I stumbled upon this story at CBC News today.
I love hearing about this stuff; I'm not an athlete and don't have any athletic aspirations but I still think it's important to grant women athletes the same esteem and prestige that is so readily granted male athletes. So to read this and find out the second person to ever--EVER--swim across all five Great Lakes is a fellow Eastern Ontario lass warmed my heart and reminded me that yes, us chicks are badass and fabulous and talented.
And wait; it gets better! After I saw the name "Vicki Keith" in the article, I brightened even more. Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you the FIRST person to ever swim across all five great lakes, Vicki Keith from (among a few other other cities as well) my own hometown (Ottawa).
So congratulations to both Paula Stephanson and Vicki Keith for being stellar athletes at your sport of choice. Ladies swimming across the Great Lakes: 2. Dudes doing the same thing: 0.
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ARe you really this low on yourself? You actually turned an accomplishment of a woman into a gender politicis issues? ladies who swam yadda yadda 2, dudes doing the same thing:0. That just makes you a fucking jerk. Better you than me.
Eww your name is warren, like warren farrel?
You actually turned a simple fact into a hysterical whine 'what about teh menz' fest? That just makes you a fucking jerk.
I figured someone would come at me for that 2 - 0 comment. No, I'm not turning this into a gender "politicis" issue, whatever that may be. I'm just sick of how male sports constantly overwhelm the sports sections, and I'm angry about the women's ski-jumping eligibility status in Vancouver 2010, so I'm taking the opportunity to point out that sometimes, women athletes rule even more than the men. Like in this situation.
For the record, I don't think all sports need to be framed as a battle of the sexes. But I think that it's pretty fuckin' righteous that in this case, two women accomplished the task before a single man did. So, yeah. I pointed it out. If that's the kind of opinion that makes me a fucking jerk, then I have to agree with you: Better me than you.
I think it is fantastic that those two women accomplished something so amazing! Not because men have not but because swimming across all the great lakes is an amazing accomplishment all in itself.
Yes. Aside from being a lot bigger than people think, they're also really really cold.