Dragonwing Blog
Rave Reviews for our Racer Sports Bra for Girls
I checked online customer reviews for our Racer seamless sports bra today and was delighted to see so many positive reviews and comments! Dragonwing seamless sports bras are made especially for girls, tweens and teens of all shapes and sizes. They provide superior fit, support, and comfort -- soft, stretchy, and moisture-wicking fabric -- so that girls can play sports with confidence and without distraction. Plus, they won't lose their shape or stretch during a whole sports season of washings! Here's a sampling of customer reviews of our Racer seamless girls sports bra: "This product encompasses everything you can ask for from a sports bra - super soft and extra comfortable material that absorbs liquid (aka sweat) and keeps it off of your skin; stylish and fun colors; and flexible, yet form fitting. Five stars for comfort alone." "This is one of the better quality teen sports bras I've picked up. Some are so cheap they fall apart shortly after getting and washing them, and start to pill. Not this one. This one doesn't pill at all in the wash and holds its shape nicely." "My 16 year old daughter tried this bra after hearing about it from some other athletic girls at school, and loved the look as soon as it came out of the package as well as the fit and support!" "The fabric and stitch work evidences a quality you don’t often find in foundation garments for this age group."
School-to-Sports Transition is Easy with Dragonwing
The school year and fall sports seasons have started. And that means girls -- and parents -- need to make quick transitions from school to practice or a game. Need to change clothes in the car or bus? Concerned about modesty or just trying to find the time? Dragonwing's got you covered! Our girls sports bras, camis, and light compression shorts are perfect under school clothes and make changing for sports quick and easy. Whether your sport is soccer, field hockey, cheering, or cross country, stock up for the fall season with our moisture-wicking, comfortable performance wear designed especially for girls. To help you stock up on sports bras, compression shorts, camis, and base layers just for tweens and teens, we're offering 20% off each order until Sept. 1. Just enter SAVE20 in the discount code at checkout from dragonwinggirl.com.
Back to School Bittersweetness
Remember the Staples TV commercial from a few years back? Dad skipping along the aisles, flanked by droopy kids, while "The Most Wonderful Time of the Year" plays overhead? Back-to-school can be bittersweet for everyone. As she starts her 12th year of school (13th counting kindergarten), Emma calls it "the best and worst time of the year." Seeing friends, making new ones, and starting soccer season are big pluses. Homework assignments, college applications, and less sleep can take its toll. In her latest blog post, she's got some great tips for making the transition as smooth as possible. Check it out and leave a comment with what helps you keep a positive outlook at school. Remember to SUBSCRIBE to Emma's blog so you'll be notified by email each time she posts.
Say Hello to Emma and Sarah!
We're thrilled to introduce two new Dragonwing girlgear bloggers: Emma and Sarah. Emma, who's now blogging here as EmmaH, is a high school senior who loves soccer, socializing with friends and family, watching Netflix, exercising, and lots more! She joined the Dragonwing team this summer and is helping us with marketing and retail partnerships.
I love to dabble in lots of other forms of exercise including hot yoga, group workout classes, swimming, biking, hiking and sometimes, although rarely, running.
Sarah, blogging here as SarahG, is a self-proclaimed "swim mom," runner, writer, and former track and field athlete. As the mother of two teens, she has lots of great insights plus a big dose of humor.
s an athlete myself I knew all the benefits of training and competition—camaraderie, friendships, challenging yourself, making a commitment and sticking with it, dealing with disappointment, taking care of your body and honoring its strength and power.Subscribe to their blogs so you'll get an email whenever they have a new post. You'll be glad you did -- we promise.
US Women's Soccer Stars Highlight Risks of Heading
We applaud that three members of the 1999 World Cup championship US Women's Soccer team are speaking out on the risks of brain injury from heading.
Brandi Chastain, Joy Fawcett, and Cindy Parlow Cone -- who's a Dragonwing girlgear spokesperson -- have joined forces with the Sports Legacy Institute and the Santa Clara Institute of Sports Law to form Parents and Pros for Safer Soccer and are pushing for rules changes to prohibit heading by players under 14.
In a recent New York Times article on the effort, Parlow Cone, who ended her playing career in part because of concussion-related headaches and fatigue, says, “Soccer might not be football, but we do know now that brain injuries in soccer is a huge issue, and is a very serious issue.... We need to do better for our kids.”
Notable 2013 Summer Athletic Events
List of notable events for Summer 2013
While there are no Olympic games to look forward to this summer, there are still plenty of other notable events in which some of the world’s top female athletes are competing. Here is a comprehensive list and look at some of the big events during the next few months.
May 26-June 9: 112th French Open
Location: Stade Roland Garros, Paris, France
Notable Athletes: Serena Williams is the top seeded at this year’s tournament, with plenty of experience to carry her into the finals. Her sister, Venus holds the No. 30 seed. Defending champion Maria Sharapova is ranked No. 2 in the world and up and comer Sloane Stephens is seeded at No. 4.
June 22: Sky Blue FC vs. Portland Thorns
Location: Yurcak Field Stadium
Notable Athletes: In this classic matchup between the top two teams in the NWSL, the stars will certainly be out in full force. Thorns forwards Alex Morgan and Christine Sinclair have been lighting up the scoreboard for coach Cindy Parlow Cone, and defender Christie Rampone will have her hands full defending the lethal attack of Portland for Sky Blue FC.
June 27-July 7: Wimbledon
Location: All England Club, Wimbledon, London
Notable Athletes: During this summer classic, the Williams sisters look to be in prime position to defend their doubles title. In fact, Wimbledon is likely one of their favorite events, with one of them winning the singles title 10 times out of the last 12 years.
July 19-August 4: FINA World Aquatic Championships
Location: Barcelona, Spain
Notable Athletes: The swimming championships encompass several events including synchronized swimming, water polo, diving and pool swimming. 18 year old Missy Franklin who took the world by storm last year at the London Olympics will swim in eight events in Barcelona before heading off to UC Berkeley next fall. Young Katie Ledecky will also be swimming in the 400m and 800m events.
August 1-4: Ricoh Women’s British Open
Location: The Old Course, St. Andrews Links, Scotland
Notable Athletes: Last year, two Korean golfers ended first and second, with American Paula Creamer finishing third. Hawaii native Michelle Wie finished tied for eighth. Even though Wie became the youngest golfer (age 10) to turn professional, she only has two LGPA tour wins and certainly a British open championship would solidify her career as one of the nation’s top female golfers.
Athletes and Nutrition
Being an athlete definitely has its perks and one of my favorite ones is that you get to eat whenever and whatever you want. At least I think I do. In reality, while staying active and fit can grant you the pleasure of indulging on unhealthy food, not all food is helps you raise your game. Food is absolutely essential to the success of any athlete, but with the right balance of nutrients and carbohydrates, athletes can maximize their success and perform at higher levels
1 in 8 is a Statistic I Can't Live With
Every October during Breast Cancer Awareness month, memories of family and friends who've fought the disease flood my mind. Like most people, I've donated money for research, dropped off food for family dinners, and sent cards and emails of encouragement and, sometimes, sympathy. Something clicked this year. I can't just make dinner or send cards when statistics show that 1 in 8 U.S. women will develop invasive breast cancer in their lifetime. This year, I am determined to do much, much more. To use the power of this business and the amazing Dragonwing community to make a real difference in medical advances -- not just for my friends or family but for women everywhere -- and for our daughters, nieces, granddaughters, so that they may have a better, healthier future. Almost 25 years ago, my beloved Auntie Vita died of breast cancer at age 51. Back then, treatment wasn't really targeted, and the doctors tried everything to cure her. It was a huge loss. Since then, scientists have made tremendous advances in breast cancer treatment. My friend for 30+ years, Lisa Carey, is medical director of UNC's Breast Cancer Center, where they are have made great strides in targeting treatment and patient care. $25,000 can make a significant difference for a cancer research project. That's why we've set a goal of raising $25,000 through the sale of a limited edition Racer Sports Bra, our best-selling item. We'll donate $10 from the sale of each special white and pink Racer to UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center. It's a crazy, ambitious goal, but I believe we will do it. Join our team: buy a bra (or 2 or 3!) for your daughter, niece, granddaughter; share this post; spread the word. Together, we can do this!
2,500 bras = $25,000 for breast cancer research
Today we're launching a campaign to raise $25,000 for breast cancer research. And YOU can help us reach that goal. Everyone's life has been touched in some way by breast cancer -- whether it be our sister, friend, wife, mother, daughter or ourselves. During October, we see pink almost everywhere, and sometimes it's hard to know what makes a difference. We've designed a limited edition pink and white Racer Sports Bra for girls -- the same great quality and fit as our regular Racers. When we sell 2,500 of these special bras, we will donate $25,000 to the UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center under the leadership of my dear friend, Dr. Lisa Carey, a worldwide leader in the fight against breast cancer. It's a very bold goal, but our entire Dragonwing girlgear team is committed to making a difference in the fight against breast cancer. And just as on a sports team, we'll need the support of everyone in our family. Together, we can make a difference. Let's do it! Click here to join us. *The limited edition pink Racer Sports Bra for girls will be delivered in 8-10 weeks. Your credit card will not be charged until we've reached our goal. Discount codes cannot be applied to this special order.
For a Healthier Future for Our Girls
Join us! Make a difference -- for a healthier future for our girls. Click here to buy a limited edition Racer Sports Bra and bring us closer to our goal!
We'll donate $10 to #BreastCancerResearch for each limited edition girls' Racer sports bra... pic.twitter.com/DytKjgIi5G — Dragonwing girlgear (@DragonwingGirl) October 17, 2014
The Power of a Girl's First Bra
I had the pleasure of talking recently with Kelly O'Brien, owner of Linger Tween, a shop that specializes in undergarments for tweens and teens. She's a big fan, as are her customers, of our Racer and Keyhole sports bras. Not surprisingly, we talked about the importance of a girl's experience with her first bra. Between the two of us, we've had hundreds of conversations with girls and mothers about their desire to find sports bras and traditional bras that are made for tweens and teens, not mini-sized women's bras or lacy, plunging, push-up styles that are not age appropriate. A girl's first bra is important to her sense of self and can have a lasting impact on how she views her body. She wants -- and should -- feel comfortable, at ease, free to move, and free to be herself. For a girl who plays sports, her first bra is often a sports bra. I've talked before about why a sports bra makes a great first bra. A sports bra that's comfortable, provides the right amount of coverage, supports and moves without binding or riding up, and doesn't scream "bra" can help a girl see herself as the healthy, active, powerful person she is.
Proud Sponsor of CASL Soccer
My inspiration for Dragonwing was sparked on the sidelines of the beautiful North Carolina soccer fields, so when given the opportunity to become a sponsor of the Capital Area Soccer League (CASL - pronounced "castle"), we didn't hesitate.
Lots of Dragonwing girls play with CASL, and we're happy to be able to support them on and off the fields. After all, empowering girls to play with confidence is what Dragonwing is all about!
If you get the chance to visit the WRAL Soccer Center in Raleigh, one of the country's largest outdoor soccer complexes, make your way over to Field #7, now known as "Dragonwing girlgear Field." That has a nice ring to it, doesn't it?!