Top girls

The Grauniad is running a list of women most likely to succeed. A certain
Nicole Cooke appears second in their list.

:~)

T

http://www.guardian.co.uk/gender/sto...052433,00.html

Story reads:-

Nicole Cooke
Age: 20
Cyclist

Nicole Cooke moves fast. Two years ago, when racing as a junior, Cooke
signalled her intentions by winning gold in not one but three disciplines at
cycling's world championships. This year she has established herself as a
major force in the senior ranks by claiming the season-long world cup
competition with, to date, three outright wins in seven races. Still just 20
and in only her second year as a professional, Cooke has already proved
herself one of the best in the world.

In a context where women's cycling rarely even merits a mention among the
results listings on British sports pages, this chirpy, affable young woman
from Wick in the Vale of Glamorgan has already raised the profile of the
sport significantly. As a pro, she is now based in Italy and spends eight
months of the year racing in mainland Europe or further afield. After her
last race of the season, the world championships, she is ready to come home
to see family and friends. "Catching up with people is very important to
me," she says. "I'm looking forward to having some quiet time to relax."
Having already mastered Italian, she now plans to learn French - a useful
language for a professional cyclist. And she would like to take some piano
lessons. She used to play the violin before cycling took over her life.

That started when she was 11 and took part in her first cyclo-cross
[off-road] race. "It was cold and rainy and muddy - but it was fun, and I
was hooked," she recalls. Her talent was such that, within a few weeks, she
had won in her age category at the Welsh championships - competing against
boys as well as girls. A good many boys since have had to get used to being
bested by Cooke. By the time she was a teenager, she would go to Holland
every summer for a big junior stage race. "At first, the Dutch boys didn't
like to be beaten by a foreign girl." But as her years as a junior passed,
she made her mark: "They knew me and they knew that I raced hard, so I'd
built some respect."

Racing in the Netherlands was important for another reason. "In the UK,
women's cycling is covered so little, I didn't know anything about it - and
I was already into cycling," she says. "But spending time in Holland, I
realised that cyclists could get recognition and be real stars." As she
progressed, it became clear that she had the potential to earn a living by
racing. So far, she simply loves her cycling: "I don't really think of it as
a job." Despite having chosen one of the most arduous sports going,
motivation does not seem a problem. "I'm quite ambitious and determined,"
she says. "In competitive situations, it's my pride and wanting to keep up
my reputation."

At present, she still has too many goals in the sport - the Olympics, the
women's editions of the Tour de France and the Giro d'Italia, the world
championships - to think much about the future beyond her pro career. But
she expects to stay in cycling. "In my local area, around Cardiff, I like to
think that I'm an inspiration to youngsters," she says. "If the opportunity
came along, I'd like to be an ambassador for cycling."

And since women's cycling is very much the poor relation to the men's sport,
there are plenty of improvements she would like to make. "There is no
minimum wage for women," she says [men are guaranteed a minimum wage from
their team sponsors], "and the sport is not well regulated by the UCI
[cycling's governing body]." Her Italian team is a good one but, she says,
"Some are not well managed and take advantage of women."

Which is something, one senses, that will never happen to her. Ask her what
her greatest ambition is, and her steady, even reply is: "To be remembered
as the best woman cyclist ever." From someone less unassuming - or less
talented - this might sound like pride. From Nicole Cooke, it just seems
like a statement of fact.

The Grauniad is running a list of women most likely to succeed. A certain
Nicole Cooke appears second in their list.

I have been inspired to write to the Guardian ;-)

Sirs

How excellent to see the Guardian mention Nicole Cooke (Top girls: part one, 30
September 2003). Cooke, at only 20 years of age is undoubtedly one of the
finest sportswomen Wales and Britain has ever produced. In her sport she is as
groundbreaking as Paula Radcliffe is in hers, yet Nicole is largely ignored by
the British media, in particular the sporting media who seem to be of the
impression that unless it's football, rugby, golf or athletics, it's not a
sport worthy of attention. Nicole is not, however, ignored by countless cycling
fans throughout Britain who follow her career and achievements closely. Not
only is she a remarkable sportswoman, she is a remarkably mature young woman
who comes across as being very well-grounded and filled with enthusiasm for her
sport. When it comes to voting for the BBC Sports' Personality of the Year,
every cyclist in the UK should vote for Nicole.

Yours faithfully

Helen Simmons


~~~~~~~~~~
This is sent from a redundant email
Mail sent to it is dumped
My correct one can be gleaned from
h*$el***$$n*$d$ot$**s**i$$m*$m$**on**$s$@*$$a**$*o l*$*.*$$c$om*$
by getting rid of the overdependence on money and fame
~~~~~~~~~~

The Grauniad is running a list of women most likely to succeed. A certain
Nicole Cooke appears second in their list.

I have been inspired to write to the Guardian ;-)

Sirs

How excellent to see the Guardian mention Nicole Cooke (Top girls: part one, 30
September 2003). Cooke, at only 20 years of age is undoubtedly one of the
finest sportswomen Wales and Britain has ever produced. In her sport she is as
groundbreaking as Paula Radcliffe is in hers, yet Nicole is largely ignored by
the British media, in particular the sporting media who seem to be of the
impression that unless it's football, rugby, golf or athletics, it's not a
sport worthy of attention. Nicole is not, however, ignored by countless cycling
fans throughout Britain who follow her career and achievements closely. Not
only is she a remarkable sportswoman, she is a remarkably mature young woman
who comes across as being very well-grounded and filled with enthusiasm for her
sport. When it comes to voting for the BBC Sports' Personality of the Year,
every cyclist in the UK should vote for Nicole.

Yours faithfully

Helen Simmons


~~~~~~~~~~
This is sent from a redundant email
Mail sent to it is dumped
My correct one can be gleaned from
h*$el***$$n*$d$ot$**s**i$$m*$m$**on**$s$@*$$a**$*o l*$*.*$$c$om*$
by getting rid of the overdependence on money and fame
~~~~~~~~~~

"wafflyDIRTYcatLITTERhcsBOX" wrote in message
When it comes to voting for the BBC Sports' Personality of the Year,
every cyclist in the UK should vote for Nicole.

Where do we vote?

"wafflyDIRTYcatLITTERhcsBOX" wrote in message
When it comes to voting for the BBC Sports' Personality of the Year,
every cyclist in the UK should vote for Nicole.

Where do we vote?

wafflyDIRTYcatLITTERhcsBOX wrote:

When it comes to voting for the BBC Sports' Personality of the Year,
every cyclist in the UK should vote for Nicole.

Not a hope in hell! Even in the BBC Wales Sports' Personality of the
Year she only managed a second against a football team manager. A
MANAGER!!!! I thought it was meant to be about personality? A very nice
touch was that a few weeks later in all the local Supermarkets there was
a poster from Nicole thanking everyone that had voted for her, nothing
in the local press though and nothing from the football manager.


--
Marc
Please note this is now a redundant email address.
Add an extra c at the end of marc to email.

wafflyDIRTYcatLITTERhcsBOX wrote:

When it comes to voting for the BBC Sports' Personality of the Year,
every cyclist in the UK should vote for Nicole.

Not a hope in hell! Even in the BBC Wales Sports' Personality of the
Year she only managed a second against a football team manager. A
MANAGER!!!! I thought it was meant to be about personality? A very nice
touch was that a few weeks later in all the local Supermarkets there was
a poster from Nicole thanking everyone that had voted for her, nothing
in the local press though and nothing from the football manager.


--
Marc
Please note this is now a redundant email address.
Add an extra c at the end of marc to email.

David Brown ) wrote:
"wafflyDIRTYcatLITTERhcsBOX" wrote in message

When it comes to voting for the BBC Sports' Personality of the Year,
every cyclist in the UK should vote for Nicole.


Where do we vote?



Wait for it....

Actually if the BBC get wind that she has even been mentioned on the
internet they will disqualify her on the grounds that the cyclists cheated
and organized a dastardly scheme to vote for her. Just like they did with
greatest inventions.

--
Chris dot Gerhard at btclick dot com.

David Brown ) wrote:
"wafflyDIRTYcatLITTERhcsBOX" wrote in message

When it comes to voting for the BBC Sports' Personality of the Year,
every cyclist in the UK should vote for Nicole.


Where do we vote?



Wait for it....

Actually if the BBC get wind that she has even been mentioned on the
internet they will disqualify her on the grounds that the cyclists cheated
and organized a dastardly scheme to vote for her. Just like they did with
greatest inventions.

--
Chris dot Gerhard at btclick dot com.

Chris Gerhard wrote:


When it comes to voting for the BBC Sports' Personality of the Year,
every cyclist in the UK should vote for Nicole.


Where do we vote?



Wait for it....

Actually if the BBC get wind that she has even been mentioned on the
internet they will disqualify her on the grounds that the cyclists cheated
and organized a dastardly scheme to vote for her. Just like they did with
greatest inventions.

I can never understand the idea of the BBC Sports' Personality of the
Year, it would save a lot of time and energy if the BBC just measured
the column inches and TV minutes exepended during the year and got their
matching result that way.


--
Marc
Please note this is now a redundant email address.
Add an extra c at the end of marc to email.