Sisterhood in Sports

Sisterhood in Sports: How Female Athletes Collaborate and Compete tells the stories of all kinds of female athletes in a variety of sports. Their natural tendency to use talking as a primary form of communication is essential to their experiences and successes in sports. Women and girls tend to have BFFs, collaborate during periods of stress, express empathy for one another, worry about themselves and others, and desire to have fun in sports, which makes their experiences of sports and competition different from their male counterparts. Female strengths are grounded in both mind and body, and they take these strengths onto the court, field, and track.
There are now dozens of studies showing how the female brain and hormones operate quite differently than those of men. This book reveals the ways in which these differences confirm that intense emotions about relationships are part of the sporting life for female competitors. Joan Steidinger uses real stories to show that women and girls compete at very high levels, but also have a different view of their teammates and opponents, one based on relationships and communication, that impacts performance both on and off the field. They enjoy and revel in sisterhood, even as they fight to win. Understanding this need for connection helps us better understand how female athletes succeed and perform both in sports and in life. Female athletes and anyone who works with them will learn how to better facilitate mastery, competition, collaboration, and connection on and off the field the practice of female collaborative competition.

Joan Steidinger, Ph.D., is a Certified Consultant through the Association of Applied Sports Psychology and on the United States Olympic Committee's Sport Psychology Registry. She has written columns online for PsychologyToday.com and SFGate.com. She has worked as a sports psychologist for close to 30 years with offices in Mill Valley and San Francisco. In the 1990s, she was a competitive ultrarunner and competitive Ride and Tie participant. You will see her running the trails of Mt. Tam in Mill Valley, California where she lives with her husband, JP, and two goldie dogs, Spencer and Parker.

Author's Notes
Acknowledgments
Introduction
1: Sisterhood in Sports: Talking, Relationships, and the Unique Qualities of Female Athletes
2: Best Friends Forever: Teenage Trials and Building Long Lasting Friendships
3: The Family that Plays Together Stays Together
4: Athletic Moms Challenges
5: Romantic Relationships
6: Body Image of Female Athletes
7: Team Spirit: Practicing Collaboration and Camaraderie
8: Coaches are Cornerstone
9: Pioneering Female Athletes Laid the Foundation
10: Female Collaborative Competition: Girls Just Wanna' Have Fun
Bibliography
Contributors