wings colleagues will weave other Title IX-based content into the game presentation. She hopes their efforts help girls in attendance to appreciate the day. LaDondra got started on her own sports path in her youth. “In middle school, I briefly played soccer as a forward. My uncle (forward Jimmy Wilson) played professionally for the Dallas Tornado, I assumed I received the soccer gene. Unfortunately, I did not,” she explained. “I also briefly ran track and was a cheerleader in grade school.” Even limited time on playing fields paid dividends in her career development, as it has for many athletes. “While my athletic career was short-lived, I always enjoyed being a part of a team and it has contributed to my ability to be an effective team member professionally.” Just as Title IX opened doors for women, LaDondra’s professional endeavors, through organizations like GRACE Grapevine, the Housing Crisis Center, and the Dallas Regional Chamber, have involved expanding opportunities for a number of underserved populations. “I am a social worker by trade. Much of my career has been in the non-profit space addressing social issues and serving marginalized communities. I am passionate about promoting equity and inclusion in spaces where they do not exist historically. As a proud product of South Oak Cliff, a community where disparities are prominent and opportunities are limited, it has fueled my ambition and determination to be a change agent and perpetual voice for those that have been silenced by their situation or environment. My role allows me to facilitate difficult conversations with intentions to promote generational positive impact.”…
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In March, Kim Johnson of TCU’s athletic department worked with the Fort Worth Sports Commission to stage NCAA 1st and 2nd Round basketball competition in the city newest sports facility. “My hope and my goal was, ‘How can we put everybody together and give them what they need for it to be one huge success?’ And I think the local organizing committee, and my co-chair (Katie Douglass), I think we were able to do that successfully,” explained the host committee co-chair. “I think everyone will want to come back to Dickies (Arena).” As Kim has done her part to ensure Fort Worthians have the opportunity to again watch top-level men’s collegiate basketball here in the future, she has also worked to bring the populace new women’s sports to enjoy. The Horned Frogs’ Senior Associate Athletics Director/Senior Woman Administrator has played a key role in establishing the school’s new beach volleyball and triathlon programs. In doing so, she and her colleagues studied both campus and community. “We were strategic. What fits our community? This is a running community, right? This is a biking community. Triathlon is the newest, emerging sport,” she said. Of course, before a program gets to the point of selecting which specific sports to implement, Kim pointed out that its leadership has to believe in the potential and ambition of female athletes in the first place. “Women want to compete. How do we create a platform? Then how do we create the opportunity? Do we invest in that? Do we take women seriously?” Kim developed her own love of sports because her family took athletic competition seriously. “It was the biggest source of entertainment for my family. We watched sports year-round. I grew to love all sports,” she remembered. “My father was an Alabama fan, and therefore I am, and we watched Alabama football and any college football and any professional football. We watched NBA basketball. And we watched the Atlanta Braves. So it was constant.” She played sports recreationally and wrote about them for her high school newspaper. Kim experienced family tragedy when both her parents died during her teen years. She persevered, however, and traveled from her native Alabama to Evanston, Illinois to attend Northwestern University. She faced a challenging route to completing her degree at the academically rigorous Big Ten institution, but that path would play a vital role shaping her future career. “My experience as a student was non-traditional. I worked in the athletic department so that I could pay for college. I went to school at night. I worked during the day and got a huge tuition benefit.” Kim just needed a job opportunity and hadn’t planned for it to come working as an administrative assistant for then-Athletic Director Rick Taylor. Once she got the gig, however, it created opportunities well beyond just paying her tuition in the short term. “It took me six and a half years, I think, to finish, but what an internship. And I decided that ‘This is the career I want to pursue. ‘This is what I want to do.’ And the athletic director said to me, ‘As soon as you graduate, I will promote you into any full-time position that is available, because you can do them all,’” she said of her realization that one could make a career of helping athletes succeed. “Growing up as a child watching college football, I never thought about what was happening behind the scenes to make that day happen. When I started working for the athletic director, I began to learn all the things that happen behind-the-scenes to produce that event. And I was then introduced to sports at Northwestern like field hockey. Never heard of field hockey. What field hockey? Fencing? I'd always played softball, but I'd never gone to a collegiate softball game. Loved it. So it just opened my eyes to the opportunities that existed for men and women who want to get an education, but also elite athletes getting the training to be the best in their sports and supporting them behind the scenes. I saw all the support that they got and I wanted to be part of that.”…
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