The GB team celebrate getting to the final of the Euros – Photo BAF Facebook
The women do it again – this time in American football at the European Championships.
GB defeated Sweden 30 – 14 at the 2015 IFAF Women’s European Championships in Spain
Victory sees Lions through to the final
The GB Women’s team cemented their place in Saturday’s IFAF Women’s European Championship final with a 30-14 win over Sweden.
Quarterback Jo Kilby threw for two touchdowns and the defence forced multiple Swedish turnovers, including a fumble returned for a touchdown, as the Lions won their second game against quality opposition in three days.
Given the strong running game on show in both fixtures, it can be no surprise that the entire GB offensive line was given MVP honours after the game.
Great Britain head coach, Jim Messenger, said, ‘I think we are as ready as we can be now. You can always practice more but there comes a time when you have to experience the game for the team to fully assimilate all the learning and make the next big step forward. No amount of practice will teach the experience of this competition.’
Great Britain’s final game of the tournament will be played on Saturday 8th August. This will be the final s and so match-up will depend on the results of the other games throughout the week, with Great Britain facing off with Finland for the title.
‘I would like to say a huge thank you to everyone who has supported and believed in us over the last two years, ‘ said Messenger. ‘It’s been an unbelievable journey and we couldn’t have done it without that support. It’s amazing to think how far we have come already in such a short time, but I know there is even more to come as we open up the fantastic world of American football to our incredible population of sportswomen.’
The final will kick off at 20.00 GMT on Saturday 8th August.
You can see the final live on the IFAF Youtube Live channel – there are two other games earlier in the day for the bronze and for 5th place.
We are negotiating with the IFAF to bring the stream to you here live as well.
This week’s AUTOSPORT magazine is a women in motorsport special, guest-edited by Williams development driver Susie Wolff. This is her editorial:
When will a woman race in F1 again? It’s a bold question to ask on the cover of AUTOSPORT magazine – and a strong statement from the editor Edd Straw to dedicate this special issue to women in motorsport. Kudos to him for doing so and thank you, Edd, for the opportunity to guest-edit the magazine.
The way I look at it, our sport is just one small part of the wider story of female participation in all sports. There is momentum behind women’s sport right now – just look at the success of the recent Women’s World Cup football tournament in Canada – and there is no doubt that times are changing in motorsport too.
In the past, we have seen pioneers such as Divina Galica and Lella Lombardi, who were trailblazers for women in Formula 1. In my role as test driver with Williams, I am on the verge of breaking through the glass ceiling. But the sustainable progress will be made when it’s no longer unusual to see women racing and winning in motorsport.
Ultimately, it all comes down to opportunity – giving talented girls the chance to prove themselves in the lower categories. There’s no question that, as a woman, you have to work harder to earn the respect initially, as there is the slight doubt from many people that you’re capable.
But once you do that, it’s all about performance – and in motorsport, performance is power. The stopwatch doesn’t see gender, race or any other factor; it just says whether you’re quick or slow. And that’s what you’re judged on.
When I look at the steps I have taken in my career, they have been all about getting a foot in the door and grasping that opportunity. My time in DTM started with a chance to test the Mercedes car – from there, I got a race seat, learned German and immersed myself in the programme. With the machinery at my disposal, I did a solid job.
It was the same with Williams: my gender opened the door to test the car, but it was my performance that justified my continued involvement. I’ll never forget the young driver test at Silverstone in 2013, when the engineers couldn’t put together a definitive run plan for me because they didn’t know how many laps I could manage. So I prepared well, did my training and I completed the full day.
Of course, there is a physiological aspect to the debate, because on average women have 30 per cent less muscle than men. But I did a full race distance in the pre-season test at Barcelona and showed it could be done. I am 100 per cent convinced that there is no physical impediment to women racing in F1.
Now, I am right on the cusp of breaking onto that starting grid. I can’t speak highly enough of Williams and my experience working with them, beginning with Sir Frank and Claire and going all the way through the company. It’s a team that knows about grasping opportunities and making your own luck – that racing spirit runs through the whole place and it’s something I’ve drawn on many times.
I make no apology for having used gender as a USP in my career. Why should a woman deny her femininity just to conform with the expectations of the racing world? I’m a woman, I drive racing cars and if there’s an advantage in terms of finding sponsorship or support, then I will make the most of it.
That’s what racing is all about: finding competitive advantage and exploiting it. That can open new doors for me and other female racers, which is great. But then we have to stand or fall based on our ability.
I am realistic about where I find myself right now. Unless the rules change to make it easier for less- experienced drivers to test and get themselves on the grid, it will be hard to make the next step. But if I can’t be the woman to break through the glass ceiling, then I want to be involved in making it happen for the person who does.
When I started out in racing, I wasn’t comfortable with the idea of being a role model, because I still had everything to prove as a driver. Now, social media connects me with people around the world and the positive response is amazing.
There are little girls in onesies who want to be F1 drivers “like Susie Wolff” and young women hunting for career opportunities in engineering schemes with F1 teams.
I feel I have a responsibility to pass on the lessons I have learned, to help young women avoid some of my mistakes and to provide inspiration for them to chase the same dream. Female participation in F1 is changing mindsets in a positive way. The more little girls and young women who start racing, the more opportunities they will have at the top level.
We need to make sure girls know motorsport is an option for them. When I feel the time is right, I want to dedicate my energies to a project that can attract young women to the sport and help open doors for them. But it’s early days yet.
We all have a duty to nurture our sport. It has given us so much and we have to put something back to help it evolve in a positive way. In the long term, a more diverse sport will be even richer, healthier and more competitive than it is today.
We need to encourage participation and make opportunities happen for the young drivers and engineers who are the future of motorsport – and that includes the women who make up 50 per cent of the population. It’s great that AUTOSPORT recognises that need as well.
In the RSG we are sticking with The European Fencing Championships Live from Montreux, on the Lake Geneva shoreline, to make records with a mobile, we didn’t have much time…
Enough 70’s rock references – here is the action.
You can get the lowdown on all of the weeks news at their great site: eurofencing.info
EuroArm 2015 – Arm wrestling at its best – live now from Sofia, Bulgaria, from the World Armwrestling Federation
When we started looking at this event it was on the Random Sports Generator slot, but we have grown to love it – it really is riveting, the differences in technique are really facinating, so here goes with more – enjoy.
Day 4 – More action from table 1 – there are other feeds of the other tables on youtube live if you are now totally distracted by this now like us. The WAF are doing a great job of this coverage.
Some live surfing for you now from the ISA 2105 World Surfing Games from Popoyo Beach, Nicaragua, from May 31 to June 7. Over 25 Nations are expected at the competition.
We will bring you as much of it as we can. The great coverage is from ISA (International Surfing Association) with really insightful commentary. For all the information you could ever want about this event you should check out Their great site chock a block full of the best in surfing.
The final day is here of the 2015 World Surfing Games – let’s not waste any time here is the live video
The England Rugby coverage of the finals day of the County Championship
Watch here as first Eastern Counties are up against Surrey in the first match then Lancashire take on Cornwall in the Bill Beaumont Cup Final, and the County Championship Shield Final features Leicester V Cumbria
All three of the games are now available to watch below as a VOD – you may have to skip the two hours where the England game was played and there is just a billboard up.
May 31 saw the finals of the Luxembourg round of the Euro Series brought to you by Yokomo, here are some highlights form our friends at redrc.net
As far as we know it is not actually Rich Hall – the american stand-up – doing the commentary..
The action is fast and furious, and the driving skills of these competitors is really at the top of the curve – I am astounded the marshals rarely have to get involved to right a rolled car.
[su_youtube url=”https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pc72NW1IROM” width=”1280″ height=”720″ autoplay=”yes”]
