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| Boston Legacy FC next home game is Saturday March 28th! |
Women's Sports is having its moment, finally, at last! Olympics, winter sports, professional basketball, hockey, soccer, rugby... And fans coming out to appreciate it.
Or is it a movement? The aggregation of a series of moments. Like the
flurry of snowflakes, a blizzard makes. (see prior post on Lake Placid
cross-country skiing!)
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| Speaking of blizzards - the start of the 10km race last Friday |
I don’t know what's gotten into us. It really is like the movie, Field of Dreams. One weekend we're in Foxborough for the Legacy soccer team’s first game, the next up to Lake Placid for World Cup cross-country ski race finals.
Did you ever wonder, at the end of the movie, all those cars lined up going to
the field - what was the conversation happening in those cars? Where are we
going? A field. Why? I just feel drawn.
They have built it.
We will come.
We’ve been building the groundwork for decades leading up to this.
Now is as good a time as any to pull out this review for my rugby book:
The lessons of sport, be it rugby or tennis, are the lessons that guide a successful and productive life - as long as you look for them, listen and learn. Schmidt has done all of this for us.
Donna A. Lopiano
PhD, CEO, Women's Sports Foundation
Replace rugby or tennis with cross country skiing, soccer, soft ball...
Before I played rugby, and before I played tennis, I was a spindly-legged kid playing summer softball, slow pitch, in maybe 6th, 7th, and 8th grades, looking to find some friends and belonging. Sunset Auto Parts. I played in right field of course. And we were actually ahead, bottom of the 9th, against the best team in our league, La Raza. There were runners on base, two outs, and one of their best hitters comes up to bat, and hits a fly ball into right field, and it hangs up there, against the blue sky. Time slows down as it just hangs there. There's a collective intake of breath, and everything balances on that moment. Do or not do. I’m tracking it. The slap of the ball in my glove cracks the silence. We did it! Cheers, Pizza Hut, and pitchers of Pepsi.
Sports offer opportunities to take risks, fall down, fail. And get back up and
try again. Girls are historically taught to behave. We miss those chances to
take risks, possibly fail. Moments that are scary, but build grit.
At a book panel discussion, I shared the wildly unpopular idea that maybe we
just need to be more like men, just as when a pitcher bounces a ball over the
plate, to just shake it off. But don’t shy away from the chance to throw those
pitches.
This Saturday, the Boston chapter of WISE (Women in Sports & Events) is
hosting a special pre-game event recognizing Women in Sports. The email says:
This is a matchday that goes beyond the excitement on the pitch. It's dedicated to honoring the athletes, leaders and trailblazers who continue to grow the game and inspire the next generation.
What to Expect:
Special ticketed event: Pre-game Women
in Sports panel discussion and private athlete meet & greet in
collaboration with WISE.
Get your ticket HERE.
EXCLUSIVE professional athlete meet & greet in FanFest featuring Boston Banshees players, Olympic and paralympic athletes and medalists, and more!
Engage with the Connecticut Sun, Boston Banshees, and Boston Fleet, as well as local girls sports oriented community groups!
Plus, an EPIC halftime performance by the mega-viral, world-renowned bagpipe sensation, Ally the Piper!
Whether you grew up playing, are raising the next generation of athletes, or just love the game, this day is for you.
The pre-game event starts at 10:00 AM. Discounted tickets are available through WISE, and give you access to both the pre-game event and the game. The link above directs you to the gofevo webpage. After purchase, tickets can be accessed through Ticketmaster. Discounted tickets are in sections 102, 103, 105, and 106 and are $34 to $48 each. More info will be coming out later this week.
Let’s support each other, lift each other up!
A rising tide lifts all ships.
BOOK REVIEW
A Rosie Life in Italy 7, by Rosie Meleady, just came out.
I just finished #5 in the series, and it really is the best one so far. This is the one where things get real, and raw, and it made me both laugh out loud, and cry to myself. The griefs this life will bring, and yet we muster on.
But you have to start with A Rosie Life in Italy 1. Basically, Rosie moves her family from Ireland to Italy, and find a quaint, spacious, Italian villa in disrepair, and decide to take on the challenge to make it their new home. It will make you laugh, and will put your home repair projects that have gone awry in perspective.
Belmont Books has #1 on their shelves
now.
Also worth following Rosie on
Substack, especially her recent post about Matriarchy. Is it too much to hope
for?
https://rosiemeleady.substack.com/p/is-matriarchy-a-pipe-dream
Upcoming:
More cross-country skiing: The 20km Coop FIS Cross-Country World Cup race run on Sunday March 22, 2026 in Lake Placid will be aired Sunday 3/29 at 1PM on NBC!
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| Racers lined up for the start of the 20km women's cross-country ski race held on Sunday March 22, 2026, marking Jessie Diggins' last career race. |
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| Jessie Diggins in the yellow bib |
Books:
If
anyone wants copies of my books, they’re both on Amazon, but for the rugby
book, just reach out in a comment, and I’ll send you a copy. It will be
simpler.
The Happy Clam is available to bookstores via Ingram, and online also via Bookshop.org.
References:
© 2026 Rosemary A. Schmidt
Rose Schmidt is the author of The Happy Clam (© 2020), and Go Forward, Support! The Rugby of Life
(© 2004), both published by Gainline Press. The views expressed herein are
solely those of the author, and do not represent the views of any other agency
or organization. Use of individual quotes with proper citation and attribution,
within the limits of fair use, is permitted. To request permission to re-use or
reprint any of the content on the site, please contact me.
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