Dragonwing Blog
Dragonwing® girlgear Selected for Startup Mentoring Program
We're proud and excited to announce that Soar Triangle, a Google for Entrepreneurs-backed initiative to prepare female entrepreneurs in the Triangle region for success, has selected Dragonwing girlgear and MaryAnne Gucciardi, founder and CEO, for its active mentoring program.
Soar supports promising female entrepreneurs, providing the resources needed to reach their next milestone and secure investment funding. Launched early in 2014, Soar was awarded funds and program support from Google for Entrepreneur as a part of the #40Forward challenge to increase participation in startups by women by 25% this year.
Dragonwing girlgear, a manufacturer of sports undergarments and base-layer designed for pre-teen and teen girls, was one of four promising women-owned businesses selected for active mentoring via Soar’s highly competitive process.
Dragonwing makes high performance, superior fitting, age and sport-specific sports undergarments for girls ages 8-17. Our mission is to give girls an advantage on and off the playing field (or court or track) by providing clothing -- sports bras, compression shorts, sports camis, and base layers -- that gives them the freedom to move and play with confidence. Instead of worrying about their changing bodies or being distracted by poorly fitting clothes, they can enjoy playing and competing. Dragonwing girlgear is a member of the Blackstone Entrepreneurs Network and was a finalist in the 2013 Urban Rebound Raleigh Durham small business pitch competition for women.5 Reasons Why Soccer Matters in the US
The US Men's World Cup run may be over, but that doesn't mean soccer will fall off the sports radar screen here in the US. Taking a contrary view to a recent Wall St. Journal piece on the inevitable US "soccer letdown" and even to the more hopeful Freakonomics podcast, here are 5 reasons why soccer will grow in popularity in the US: 1. Soccer is a global sport. Who better to embrace it than the US, a nation of immigrants and multinational individuals. We can cheer not only for our national team but those of our homelands, in my case, Italy. Or we can -- and do -- cheer for the teams of our temporarily adopted homes, places where we've lived briefly or for many years. If Hong Kong had a national team, I'd be a supporter, since I lived much of my early adult years there and it's my children's birthplace. 2. Soccer is intense, captivating, and exciting. Those who say it's too slow or boring to be popular here don't know what they're talking about. You want excitement? How about Tim Howard's amazing 16 saves. The final two minutes of a soccer game can be more intense than the 9th inning with two outs and the bases loaded. Take it from a lifelong Red Sox fan, what happens in the 9th inning can change the course of history. (As an aside, a 2010 Wall St. Journal study found that the average NFL game has a meager 11 minutes of action) 3. While there will always be individual star players, soccer is a team sport. No single player can carry a team for 90 minutes every game, and it'd be tough to build a franchise around a single player. The best teams depend on every player, not on a key player. 4. Some naysayers point to the "flops" as evidence that soccer players are too soft or that the game is not tough enough. Soft?! The level of conditioning necessary to run almost continuously for a full game is astounding. The precision, timing, and agility needed to play soccer are remarkable. 5. While the current World Cup is for men's teams, let's not forget the success of US women's soccer. The US Women's Team has won two World Cups -- yes, 2! Players like Mia Hamm, Cindy Parlow Cone (who's also Dragonwing girlgear's spokesperson) , Abby Wambach, Heather O'Reilly, Alex Morgan, and Brandi Chastain are role models for girls at all levels. Attendance at women's professional soccer league games is solid and growing, with sell-out crowds a regular occurrence for many teams.
NWSL Preseason Update
Spring is finally here and the NWSL inaugural season is just about ready to get underway. Teams are gearing up for the start of the season and Dragonwing girlgear is offering a unique perspective of the preseason of each NWSL team. Here is a team by team update:
Boston Breakers:
Update: U.S. national team members Heather O’Reilly and Sydney Leroux joined their new team on Wednesday March 20th, after competing with the national team in Portugal in the 2012 Algarve Cup. The WNT won 2-0 to Germany.
Since receiving their respective allocated players, the Breakers signed two discovery players: defender Julie King, who played for the Breakers last year in the WPSL elite league and Lisa Marie Woods. Discovery players are those who were not selected in the Supplemental Draft that was held on Feb. 8th. The two discovery players will join six other players who were selected in the supplemental draft as well as the six players allocated during the winter.
Other news: On March 18th, the team announced that they are partnering with the Andover Soccer Association (ASA) to launch the Boston Breakers Academy Program that will be “targeting players who need/desire extra development and advanced training to supplement what they do within their local community soccer program,” according to the press release from the NWSL news website.
First game: Sunday, April 14th vs. the Washington Spirit
Chicago Red Stars:
Update: The Red Stars have been busy since Day 1 updating their roster with four free agent signings since the allocation and college draft including midfielder Lori Chalupny, defender Taryn Hemmings, forward Ella Masar and midfielder Leslie Osborne. The team added some international players to the mix with defender Sonja Fuss and forward Inka Grings, both from Germany. Fuss and Grings will join their new team starting on May 20th and are the first German players to play in the NWSL. Preseason has delivered some bad news however as the Red Stars will be without star defender Amy LePeilbet for six to eight months due to a torn ACL in January.
Other news: Along with the Seattle Reign, the Red Stars completed the first ever trade in the NWSL, sending midfielder Keelin Winters to Seattle in exchange for a first round pick in the 2014 college draft with future considerations.
First game: April 14th at home vs. Seattle
Washington Spirit
Update: In gearing up for the season, the Spirit scheduled five preseason matches with some of the country’s top college programs, four of whom are in the ACC (Maryland, UNC, Duke, and UVA). The Spirit already defeated the Penn State Nittany Lions 1-0 on March 17th and will look to use these college friendly matches as a gauge for their preseason progress.
“We are thrilled at the chance to take on top quality college opponents as we gear up for the NWSL season,” Spirit head coach Mike Jorden said in an interview with NWSL news. “This marks an important step in our preseason preparations, and will be a great opportunity for fans to get a first look at their new team.”
Other news: The Spirit signed three additional draft picks-including MAC finalist Caroline Miller on March 8th. The team also signed Discovery player Domenica Hodak.
First game: April 14th, at Boston
FC Kansas City
Update: After holding an open tryout back in February, Head Coach Vlatko Andonovski and the “The Blues” have narrowed down their roster to 17, featuring some of the country’s top talents. Additionally, goalkeeper Nicole Barnhart, defender Becky Sauerbrunn, forward Lauren Cheney and midfielder Kristie Mewis were all named to the USWNT Algrave cup team
Other News: The team welcomed Title Boxing as it’s official sponsor and will feature the company’s logo on the players’ jerseys.
First game: Will play host to the Portland Thorns in the first inaugural game of the NWSL season on April 13th.Portland Thorns
Update: The Thorns signed their two discovery players- forward Danielle Foxhoven and defender Jazmyne Avant. The team opened training camp on March 11th with an opening roster of 27, but will have the cut six players by April 5th to meet the roster cap at 21. According the Thorns’ website, head coach Cindy Parlow Cone said, “This is a pretty select group that we have here right now,” Cone said. “I was able to invite in 32 players and I didn’t for a reason. I wanted it to be a select group with quality all the way through. … Just about every player on the roster (not including goalkeepers) will have to be able to play multiple positions.”
Other news: In January, forward Alex Morgan led the way for the USWNT in their Algrave Cup victory against Germany. Morgan scored the team’s only two goals in the match.
First game: April 13th at FC Kansas City
Sky Blue FC
Update: Sky Blue FC has been making a splash since the allocation by inking several quality players including Australian national team member Caitlin Foord. Foord joins forward Taylor Lytle as the team’s two discovery players. In addition, goalkeeper Jill Loyden broke her hand in a training session with the USWNT in Portugal in early March, prompting the team to sign Brittany Cameron, their second pick in the supplemental draft. Loyden will be out three to four months.
Other news: Former WPSL elite coach Erwin van Bennekom will join the coaching staff as an assistant coach and will co-head coach the club’s official reserves team, the Jersey Sky Blues.
First game: April 14th vs. the Western New York Flash
Western New York Flash
Update: Star forward Abby Wambach joined her new team on Wednesday, March 20th. She remains four goals behind Mia Hamm’s all-time record of 154 international goals. On March 18th, the Flash announced a 25-player preseason roster after signing five free agents including McCall Zerboni, Adriana Martín Santamaría, Brittany Taylor, Samantha Kerr and Sarah Huffman.
Other News: Wambach will be the only representative from the USWNT for the beginning of the season as midfielder Carli Lloyd broke her shoulder in the U.S match vs. Ireland. She will be sidelined for six to eight weeks but should only miss a small part of the season.
First game: April 14th at Sky Blue FC
Seattle Reign
Update: The Reign will be without goalkeeper Hope Solo who had successful surgery on her left wrist and will be recovering for four months. The team will be without forward Amy Rodriguez for the entire season as she announced in the winter she is pregnant with her first child. The Reign will also miss midfielder Megan Rapinoe, who will not report until June.
Other news: Rapinoe was named the Algrave Cup’s tournament MVP.
First game: April 14th at Chicago
NWSL Season Update
The first four weeks of the National Women’s Soccer League has been absolutely thrilling, with several players emerging as key components of their teams while others are still finding their stride. The updated standings are as follows (as of May 5)
- Portland Thorns FC: 3 wins, 1 tie (10 points)
- Boston Breakers: 2 wins, 1 tie (7 points)
- FC Kansas City: 2 wins, 1 tie (7 points)
- Sky Blue FC: 2 wins (6 points)
- Western New York Flash: 1 win, 1 tie, 2 losses (4 points)
- Washington Spirit: 2 ties, 2 losses (2 points)
- Seattle Reign FC: 1 tie, 3 losses (1 point)
- Chicago Red Stars: 1 tie, 2 losses (1 point)
Girls Really Do Have the Power of the Purse
Girls Really Do Have the Power of the Purse
On the night of International Women’s Day, over 450 guests came together at the Portland Art Museum to raise over $250,000 for Girls Inc. of Northwest Oregon, an organization dedicated to the achievements of girls and young women. Headlined by one of a kind purse designed by local purse designers and local notable “purse-o-nalities”, the annual gala was the organization’s most successful fundraiser to date, revealing how just how empowering this movement has become.
In anticipation of the fundraiser an aspiring girl reporter from Girls Inc. interviewed Cindy Parlow Cone head coach of the Portland Thorns. In the interview, Parlow Cone cited some of her most teachable leadership moments came from her mother.
“She always told me that I could do whatever I wanted to do, be whoever I wanted to be,” said Parlow Cone in the interview. Other Girl Inc reporters interviewed Erin Janssens, fire chief for the city of Portland and Tom Manley, president of the Pacific Northwest College of Art.
Parlow auctioned off her own purse at the event, which was filled with goodies including tickets to see the Portland Thorns, a meet and greet with the team and an autographed team jersey.
“We were absolutely thrilled to include Cindy, and the Thorns in the 2013 Power of the Purse,” said Elizabeth Nye, Executive Director of Girls Inc. of Northwest Oregon. “We can’t wait to continue our partnership with the Thorns as they kick of their first season!”
Dragonwing girlgear shares the same vision and passion for young, female athletes as Girls Inc. and was an in-kind sponsor and attendee at the event.
Since 1998, Girls Inc. of Northwest Oregon, formerly known as the Girls Initiative Network, has been serving all types of girls in the greater Portland area as a grassroots organization. In 2005, it became affiliated with Girls Incorporated, a national organization that started in 1864 and has reached over125,000 girls nationwide and in Canada.
The success of organizations like Girls Inc of Northwest Oregon and Girls Incorporated truly shows that women and girls really do have the power of the purse.
To learn more about Girls Inc of Northwest Oregon visit http://girlsincnworegon.org. To learn more about the Portland Thorns, visit, http://www.portlandtimbers.com/thornsfc. To learn more about Dragonwing girlgear, visit dragonwinggirl.com.
Donate a Sports Bra & Help Keep a Girl in the Game
A sports bra can mean the difference between a girl sitting on the sidelines and being able to play. Without the proper coverage, fit, and support of a sports bra, girls are often too self-conscious or uncomfortable being physically active, so they miss out on the many life- and skill-building benefits – and fun – that sports and athletic activity convey. As a parent, I know that a great sports bra can help give my daughter the opportunity to play her best.
This is especially true for girls in the developing world. That’s why we’ve partnered with our good friends at Goals for Girls to bring sports bras to teen girls in India. Goals for Girls connects girls from different countries and backgrounds with their peers around the world to address social and health challenges through cultural exchange, service, and soccer. Earlier this year, I saw the power of these exchanges when the U15 Women's National Soccer Team from Jordan visited North Carolina.
“Sports bras are our most-needed item," says Cindy Parlow Cone, soccer superstar, coach, and Dragonwing spokesperson. As part of Goals for Girls, she's leading a team of US teen girl soccer players to India in January for a ten-day cultural exchange, including lots of soccer playing.We're hoping to send Cindy and the US Goals for Girls delegation to India with a suitcase full of sports bras, generously donated by the Dragonwing girlgear community.
To help, please donate a clean, gently-used sports bra (any size, brand, or color) to: Goals for Girls/Dragonwing 510 Meadowmont Village Circle, #188 Chapel Hill, NC 27517Include your name and email address in the package with the donated bra(s). As a token of our thanks, we'll send you a promo code good for $5 off your next Dragonwing purchase. Thank you for helping empower girls in sports & in life!