Nikewomen NFR Blog

At Ease with the H2O

AllisonObrien — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 20:45:26 GMT

The dreadful test, a long day at work or stress for whatever reason, we deal with these roadblocks in our everyday life. In the last year, I found my remedy! Like many young kids, I too swam competitively for several years. I put swimming on the back burner as my interest in other sports began to grow, but about a year ago I revisited my swim cap and goggles.

In hope to find a cardio cross-training workout to relieve the wear and tear on my joints, I gave the pool a second chance. I can honestly say I was pleasantly surprised! Not only is a pool workout offering relief to my joints, it has also become my home remedy for unwinding after a long day. Something about being in the water puts my mind at ease. The rhythm of my stroke and focus on my breath not only relaxes me, but it has also become a time that I can allow my mind to wonder. Don’t get me wrong, my hamstrings are burning and my biceps become exhausted, but some how I forget about any issue, any stress and any worry. I work hard, lap after lap to stay in the pool for 1760 yards = 36 laps = 1 mile and trust me, my mind is so far out of the water sometimes, I loose track of the 36 lap count!

I’m sharing this because swimming has become this double edge sword in my workout routine – a great workout and a source of relaxation. It’s a workout I look forward to, while reaping the cardio health benefit to my heart and lungs. Not to mention the endurance, muscle strength and cardio fitness I gain. This is my H2O testimonial and my advice to all the young athletes out there – currently a swimmer or not - jump in the pool and do something for yourself! Your joints will be happy and your mind will be at ease.

-Allison O'Brien

Wake Makers

Delia.Glover — Sat, 10 Oct 2009 16:52:10 GMT

I am going wakeboarding today but I am not bringing my board. I am not going to borrow one either. You might think I am going to try it barefoot, right? Actually, I don’t plan on even touching the water. Today is my day to drive the boat.
Driving the boat might sound easy, but it isn’t. There is a relationship here that moves beyond trust; there is synergy between the boarder and the driver. Even the best driver cannot make a bad rider look good, but a bad driver can almost certainly make a good rider look bad. I have been on the end of the rope with some bad driving. It is not fun. Consistent speed and a smooth wake are the keys to a good ride. Plus, having the right boat helps too.

Beyond its funky colors, logos, and designs that often adorn its exterior, the wakeboard boat is very special. Like the Zamboni that resurfaces the rink at a hockey game, or the caterpillars that groom the mountainside for the next day’s downhill, wakeboard boats are physical parts of the team. They need to perform consistently and earn the trust of the driver and rider.

Trust is a big part of many team sports, but it is also a big factor in sports considered to be individual. Trust between the boarder and her board, between the driver and the boat, and especially between the boarder and driver are crucial. The ‘wake makers’ are just as important as the wake boarders!

Knowledge and time are a big part of that trust. The more the driver knows about the boat and the boarder, the easier the ride will be. They will know how fast to go to make a wake bigger or smaller depending on the ability of the boarder to jump the gap as well as knowing the importance of having a smooth ride without too many angular turns. You have to know how to play off of other boat’s wakes and wind ripples.

My friend and I switch on and off riding and driving and are both very comfortable in either position. I feel almost as much pride for her as I do for myself when she lands a big trick, because I know without her trust in my ability to drive, she wouldn’t have been able to pull it off. It feels as great as an assist in any other sport!

-Delia Glover

Surfing: One Advantage of Living in South Jersey!

DanaSpera — Sun, 04 Oct 2009 16:56:30 GMT

Living in South Jersey definitely has advantages. Since I can be in Philadelphia in minutes or at the Jersey shore in less than an hour I have the best of both worlds. The big city offers so much, yet, there is nothing better during the hot days of summer but to be on the beach.

Last week my friends and I made our way to Ocean City, NJ. We wanted to enjoy a lazing day under the hot sun. While enjoying each other’s company we swam, laid around, and had a delicious lunch at Mack and Manco’s. One of the group suggested we give surfing a try. The surf was not rough this day so, while feeling adventurous I agreed. How hard could it be?

My first attempt to catch a wave proved to be disastrous. My second and third tries were not much better. This was harder than it looked. But, I was determined. After listening to more direction I gave it another try. It might not have been a pretty sight, but standing was almost accomplished. After many failed attempts success was met. I caught a wave! My thrilling and exhausting day was over.

When I woke up the next day my body was tired and sore. I couldn’t imagine where the aches were coming from. There was no 5K runs nor was there a heavy gym workout in the previous days. Yesterday, I spent a “relaxing” day at the beach.

On your next vacation or trip to a beach give surfing a try. But, if you are a novice- be ready for some sore muscles.

-Dana Spera

Summer Pool Fun with Inner Tube Water Polo

VanessaCuellar — Sat, 19 Sep 2009 21:16:54 GMT

At Universities across the nation, a new hybrid sport is being introduced and embraced by college students looking for a unique IM sport experience. Inner Tube Water Polo is all the rage!!! Before I graduated from college I was fortunate enough to have been part of team “TUBErculosis” – let’s just say college is the place to be a geek. Each week my team would come together, grab our inner tubes, and don our team caps; ready to face off in battle against our opponents. Now that it’s summer me and my friends occasionally get together to play a game when we can and because of the hot summer days in Sacramento it’s the perfect way to cool off and hang out with friends.

Water polo in itself is daunting. To play an athlete must be in top physical condition. It is a combination of treading water and swimming to stay afloat so that players can skillfully string together a combination of passes in an effort to score on the other team. On the other hand, inner tube water polo sometimes gets a bad reputation because of the use of a floatation device and is therefore viewed as requiring less effort to play. This is not the case; the demands on the body are just different. Trying to maneuver the length of a pool while sitting atop an inner-tube is no easy task, inner-tubes are not streamlined to reduce the drag produced. In fact, it’s very much like a buzzing bumblebee in flight, not too graceful but if you paddle and kick hard enough you can eventually get from point A to point B. Each sport presents its own unique challenges and I believe that they should not be pitted against each other in order to find which one is superior but used to show how one sport can stem from another with a little creativity.

Another unique development of inner tube water polo is the type of physical contact that can be seen in the game. In regular water polo match there are numerous amounts of fouls. These fouls sometimes go unseen and the majority of them involve players pulling each other under the water. I personally don’t appreciate being drowned by an opponent and find the physical contact in inner tube water polo, less threatening to my life. In fact the physical contact in inner tube water polo can be aggressive and competitive but if viewed by a spectator, one would probably describe it as “playful” and often times “clumsy”.

You might witness a one on one situation where two people are attempting to grab a free ball and their tubes collide causing them to ricochet off of each other like bumper cars at the county fair. Or, imagine two people so focused on getting a ball away from one another that they lose their balance and fall backwards off their inner tubes! And lastly, while defending the player with the ball, a defender can actually try and use one hand to flip their opponent out of their inner tube. It may sound easy, but it’s amazingly tricky to maintain your own balance while trying to put all your force into getting someone out of their tube. I feel that being knocked off of an inner tube is more pleasant because it feels as though the incident was more of an accident rather than a vicious assault.

I greatly enjoy this sport and believe that if an opportunity arises for you to try it you should. Though I do not know of any recreational adult leagues that promote inner tube water polo, I see a great deal of potential for one in the future. If dodge ball and kick ball leagues have been formed for these lovable recess games, why not create one for this newly evolved sport?

-Vanessa Cuellar

Goodbye Boring, Hello Summer Fun!

LisaLane — Sat, 22 Aug 2009 22:10:58 GMT

Getting to the gym in the summer can be quite the challenge, especially when all you want to do is to be outside! But staying healthy and being active doesn’t require skipping out on summer fun. I personally found myself passing up my old gym routine to hit the pool or beach with my friends. Where I discovered ways to get my body moving while still having all the summer fun.

I went to the beach the other day with my friends, and I happened to see a group of kids playing football. They were running plays in the sand and throwing long passes into the wave break. It looked so fun I decided to jump in and join. When we started to get warm we would simply dive into the waves and swim back between plays! The next day I was a little sore, but I left the beach with extremely fun memories.

A few other ways to maintain your active lifestyle with my friends at the beach is to get out the boogie boards. Just paddling out over the waves gets your heart pumping. The thrill that storms through your body while you ride that wave into the shore pushes you to stay out there for hours! You also get an incredible leg and arm workout from kicking and paddling.

Now I know that not all of us are fortunate to have a near by beach as a playground, but that doesn’t mean you miss out on the fun! The other day I decided to bring out some old skates, no not rollerblades, skates! My friends rode their bikes, and I rode my skates, and we went all throughout my neighborhood. If you have a boardwalk or a nice park near by, that makes it even better! We rode for a solid hour and not even a stair stepper or elliptical could have given me this workout! Not to mention, I didn’t even feel like I was working out. Usually I am not laughing and smiling with my friends while pumping away at a machine!

These three low cost ways to have fun and stay fit inspired me to continue to search for ways to get my heart moving while not being stuck indoors in a stuffy gym! Other activities that are popular at the beach and in the park included skim boarding, paddle ball, and frisbee! Anyone, regardless of their fitness background could do any one of these activities! My friends and I have been enjoying summer and having fun together, not even realizing that what we do is keeping us healthy at the same time.

I challenge you to get outside, get going, and grab a friend or two! The time has come for you to expand your fitness regime (and your vitamin D intake) by utilizing activities you can do in the fresh air. There are so many possibilities! Be creative and stay fit without compromising you summer fun

-Lisa Lane

What’s SUP?

AshleyCeaser — Fri, 21 Aug 2009 00:40:39 GMT

'Sup? The last time I heard this phrase used was in high school, but last week I found out it has another meaning. In sports jargon, SUP stands for “stand up paddle” surfing. And for those of you who have never heard of it, the activity is much like surfing; you have a board (which is about the size of a long board) but rather than using waves to get around, you have use paddle. It is typically done in warmer, flat still water (tropical locations and bays are the most ideal).

To begin your ride, you lay on the board (like you would with a surfboard) and paddle with your arms until you get a few feet from the shore. Then once you are far enough away (10 feet or so), you’ll come up onto your knees (this might take a couple minutes to find the center of the board), and begin paddling with your oar. Finally, once you are comfortable, placing your feet in the same spot your knees were previously, you stand up. No prior experience is necessary, and it is easy to catch on to after about a half hour.

Just as with any other board sports though, balance and core stability (which I found out the hard way) are very important aspects of staying on the board. I definitely fell into the water (not just halfway, but completely hair-soaking all the way) trying to find the “sweet spot” of the board (a.k.a. the center of balance). I probably need to cross train with more balance exercises. Standing on the flat side of a BOSU would replicate the instability of the board.

SUP is something new that I definitely recommend trying at least once. If you live near a bay or the next time you are on vacation near water, you should try it out. It is a fun and inexpensive (I only spent $20 to rent the equipment for 2 hours) experience that you can do with friends and family of all ages. Just be ready to get wet.

-Ashley Ceaser

See the Sea

AshleyCeaser — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 20:49:22 GMT

When in your life can you say you got an intense upper body and core workout while seeing local wildlife 50 ft away? Unless you’re working out at the zoo, the experience just doesn’t come around that often. If you kayak in Monterey Bay, like I did this past weekend, you’ll experience “animal channel” moments first-hand. Not only was the weather beautiful, I was able to see otters, sea lions, harbor seals, and pelicans not behind any cages or tanks but up close.

Kayaking is a little harder than it looks. While our cost included the boat rental for the entire day, after paddling for an hour and half, I was more than ready to come back in. Even if you are rowing correctly (using more of your core instead of just your arms), it can become tiring after a while. Holding your arms up to paddle does take back strength. But, not to discourage anyone, upon second thought, I would have rested more during my journey, just floating near the sea critters. Our instructor had recommended venturing into the kelp bed, and just holding onto a kelp vine to anchor the kayak while floating.

Because of the kayak’s stability, no real experience is necessary and everything necessary is provided (including life jacket, wetsuit, and windbreaker). You can row as a single or double. A brief paddling lesson and safety orientation is included before you hit the water. Because I was paddling in a marine wildlife protected area, even I felt pretty safe in the open water.

Participating in an outdoor sport is a great way to take advantage of good weather, in addition to keeping your routine fresh. If you live near open water (rivers and lakes included) or are going on vacation near some, I would recommend trying a paddle sport like kayaking or canoeing. It's a fun and fairly inexpensive (about $30) experience that you can do with friends and family. Just don’t forget the sunscreen.

-Ashley Ceaser

Totally Tubular!

AshleyJohncola — Sat, 08 Aug 2009 19:35:26 GMT

If you have never “floated” or “gone tubing” down your nearest river…’tis the season!!! My friends and I recently drove over to our local river (the Delaware) for a day of floating fun; however, instead of renting tubes, we decided to rent inflatable rafts with oars so we could control our journey down stream.

Personally, I found that the benefits of the raft far outweighed that of the tube. First of all, there were seven of us...so we got two rafts and tied them together (much easier than linking seven tubes). Second, there was the fact that the rafts had bottoms, which was great because the water was still pretty freezing and there were undoubtedly strange creatures lurking in the not so clear water that I did not wish to mingle with. Third, having the bottoms in the raft allowed us to store our super cool water guns that we used against each other and to attack questionable pirate-like people who wanted to have a water fight (and by people I mean little kids with super soakers because, yes, my friends and I are clearly 5 year olds at heart...and don’t worry the children won the battle). And finally, the oars allowed us to navigate the river, which gave (some of) us a good upper body workout. AND we were able to row ourselves over to the famous river Hot Dog Man who let us refuel and counteract any productiveness that the rowing may have accomplished (but hey, its all about the experience and the food was part of it!).

So three hours and several hot dogs later we made it to our destination. All in all it was an awesome day and quite the adventure! Get a group of friends together and get to your nearest river! If nothing else you will have an exciting story to tell!

-Ashley Johncola

And then there was ONE!

AshleyKoehn — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 21:18:31 GMT

I love the water. Water parks, snorkeling, kayaking, boating, and of course, swimming have always been a rich part of my life. Yet, one of my favorite aquatic sports is WATER SKIING!

I learned how to water-ski when I was eight years old on training skis that were tied together. Since then, I’ve been hooked and always look forward to going home to Wisconsin for a weekend of boating and water-skiing!

Shamefully, I must admit that because of my competitive swimming schedule and weekend meets – I never quite learned how to slalom ski – ski with only one ski.

As stated in previous blogs, although I’m athletic, I can be quite the klutz! A couple years ago I had an awful water-skiing accident and ended up with 12 stitches in my mouth. Since then, I think I’ve simply had a fear of learning how to slalom ski.

Yet 2009 has truly been my year to face my fears and JUST DO IT! Do ALL those activities, sports, races that I’ve never tried! So when I was home with my family for the 4th of July – I was bound and determined to slalom!

I did a couple runs along the lake with two ski’s to get comfortable at first. It was a gorgeous day and I was feeling strong. Ideally, there are two ways to slalom: (1) Begin with one ski or (2) Start with two ski’s and drop one.

After my warm-up runs, I tried beginning with one ski but could not hoist myself out of the water. On to the next technique! After 4 attempts at dropping one ski (with my dad and sister being extremely patient) – I finally got up on one ski!!! I was SO excited – faced my fears – no stitches – mission accomplished.

-Ashley Koehn

Float On

AshleyJohncola — Sun, 02 Aug 2009 20:12:09 GMT

I just started this internship that takes out a large chunk of my day, leaving little time and energy for going to the gym. However, I discovered something that I can do in the morning of those days that wakes me up and gets a little work out in...jumping in my pool and treading water!

Now I didn’t think there was much more to treading than the contests that my cousins and I used to have at summer parties when we were young; but it really can be a work out if you want it to be. I always start out with a normal tread using my hands and legs to keep my head above the water. Then after a couple minutes I only use my legs and try to keep my arms raised above my head. This is truly a full body workout and you can completely control your intensity level by increasing or decreasing time to each tread session.

Apparently there are different kinds of treading that you can find online to really mix it up. In one that I find challenging, you float in a sitting position with your back straight and your thighs perpendicular to the waters surface. You try to keep this position while just moving your arms and rotating your legs from the knees down.

Try it! It’s also a great workout for just relaxing by the pool with friends! (And it’s still a fun contest to partake in...especially with younger siblings because you’ll probably win!).

-Ashley Johncola

Wakeboarding

TanyaLopez — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 17:14:41 GMT

I have begun, yet again, another new sport for the summer. It involves a lot of muscle but I think I am up for the challenge. If you know somebody with a boat ask them the next important question, do you have a wakeboard? If they say yes, absolutely try it out.

I had my first experience on a wakeboard last year and it only lasted a few moments, followed with a sore back for three days, but it was awesome. I left that lake trip with the craving for more.

Most people head out to the lake for Memorial Day weekend and I was no different this year. And yes, New Mexico has many lakes contrary to some beliefs. A relative had a boat and of course I asked the important question. The answer was yes I have a wakeboard and yes you can get on it.

Wakeboarding was started in the early 1990’s when skiboarding became popular. Like most things, it looks easy at first glance but it is definitely harder than it looks. I like to use the popular saying with regards to wakeboarding…If at first you don’t succeed, try again.

The first time I got on a wakeboard I was not successful until the fourth pull but even then I only boarded for two or three seconds. My mission this time around was to get up and stay up for at least five minutes. It did not happen but there are some things one should know about wakeboarding.

If the boat is pulling you from a cable hooked to an elevated area on the boat, it is easier to get up in the water. Arm strength is a must. And if the boot holsters are too big for your feet, it is not going to work.

If you cover those simple steps you should have success with the wakeboard. I also noticed that keeping the board close to the body right before popping out of the water will give you a better chance of getting up.

I must have had a workout of some sort on the wakeboard because just trying to get out of the water left me sore for two days, but once you are actually wakeboarding it feels awesome. You will have fun at the lake and get an exercise when you get on a wakeboard.

-Tanya Lopez

Paddle To Success

TanyaLopez — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 16:46:08 GMT

Summer is finally upon us and everyone always looks forward to those days of heading to the beach for some sun. If you’re like me getting in the water is the best part of any venture to the beach. Although I have spent years in the water working on my craft of competitive swimming, there are a few water sports that I have yet to try and this is the perfect time to try new things.

Any person would guess that many water sports involve working out your muscles whether it be arms, legs or both. I have spent years playing water polo but nothing could have prepared my arms for my new sport.

I will be taking a trip to New Zealand in October and that country is full of water sports like sailing and swimming with the dolphins. While looking for exciting things to do I came across this sport that I have never tried. It involves a small vessel, paddle, and your strength. Did you guess canoe? Sorry but it’s a kayak!

In New Zealand you can take a tour for as few as four hours and up to three days. The excitement of being on your own and paddling your way through tough waters sounds like something I would want to do but before I booked this adventure I wanted to try it out.

Luckily if you really want to learn how to Kayak you don’t have to be around a beach. Although New Mexico has many lakes it is not the place for a kayak so I took my search to the local pools. This might sound odd, that you can learn how to kayak in a pool but many facilities have these options, you just have to ask.

Kayak lessons are normally done in the evening when the pools are unoccupied or have minimal swimmers in a designated area. If the pool has a dive tank the chances are high that kayak or canoe lessons are held there. This is because the tank is 12 feet deep and there is no chance of your paddle hitting the bottom.

Although a swimming pool will not give you the waves of the ocean or a river, if you are a first time paddler, it will be hard enough. A one hour lesson will have your arms burning followed with a few days of sore areas. But don’t worry, Kayaking is a sport that can be learned fast. I had fun while getting an arm workout and I will definitely book it for my trip. It is also a good alternative for those that are sick of just swimming laps.

-Tanya Lopez

Catamaran!

AshleyJohncola — Mon, 20 Apr 2009 17:56:22 GMT

So a bunch of my friends and I went down to Mexico for Spring Break and of course we wanted to engage in some kind of cool tropical water sport. Unfortunately, on the day we were going to Catamaran, I swear I saw fins in the water (they were probably dolphins) and I started having flashbacks to Jaws 2 (sharks are my biggest fear in life) and decided to be the on shore photographer…but don’t worry, I saw and learned a lot!!

A catamaran looks a lot like a sailboat, but it has two hulls, rather than one, joined by some sort of frame. The boat my friends were on had a mesh bottom, which was cool because when they’d catch a wave the water would come through the bottom. The difference between a sailboat with one hull and one with two, is that single hull boats focus on weight distribution to maintain and balance whereas a boat like a catamaran with two hulls bases maintaining balance on geometric concepts. While catamarans have the capability to go faster than sailboats and are less likely to capsize, they are actually more difficult to learn on if you are a beginner.

Ok so the front most small sail on a catamaran is called the jib. The jib essentially manages and channels the wind onto the main sail and it allows the sailor to know how much wind he is dealing with. Ideally, the sailor must pull the jib line until the jib isn’t flapping anymore: if this is the case, then the main sail has the proper amount of wind directed onto it to achieve maximum speed. This is a lot to say let alone understand and accomplish when wind and water is flying at your face….thankfully my friends had an instructor close by and were quick learners.

Everyone was laughing the entire time and undoubtedly getting in a good upper body workout in while on vacation. By the end they really looked like they were starting to get the hang of it. I’m sure, like anything, with a little practice one could totally become a pro! Bottom line: Jaws did not eat them…and if you ever have the opportunity to try your hand at a catamaran, you should take it! I know next time I will!

-Ashley Johncola

Underwater WHAT?...Hockey?!

SharonMcmillan — Wed, 25 Feb 2009 18:21:57 GMT

I had to check this out; not only do I love an opportunity to try a new way of being active and competitive but this I just had to see to believe!

I saw an ad on Craigslist recruiting players for the Colorado Underwater Hockey club in Lakewood, CO (uwhockey.com) and not only was I impressed with the idea but I was impressed with all the provided information and the number of other underwater hockey clubs throughout the state.

I figured it had just been invented yesterday but after a little research I learned it was invented in 1954 in England and was called "Octopush"! Since then the game has grown in popularity throughout the world.

I arrived not knowing what to expect, except knowing I was going to be suited up in fins, diving mask and a snorkel, and of course that I was going to be underwater trying to play a modified aquatic game of hockey.

I had only snorkeled once in my life and that was more than five years ago so after Kit, who has been with the Lakewood team for four years, fitted me with head gear to protect my ears (lots of collateral hockey stick and fin contact I was warned), fins, snorkel setup, and then the homemade glove molded in epoxy and homemade short wooden 1 foot long hockey stick, I plunged into the pool and instantly was coughing up water.

For the first 20 minutes I was just trying to dive and clear my snorkel without drowning! Then the team got down to depths and started the game.

They had the pool to themselves at a local recreation center and divided up into teams: black hockey sticks vs. white hockey sticks. Because I was new, clumsy and therefore a hazard, I was given a stick with red painted on the end forewarning my opponents to steer clear!

The objective of underwater hockey is to maneuver the custom-made lead-heavy (approximately three pounds) puck across the pool's width and score into a 9 ft. wide goal that borders the bottom of the pool wall.

There were about 20 people playing of all ages; there was literally young girls beating me to the puck! It was fun and exciting to just watch these athletes swiftly pass and score underwater and if you got in on the action;what an adrenaline rush! I was out of breath within my first dive! Talk about building your lung capacity.

After about 30 minutes of game time, the team went into drills, practicing passing for the upcoming tournament. Let's just say I observed a lot! I was so out of breath!

I hadn't felt so invigorated about a sport in since I started rock climbing five years ago, and I think it was not just because this sport is so physically challenging and new to me but because I had a blast! I love swimming as a workout but after a few laps I am inevitably bored. I found the benefit of an underwater sport (also checkout Underwater Rugby, Underwater Football and even the extreme even more bizarre sport of Underwater Ice Hockey!), is not only conditioning and strength training (my legs were sore the next day!), but it is constantly exciting and stimulating!

If you are interested in taking a DEEP breath and suiting up for some underwater hockey, visit these sites for information and clubs nearest you:

pucku.org or usawh.com

STICKS UP!!

-Sharon McMillan

Bienvenidos Cristina de Medrano

meghanbrennan — Mon, 26 Jan 2009 23:31:34 GMT

I feel obligated to thank Cristina De Medrano's parents.

Querido Señor y Señora De Medrano,

Gracias. Your daughter is a delight. Not that you need my approval, but you've earned an A+ in parenting.

Cordialmente,

Meghan Brennan
Nike Field Reporter

Upon meeting Cristina de Medrano you can't help but smile at her unassuming nature. You'd never believe this 21 year old, blonde haired bombshell with an infectious smile was anything more than your average college student.

She is something more, something much more.

To Spain she is a rock star. To the world waterskiing community, she is a champion.

Most impressively, she is an accomplished, young, MODEST athlete.

Cristina holds three Spanish Waterskiing Records in the jump, tricks and overall competitions. And with an itch to compete in the sports country of origin, Cristina landed herself a scholarship in the good ol' USA.

For now Cristina will compete in the college circuit, but her dreams reach far beyond the borders of Louisiana. She has her sights set on a good showing at the 2012 World Cup Games. The Super Bowl of water skiing championships.

In a country grown accustomed to seeing too many of our elite athletes make headlines as non law abiding citizens, Cristina is a breath of fresh air. The type of role model, all parents want their kids to be.

So, on behalf of female athletes of the United States, I would like to say Welcome Cristina, and best of luck. We hope you stay a while.

-Meghan