 Alexandra Powe Allred collaborated on this glorification of women’s hard-won sports achievements with two other women, Karen and Michelle Powe, both athletes like Allred. The twelve chapters delve into issues women deal with every day, both on and off the field, in arenas both professional and personal in nature. The writers chose to publish the stories of women who have overcome exceptional challenges to successful, illuminating effect.
As a testimony to the accomplishments of women in sport, the book could probably be expanded into several equally fascinating volumes. The moving individualism embodied in a few of the true-to-life tales is worth repeating. Demetra Logan, a tryout for a women’s pro-football team in Austin, Texas, didn’t hesitate to leave LA with her twenty-month-old son. She “packed her baby and belongings into her compact car, waved goodbye to her fiancé and [said] motherhood wasn’t going to stop her from being a football player…it was just to make her a better one!”
Celebrating determination
Similarly, in 1958, with the help of a coach who defied Tennessee State University’s strict policy against allowing anyone with children to participate in the school’s athletic program, Wilma Rudolph would fearlessly compete and go on to win three gold medals at the Rome Olympics in 1960. Micki King also won gold, but at age 16 in 1960, she could find no one to support her Olympic training and turned to her father, a GM factory worker, who “from his limited income paid for everything.” As Allred so astutely wonders, “What if [1953 golf champion] Babe Didrikson-Zaharias or Wilma Rudolph or Jackie Joyner-Kersee had listened to the nay-sayers?”
Such feats of determination are not confined to the Uunited States. Allred takes into consideration the struggles of Canadian women (she relays Laumann’s inspirational comeback story in the chapter, “An Athlete Within”) and that of Jane Couch, an Englishwoman boxer, who continued fighting although her “chosen sport was actually illegal” in Britain.
And in light of these testimonials, Allred explains her own need to “re-channnel the anger”: “While writing this book, we were repeatedly asked by male interviewers if this was a male-bashing book. Anger was assumed. And certainly women have been held down long enough to have cause for anger. But anger no longer serves us. We’ve proven time and time again what we are capable of. Now we must remain focused and positive.”
Proving her worth
For some reason, the “Journeywomen” chapter struck an emotional chord with this reviewer. Allred introduces the case of US high jumper Louise Ritter, who was initially—that is, before her gold-medal win—labelled a journeywoman by the media. For those not aware, this is not a compliment in the sports world; it refers to someone who possesses technical competence but who is unable to set new records.
Ritter was a second-stringer once upon a time. “But,” as Allred notes, “she never gave up, took her Olympic gold, and became, for us, the epitome of what the term ‘journeywoman’ means here: someone who has been counted out…and, through her determination, has proved her worth and taken her prize.”
Allred tempers her dedication with humour and finds the balance between our struggle and its attendant glory. She praises pre-feminist (she lovingly tags feminism as “the ‘f’ word”) activists for their invaluable social contributions. “They were adventurers, exhibitionists and test-pilots for what was to come.” However, Allred does not shy away from the discouraging reality facing young women today and their lack of knowledge that, sadly, often translates into a lack of power and self-esteem. She shares these thoughts with readers: “We had to make something out of nothing. We had to be different so that the female [athletes] of the later years could be normal. It is the little regard for what has gone before and the lack of loyalty to team that is so disheartening.”
A new twist on girl power
Through the stories shared in this book, we learn that such disheartening realities can be met, and even mitigated, with humour. I laughed aloud at Allred’s ever-prescient examination of men’s aversion to menstruation after relaying stories of uniforms stained by an early period. Allred also shares her idea on how women can stop crime: “Imagine that a woman is alone in a dark alley. A mugger—a really, really big menacing-looking guy—approaches her. Suddenly, she pulls out a tampon, and not the regular/slender style, but the super size. She waves it in his face as he shields his eyes in terror. ‘Back off, buddy! I don’t want to have to use this, but I will!’ ‘Ahhh!’ he runs off, arms flailing in the air. Now, if we could just funnel that power…”
Atta Girl! A Celebration of Women in Sports clearly shows that women can funnel their power, and that many of us already have. Allred also bravely and tactfully confronts societal prejudice against the “butch” label placed on women in sports. It’s also a book for mothers to share with their girls, whether as a gift for the younger set or, as an encouragement, to be read with them. This cross-cultural appeal is what makes each story within Atta Girl! so rousing and stirring—and a recommended read.
Click here to read Ilona'a interview with Alexandra Powe Allred.
Author: Alexandra Powe Allred
Number of pages: 224
Publisher: Cardinal Publishers Group
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