Hi, even the Boston Sports Woman needs a makeover. Please be patient while we add some tweeks. Let’s just call it the Fast123. (All those taking I-93 wl understand where I am coming from.)
Category Archives: Spotlight
BSW Thought for the Day: Resolution
Reply
Finally, I’ve come to terms with a New Year’s Resolution that I think will be to the benefit of everyone. (OK, more so for me). Here it is my New Year Resolution: I am my Own Boss.
That’s right, its time that I manage what is going on in this house and everywhere in between a whole lot better than the last year. In order to come up with a resolution, I have to evaluate the previous year, and be realistic in how I can make the following year better. Last year it was start my own business. Well, that’s happening while I write, so that’s been reached!On to 2011! Looking back on 2010 it was the year of many changes. Most recently, Charlie going to a school a 1/2 hour a way which he tends to forget some pertinent item to help him get through the day. Other changes included going on unemployment, looking for a job and job interviews, networking, meeting so many new people, and of course, working on BSW 24/7.
I’ll admit, there are days when I stepped aside and put the site first in front of the family, or vice versa. This year, as I am my own boss, I hold myself accountable to get tasks done, and try not to let one impact over another. Choosing one over the other is not in my repertoire this year. Choosing to get done what needs to get done is my goal.
So, now each day I make time to write down my day’s events, so I can make sure I can get my to do list done. When I am not able to get things done, I give myself a couple of days to get these done. Nothing feels better than checking items off a to do list! Reality is that I am the boss of my time. No longer my kids or my husband, or anyone else.
Stay healthy, be fit, and have fun!
Activating Women Award Winner – Beth Hill
Beth Hill is a 49-year-old mother of two boys, Jesse, 20, and Jason, 18. She has been married to her husband, Doug, for 22 years. When she was eight years old, Hill lost her mother to breast cancer. Three years ago, she lost her father to bladder cancer. Never one to work out regularly, Hill’s stance on exercise transformed after she met Maddie Savoie, a 10-year-old girl whose life was claimed far too soon by Ewing’s Sarcoma, a deadly bone cancer.
This past August, Hill participated in the Pan Mass Challenge. She rode from Wellesley to Provincetown, a staggering 163 miles, over a 48-hour period. A member of the Pedals for Pediatrics team, Hill rode in memory of Maddie. Leading up to the challenge, she worked with Maddie’s mother and many others to create Maddie’s Mission of Hope, a fundraising effort dedicated to cancer research, prevention, and treatment for children. In addition to her involvement in the fight against cancer, Hill participated this past June in the MS Bike Tour, embarking on a 150-mile ride against multiple sclerosis, an autoimmune disease that affects her sister. Once inactive, Hill is now dedicated to tackling some of the most daunting cycling challenges as a means of combating life-threatening disease. She keeps Maddie’s memory alive in each of her athletic pursuits.
Activating Women Award Winner – Linda Driscoll
Linda Driscoll is the Founder, President, and CEO of Dream Big!, a non-profit that provides low-income and homeless girls with the necessary items to participate in sports and physical activity. Driscoll garners more than 23 years of experience in business, sports and event management, and non-profits. From 2002-2009, she served as the Senior Director of Area Operations, and previously, as the Director of the Metro-West Area for the American Red Cross of Massachusetts Bay. During her tenure at the Red Cross, Driscoll increased the area offices’ capacity to respond to clients’ needs, launched new and innovative fundraising programs to gain additional resources, built strong leadership councils to assist with fundraising and community relations, and helped develop a strong presence in Eastern Massachusetts.
Over the years, Driscoll has also held a number of executive positions, including: Community Relations Director for the Women’s Sports Foundation GoGirlGo! Boston; Executive Director for the Massachusetts Amateur Sports Foundation Bay State Games; Director of Sports Management and Program Development for Massachusetts Special Olympics; and Sports Management Consultant for Special Olympics International in South Africa and Special Olympics Unified Sports Internationally. Driscoll has also been very active in community organizations, and continues to serve in an advisory capacity to many non-profit organizations throughout New England.
Activating Women Award Winner – Diana Cutaia
Diana Cutaia has served as Director of Athletics at Wheelock College since 2005. During her tenure, Wheelock has seen a 200 percent increase in student-athlete participation, and has increased the number of varsity programs from five to eleven in just five years. Since last year, Cutaia has also served as Director of Sport-Based Initiatives at Wheelock. Her undertakings include the creation of the sports-based youth development academic program, as well as the promotion of professional development programs for youth coaches, administrators, and educators.
Cutaia has been involved in athletics in a number of capacities for more than 20 years. Her coaching experience includes serving as head women’s basketball coach at Curry College, and as assistant women’s basketball coach at Mount Holyoke College. She has served as the Boston Public Policy consultant for the Women’s Sports Foundation, and is the co-founder of the Boston Women’s Athletic Administrators Network. On the local and state levels, Cutaia is continues her staunch advocacy for increased physical education and activity in schools.
How Does She?
These ladies could be your best friend. Well, now that we have discovered this site, they are our best friends! First, and foremost, they carry a boatload of fonts! Now, we have to admit, we love different fonts. Whether we’re making birthday cards at home, or creating fun online digital scrapbooks, we love fonts! How Does She? is based on the idea that as women we love to share, and often run into something so clever, so cute, we just have to do it ourselves, or at least know how to have it. Here it is, a site dedicated to the crafty and clever, and those, like me, aspire to be.
Sometimes, its a great support system. You know what we mean, when you look at the neighbor who’s house is perfect and she has four boys and her hair looks like she just did it, to the working mom who’s kids are the nicest, most polite children you have ever met. This site offers recipes, birthday ideas, creating family time (yes, it does exist if you make it so), to organization. As much as we love to read magazines with great ideas, pull them out and put them in a nice, neat little folder, this is your digital folder for all those ideas in one easy place.
The best part about this site, you can subscribe to their newsletter, or submit your own ideas!
We were looking for something clever for Back To School and came across these adoreable fortunate cookies!
Check out this site, join their newsletter, and who knows, maybe your great questions will be answered, “How Does She…?”
Discover Arlington
Arlington has so much to offer, just traveling up and down Mass Ave alone is quite an adventure. There’s one particular section we love the most – Arlington Heights.
Here you’ll find charming coffe shops, quaint clothing stores, and plenty of locally owned businesses supporting the community of Arlington. Arlington was founded over 350 years ago and remains proud of its history throughout its growth into a modern community. Arlington is the birthplace of Uncle Sam and the location of the first children’s library.
Arlington has preserved many of its historical buildings and its town common which was the site of most of the fighting when the British marched through as they returned from the Old North Bridge at the beginning of the Revolutionary War.
Arlington was once a thriving mill and agricultural town but now hosts commercial development centers. Its access to Metropolitan Boston has made it a very desirable place to live and its diverse population has demanded good schools and recreation facilities which together have made Arlington very attractive to families.
Some of our favorite places in Arlington are:
ArtBeat for all your artisitc ways!
QuadCycles
Pink Dolly Upscale Resale Boutique
The Chilly Cow for home made, old-fashioned Ice Cream Goodness
Henry Bear’s Park satisfies our Kid side!
There are plenty of restaurants up and all around Arlington. Go ahead, park and walk through Arlington Center and discover someplace new!
Sheer Balance – Brett Blumenthal
Meet Brett Blumenthal, from Sheer Balance. An amazingly talented women, who is not only a great speaker, but a best-selling author as well. BSW caught up with Brett and had a chance to ask her some questions to get to know her better!
Brett Blumenthal founded Sheer Balance in 2007 to help people find balance and health easily, naturally and sustainably. Blumenthal has more than 15 years of experience in the wellness industry and almost 10 years experience in management consulting; including training strategy and development for Fortune 100 companies. She combined her passion for wellness and her seasoned experience in consulting to ultimately start Sheer Balance.Blumenthal is a regular guest speaker at conferences, expos, spas and wellness centers around the world. She also consults with individuals, corporations, spas and wellness organizations on business strategy, and frequently delivers workshops to consumers on topics of health and wellness. Blumenthal writes for several online media companies, and is regularly featured on popular sites including: Yahoo!, Shine from Yahoo!, Divine Caroline, Intent and Gather. Blumenthal is also the author of “GET REAL” and STOP Dieting! a #1 Bestseller on Amazon and BarnesandNoble.com.
Blumenthal is a fitness instructor and has taught at Cornell University, Gold’s Gym and Bally’s Total Fitness in New York. She is also certified by WELCOA (Wellness Council of America). Most recently, she launched a radio show on Blog Talk Radio called The Healthy Living Show, where Blumenthal interviews experts on relevant topics and issues around health and wellness.
Blumenthal has received numerous awards including: Shine from Yahoo!’s “Woman of the Year” for her influential blogging; Divine Caroline’s Love this Site! award in the Body and Soul Category for Sheer Balance; Intent’s Best Healthy Living Site Award; and Healthy Heart from Nature Made.
Brett’s most recent endeavor is trying to win her own show through Oprah Winfrey’s production company. Vote for Brett here!
Blumenthal holds her Bachelors and MBA from Cornell University.
Blumenthal resides in Cambridge, Massachusetts where she enjoys being active, healthy and spending time with her husband.
Places to Go – Stratton Mountain in Summer
We love Vermont in the Winter, and we love Stratton Mountain. There are plenty of reasons why we choose Stratton: whether its the Championship Golf Course, the tennis, or hiking, Stratton offers so much!
Stratton Moutain offers great camps and training for all ages. It may be the Golf School at Stratton ‘s Golf University or the Leadbetter Academy, Stratton is a haven for golf enthusiasts. Want to learn more? Adult Programs, Family Programs, Junior Programs, and Ladies Programs, Stratton offers so much more than the average Golf School. Seriously, it’s a University!
Take the Gondola. The Stratton Gondola will take you to the top of southern Vermont’s highest peak where the views stretch clear across four states. Or go take a hike! Explore with a guided tour from First Run in the Village or head out on your own along winding trails with amazing views. You’ll find trails for every hiker, from leisurely strolls to challenging loops on the Long or Appalachian trails from the summit. Stratton Mountain is your base camp for summer fun and Vemont adventure. Venture out from here in any direction to discover arts and history, farm fresh fruits and vegetables, storied swimming holes, even falconry and off-road driving.
One of our favorite things to catch is the Saturday Concerts Under the Stars! Saturday nights from 6-9pm starting July 10. Concerts are located in the Main Base area tent. Featuring a full BBQ, tasty Micro Brews and fine wines.
July 10 – T Rubble – Southern / Classic Rock Blues Band Website
July 17 – Adam Ezra Group - Dynamic Acoustic Roots / Rock Band Website
July 24 – Wyld Nightz – Classic Rock Band Website
August 7 – Jam Stampede – Jam Band Band Website
August 14 – Rustic Overtones – Rock / Soul / Funk Band Website
August 21 – Simba - Worldbeat Dance Music
August 28 – Bearquarium - afro-percussive rhythms, fiery horn lines, funky dance grooves and soulful vocals Band Website
September 4 – Twiddle – Jam Band Band Website
*All events subject to change, call 802.297.4FUN
Stratton Mountain is only a three-hour drive from Boston. There are beautiful Bed and Breakfasts nearby, or for more information and lodging information, click on the Stratton Mountain Logo and away you go!
Have Fun in Vermont! We’ll see you there!
BSW Spotlight- Amy Brimicombe
BSW had a chance to sit down with Amy Brimicombe, President of Celebrity Spouses. CelebritySpouses.net provides an invitation-only exclusive online community designed for those in a relationship with a celebrity. Brimicombe has created this online social and informational haven for those who are often just a step outside of the glare of the spotlight.
BSW- Tell us a little about Celebrity Spouses.
Brimicombe- CelebritySpouses.net is a secure and private social networking community for spouses in Professional Sports, Film & Television, as well as Music. and Stage The site is invitation only for the spouses of those three top entertainment industries. CelebritySpouses.net provides a network for the spouses to interact with one another. We also have leading experts lend their advice in the fields of finance, business, relationships, parenting, travel, real estate, as well as health and well being.
BSW- It is a great idea, how did you think of it?
Brimicombe- I worked with an association for professional sports’ wives. While I was there, I realized there was little to no support for the spouses of the athletes. The sports industry, however, is more organized than the television, film, and music industries. In sports the wives can at least feel like they belong to the team or league. When I left the association for professional sports’ wives, I reached out to other industries to try to understand what support structures existed for the spouses. I was always met with the same reaction of “why would the spouses need support?” I was shocked. I knew there was a void in the system for spouses, but I never realized how big that void was. I felt an urge to help the spouses, to be their voice, to stand up for them and that’s really what motivated me to start CelebritySpouses.net.
BSW- What are some of the biggest challenges facing today’s celebrities and their families?
Brimicombe- The media is, by far, the biggest challenge celebrity families face today. Information travels so fast now. With sites like twitter, facebook, even TMZ, nothing is off limits anymore. With twitter and facebook, not only is the media talking, the entire world is talking about these celebrities. Imagine you’re a spouse or a child of a celebrity; you can’t escape anymore. Everywhere you turn there is potential for someone to be talking about your loved one.
BSW- Do you think it is harder for celebrities and their families in Boston because of the passion of the fans in the area?
Brimicombe- No, I actually think the opposite is true. Yes, Boston fans are some of the toughest and most vocal fans out there, but Bostonians also love their teams with a passion. There has always been a strong love hate relationship between the Boston fans and the athletes. If you do well the people love you forever, that’s a bond that lasts a lifetime for many people who play here.
BSW- Is there a sport which athletes are more prepared for the celebrity lifestyle?
Brimicombe- I’m more apt to say Golf, since most of the athletes enter the sport at a later age then other sports. When you think of professional basketball, before the rule change in 2006, players were drafted out of high school, Lebron James for example, and Kobe Bryant were drafted out of high school, whereas most golfers like Jack Nicklaus and Phil Mickelson entered the PGA after college when they were in their early to mid-twenties.
BSW- How difficult is the transition to retirement for celebrities?
Brimicombe- The transition to retirement for celebrities is extremely difficult. Some of these athletes have been training since they were six or eight years old. When they retire, they simply don’t know what to do with their time. The average age for an athlete to retire is thirty. A lot of the time we see athletes who go through an identity crisis. Their entire lives they were known as Mr. Baseball, or Mr. Basketball, but who are they if they are no longer playing? What value do they have? Where are all the people that were once around? It can be an extremely difficult transition if they not prepared for it.
BSW- Many celebrities are getting involved with local charities and events. Do you encourage your clients to be involved in charities as a way to “give back?”
Brimicombe- Absolutely, it is extremely important to give back. I encourage the athletes and their spouses to get involved in a lot of charity work. Many have even started and run their own foundations that turn into the family business.
BSW- What would you tell the common fan, that they might not?
Brimicombe- The world of celebrities seems like a pretty picture on the outside, but on the inside it’s pretty ugly. The players and celebrities can be away from home for long periods of time. This leaves the spouse to manage the home and children on average six to nine months out of the year. When an athlete is traded he usually has to leave within twenty-four hours to be with the new team, again, leaving behind the spouse and children. The lifestyle can be very hard on the families.
BSW- It is a local (Boston) company. Are most of your clients from this area? How will they find out about you?
Brimicombe- CelebritySpouse.com is based in Boston, but we are a global company. Sports and Music are in every country and those industries are rapidly growing. India’s Bollywood and China are both growing their sports and entertainment industries at a rapid pace. As a way to get our name out there for the spouses, we are partnering with the unions, associations, and leagues within the industries. When spouses go to our site, they consistently see updates, industry news, and information to use at their disposal.
BSW- Tell us a little about your background?
Brimicombe- I worked in the Travel and Hospitality industry for many years. From there, I went on to open a small marketing company for niche hotels. At this time, I began working with the Pro Sports Wives Association. I’ve always lived by the philosophy: “You never know where you might end up; just need to enjoy the beautiful journey along the way.”