Emma Hruby
May 18, 2023
Ashlyn Harris doesn’t miss soccer.
“Not a f–ing second,” Harris said when asked on the most recent episode of Snacks. “I don’t miss it for a second.”
The former U.S. women’s national team goalkeeper, who also became the first NWSL player to reach 500 saves, retired at the end of 2022 after 12 professional seasons. She made 25 appearances for the USWNT and is a two-time World Cup winner. But she is enjoying her retirement to the fullest.
“I am living my best life,” she told Snacks co-hosts Lynn Williams and Sam Mewis. “I don’t have schedules. I don’t have to (say), ‘Oh, I can’t, I have to be in bed by 9:30. I have training early.’
“I just live. If I need to fly home to Florida to see someone, I fly home to Florida to see someone. These days, they’re forever behind me.”
Harris is finally doing the things that she never had time to do, from dancing to grabbing co*cktails with friends. She is also serving as the creative director for Gotham FC, the club for which she played her last NWSL season and for which her wife Ali Krieger still plays.
“The amount of pressure we live under, it’s just not sustainable forever,” she said. “Everyone has an opinion of, I mean the dumbest sh*t. … It’s just exhausting. And now it’s like, I don’t care what people think of me. I don’t have to worry about performing. I don’t have to worry.”
While she gets stressed watching the national team play – to the point that she’s “literally picking and peeling back every nail and cuticle I have on my body” – she isn’t going to miss being in the heat of the moment for the USWNT.
“Soccer was just kind of something I did. It’s not really who I am,” she said. “It’s always been about the people for me and the journey and the process and living life like extraordinary. So I’m excited for this opportunity for a lot of young people.”
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Emma Hruby
Jun 28, 2024
Wimbledon will begin on Monday, with French Open-winner Iga Swiatek looking to take her first grass court major title.
Others looking to challenge her include Coco Gauff, Aryna Sabalenka, Ons Jabeur, and 2023 Wimbledon champ Marketa Vondrousova.
Grass isn't the strongest surface for some of the world’s heaviest hitters, including Swiatek, Gauff, and Sabalenka. Jabeur, meanwhile, will be looking to win her first Grand Slam singles title after falling short in last year’s final.
But the tournament’s proximity to the Paris Olympics — combined with the fact that the Olympics will be played on clay courts — has resulted in a number of key players dropping out of the Summer Games.
Sabalenka, Jabeur, and American Madison Keys are among a group of top players declining to participate in the Summer Games, citing health and fitness concerns in relation to a tight schedule played on multiple surfaces.
"We have decided that the quick change of surface and the body’s adaptation required would put my knee at risk and jeopardize the rest of my season," Jabeur posted on social media regarding her Olympic withdrawal.
"It’s too much with the scheduling," Sabalenka echoed. "It’s just too much. I made the decision to take care of my health."
Both Swiatek and Gauff, who excel on clay courts, are still planning to participate this summer in Paris.
Emma Hruby
Jun 28, 2024
Despite a recent slump, the Aces are off to a three-game winning streak following Thursday’s 95-83 victory over Chicago.
Star point guard Chelsea Gray, who spent the first part of the season rehabbing from a lingering injury suffered in last year's WNBA Finals, has provided some much-needed depth in her return to the starting lineup. A'ja Wilson, Jackie Young, and Kelsey Plum all scored 20+ points in the win, with Wilson extending her league record of consecutive regular season games with 20+ points to 20.
But all was not lost for Chicago rookie Angel Reese, who tied Candace Parker's WNBA record for longest double-double streak in a single season with her ninth double-double in a row.
Compliments abound for the Aces after the whistle blew on what was Theresa Weatherspoon and Becky Hammon’s first WNBA matchup as head coaches. The WNBA legends played together on the New York Liberty from 1999 to 2003.
"Look at [Hammon's] team," Weatherspoon told reporters in a joint press conference with her former teammate. "What they’re doing, where they’re going, how they play, and how much fun they have — that’s how we play. It’s beautiful to see, and of course a measuring stick."
Emma Hruby
Jun 28, 2024
The returned to action on Thursday, with track stars Sha’Carri Richardson and Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone both in the mix.
Richardson is competing in the 200-meter after winning the 100-meter and securing her spot on the Olympic team. McLaughlin-Levron, meanwhile, is competing in the 400-meter hurdles — an event in which she currently holds the world record.
McLaughlin-Levron won Thursday's heat handily, and will now advance to Saturday's semifinal. Her time of 53.07 bested Anna co*ckrell's second-fastest time by 1.64 seconds.
"[That] felt good," she told NBC after the win. "I'm honestly excited to be out here and shake off the nerves. My stride pattern felt good. Just getting the feel of the rounds again; I really feel good."
Richardson also made light work of Thursday's heats, winning the 200-meter hurdles with a time of 21.99 — the second-fastest recorded this year — and advancing with ease to the semifinals.
"I’m really just focusing in on executing the curve to make the straightaway much, much easier," she told reporters. "Any time I touch the track it's an opportunity for me to work on my best self."
Elsewhere, discus throwerValarie Allman confirmed that she too would defend her Tokyo medal in Paris this summer, winning her event on Thursday by more than eight meters.
Emma Hruby
Jun 27, 2024
Nominees for the ESPY Awards dropped Wednesday, with Indiana Fever star Caitlin Clark topping the list with three nods, followed closely by Aces' A'ja Wilson with two.
Both Wilson and Clark snagged Best Athlete in Women’s Sports nominations, alongside Coco Gauff and Nelly Korda. Clark was also nominated for the Best Record-breaking Performance for breaking Pete Maravich’s record to become the NCAA DI all-time scoring leader. Joining her in that category is newly retired Stanford coach Tara VanDerveer, who became the winningest coach in NCAA basketball history this year.
LSU gymnast Haleigh Bryant and USC basketball player JuJu Watkins was nominated in the Best Breakthrough Athlete category, while superstars Simone Biles and UConn's Paige Bueckers are among the nominees for Best Comeback Athlete.
Boston College lacrosse player Kayla Martello and Gotham FC’s Midge Purce received nominations for the Best Championship Performance.
In addition to the nominations, ESPN announced that South Carolina coach Dawn Staley will receive the Jimmy V Award for Perseverance for her work in advocating for cancer research and bone marrow donors as well as her advocacy for women’s sports. Past recipients include Dick Vitale, Kay Yow, and Liam Hendriks.
"I’m grateful to ESPN for their coverage and the honor of this award," Staley said in a statement. "We’ve come a long way, and we will continue to move the women’s game forward and push for equity and visibility for our sport."
