Dragonwing Blog
Sweet Senior Soccer Season
Spring soccer has started for Dragonwing ambassador Emma, and wow, is she excited! In her recent blog post -- complete with ALL CAPS and 4 exclamation points!!!! -- she recounts the somewhat surreal feelings of the spring semester of senior year.
Senior night will be for me. It’s my last year in the CA jersey. Whaat.Despite twinges of nervousness after not playing for 10 months -- "I had no idea how good or bad I would be getting back into it" -- her overwhelming feeling was how much she loves the sport and the competition. Emma has high hopes for the team's season. "I think our team is pretty stacked, and I personally believe a state championship is in our future." Isn't that how every season should start? Subscribe to Emma's blog so you can follow along.
"Dear Dragonwing Girl..." Wise Words From A Bad Cookie
Dear Dragonwing Girl, I would like to start by saying you are amazing. No matter who you are, where you are, or what you have done to get to this point right now, you’re amazing. You have unlimited untapped potential and only the sky is the limit. I’m sure you’ve heard this before from loving grandparents whilst they grab your cheeks and squeeze you in a constricting hug, but right now- at this moment- I want you to read carefully. You are all the attributes I listed before and more; you are beautiful, strong, and smart and you can do everything you want to and more. Despite you and I knowing these things to be true, some will doubt you. Some will doubt you without even knowing you, and some will doubt you right after seeing your name on a resume. These some will be men, but they will also be women. Most will do this unconsciously, and I implore you to not be angry at them for the ignorance and bias they hold. I implore you to fight the fight of being a career-driven girl in a world run by men. Though it is important to not hold anger for the world being the way it is, do not conform to the need to be “pleasant” or “calm” or “collected." You can speak out when you see small forms of misogyny in your school or workplace. Whether it be a man dominating the discussion, or a guy in your group making snide comments, you can step up. You can make your voice be heard because you won’t let anyone tell you that you can’t. Because you can. So, stay strong because it can be hard sometimes. You might be called selfish or bossy or any other number of terms people like to use for women who don’t conform to their stereotypes, but if you struggle, if you stand your ground, if you fight for what you want, then we will be one step closer to gender equality. Sincerely, Your friend at Dragonwing girlgear, Abby 
Hiking, Camping & Rock Climbing (oh my!)
My Dragonwing Half-Tee Sports Top was great for my July hike in the mountains.Introducing Madi, Dragonwing Ambassador
First off all, I'm currently in the 7th grade and am heading into 8th. One of my favorite subjects is social studies. I feel this is an odd subject to like because most people say it's boring, but it's just so interesting to me. While school is important, many other things are important to me, such as rock climbing. Rock climbing is my passion and I know I will never give it up.
Another thing I do is snowboard and ski in the winter time. I've tried both and like them just the same. A funny story with skiing is the first time I tried (3 months ago), I cried the whole way down the bunny hill! But after that I became better than my mom. Since my family and I live in Colorado, winter is pretty intense for us and most everybody. That means skiing and snowboarding is what my weekend consists of for about 4 months.
When summer rolls around, when my dog Roosevelt and I run around the neighborhood like crazy. Roosevelt is a Black Lab and about 6 years old. He is literally the best dog in the world to me. My family and I love to go camping, but sadly our dog is a little too wild to come with us. But it's still super fun. In the summer, I also ride my horse Sugar, who's 10 years old.
In the future, I hope we get to know each other more, but this is just a snippet of my life as an introduction. If you have any questions or ideas, leave a comment. And if you don't want to miss any future Sideline Chatter updates, subscribe by entering your email on the right.
Climbing Competitions & the Power of Smiling
My next competitions are coming up very quickly and I can't wait for them. On September 26 - this weekend! -- is another comp of mine, a Youth American Ninja Warrior competition! That will be super exciting, and I hope my mom will catch some great photos to share. Subscribe to this blog so you won't miss them! In climbing class, we've just finished our endurance phase, which is always the hardest, and now we're hopping into the strength phase. This season, our coaches are challenging and helping us a lot. One of my coaches taught us a "centering" technique that helps if you're nervous or anxious at a comp or class. One of the strategies was smiling! That may sound weird, but smiling (just moving your face into a smile) usually makes you feel better in a stressful situation even if you don't have a "real" reason to smile. Try it! That's all for now. Until my next post, remember to smile! 
Intro to Laura
Hi everyone! I'm Laura and I am a new ambassador for Dragonwing girlgear. I am in middle school, and my favorite subjects are Math and Spanish. I have always loved Math ever since I was young because I enjoy solving problems. I have taken Spanish since kindergarten and I really love the language, and I enjoy learning more.
I have played soccer since I was three years old. I love soccer so much for so many reasons. I love hanging out with my teammates because we all become so close over the year or more that we are together. One day I hope to play soccer in college. I play center midfield which means I am in the middle of the field and I run up and down the field constantly. I used to play center back which means that I was the player that was the last line before the goal and goalkeeper. I can't imagine not having soccer after school almost everyday. Soccer has given me so much. It has made me work really hard on my fitness, especially this summer. I would go to fitness 3 days a week for an hour and a half. I think fitness has helped a lot with my confidence and my speed.
Some of my other hobbies are dancing, spending time with friends, sewing and playing with my pets. I have a dog and two cats whom I love very much. I dance mostly at school as an art major, but I really enjoy it.
I'm excited to be an ambassador for Dragonwing and blog about the cute and comfy clothing!
Intro to Billie
Our newest ambassador, Billie, is a competitive twirler who has Nationals this weekend. Billie took a break from practice to tell us more about the sport of Twirl and how she got started.
How did you get involved in twirl?
I started twirling at the age of 3. I lived in New Hampshire, where baton twirling is well-known. and my neighbor twirled. I really looked up to her like an older sister, so I decided to start twirling so I could be just like her. After just a few lessons, I took off with it and have continued to love it ever since
How much do you practice and what kind of practice is that?
I practice every day for about 3-4 hours (more during the summer and before big competitions). Practices are continuously doing the same tricks over and over to catch them consistently. I have multiple routines of which I must practice, so when I am training I run through them repeatedly to get better and better at them.
What kind of skills does twirl require?
Twirling requires a lot of skills. To twirl baton you must have stamina, balance, general coordination, Hand-eye coordination, strength, flexibility, and agility. They all play their own parts in making an amazing twirler. Baton twirling is basically a combination of Dance, Gymnastics, Cheer leading, Color guard, and Running.
Do you think twirlers get enough credit as athletes?
Twirlers definitely do not get the credit or respect they deserve as athletes. More often than not, people either don't know what twirling is or don't think it is a sport. I believe that any physical activity in which you compete or perform should be considered a sport.
How competitive is the sport and how are you feeling about Nationals coming up?
The sport is VERY competitive. If you have ever seen the TV show "Dance Moms".... It is definitely that competitive, if not more. Although being competitive can sometimes affect people negatively, baton twirling is competitive in a positive way, and makes everyone involved want to be the best she can be, which then carries over to real-world situations such as school. I am super excited for Nationals coming up! I get to see all of my baton friends from around the country and perform for a week long!
Thanks for the interview Billie. Good luck at Nationals!
If you want to follow Billie on Twitter, use @billiekathrine.