A Diva State of Mind

The Olympics is ultimately the best sporting event and unfortunately we have to wait every four years to experience greatness from some of the most amazing athletes in the world.  Gymnastics is one of my favorite sports to watch during the Olympics; there’s never a dull moment. And this year, Gabrielle Douglas was one of the “Fab Five” USA gymnasts to bring excitement to the sport.

Dubbed the “Flying Squirrel,” Douglas was the only member of Team USA to secure her spot during the Olympics Trials. Yes that means, she was so good, there was no doubt she’d be representing Team USA in London. She is the first African American to compete in the sport on the world’s biggest stage since Dominique Dawes in 1996.  That’s right, it’s been 16 years (where has the time gone!??!). 

Douglas began training in gymnastics at the early age of six thanks to her sister who convinced their mom to enroll Douglas in classes.  By the time she was 14 years old, she moved from Virginia Beach, VA to West Des Moines, Iowa to train with one of the best gymnastics coaches, Liang Chow (Shawn Johnson’s coach).  Over the last two years, she has competed in a number of competitions:

2010

• 2010 US Junior National Championships – Silver medal on balance beam
• 2010 Pan American Championships – Won the uneven bars title, U.S team won gold

2011

• 2011 CoverGirl Classic – Silver medal on the uneven bars
• 2011 National Championships -Tied for third on uneven bars.
• Named to the 2011 U.S. World Championships Team

2012

• 2012 Visa Championships – Silver in the all-around

The list above is impressive but it doesn’t stop there.  This past Tuesday, Douglas helped the “Fab Five” win gold at the Olympics. She was the only member of the team to compete in all four events (beam, vault, uneven bars and floor), which means her score accounted for 30% of the team’s overall score. Talk about pressure!  To add to that success, today, Gabrielle Douglas became the first African American to win a gold medal in the all-around competition!!!! Way to go Gabby!

I’ll admit, before the Olympic trials, I had never heard of Gabrielle Douglas. While Gymnastics is one of my favorite sports to watch during the Games, I don’t watch it otherwise.  What is so exciting about Gabrielle Douglas is that she is humble, gratefully and has become a role model for young African American girls everywhere.  Now more than ever, we need to see more positive imagery of our young women.  Gabrielle Douglas is doing an amazing job showing us what is means to have faith, work hard and believes that anything is possible. 

Gabrielle Douglas, you have truly made us proud! Congratulations Diva!!

For all of you sports enthusiasts! Michael Vick is launching a new sports clothing line called V7 under a licensing partnership with celebrity clothing-line mogul Ruby Azrak and former ICM talent agent Brian Sher. The line will be sold exclusively at Modell’s Sporting Goods located on the East Coast.

The clothing line will feature gym shorts, T-shirts and tanks. Prices are $12.99 for children’s clothing and $19.99 for adult clothing. The shirts include mottos like “Mental Toughness” and “It’s Not How You Start. It’s How You Finish.”

What I love about this new venture is that Michael Vick is using it as a way to give back to the community. A portion of the proceeds will go to the Boys and Girls Club of Philadelphia. According to Vick,

“I never thought I would be a fashion designer. But it’s not about me. It’s about making an impact with the community.”

I am glad to see Vick back on track and hope his sports clothing line does well.  Anyone else ready for football season?!?!

Source: Because I Am Fabulous & EurWeb

HERSTAR has teamed up with the NBA to create stilettos for all the ladies who are looking for a fashionable way to show support for their favorite basketball team. The goal of HERSTAR is to “adorn sports fans in fashion forward and sexy sports attire. ” The heels are available in suede or crystal ranging in price from $100 to $275.  HERSTAR’S founder Holly Joffrion said she came up with the idea after realizing that women love shoes just as much as their favorite team:

“We look forward to offering sports fans a high-end line of fashionable heels. We understand how much women love their shoes and recognize that going to an NBA game can be an event beyond the hardwood. We’re able to combine the love of basketball and footwear together, allowing female fans another way to display their passion for the game.”

While, I understand HERSTAR wanting to make sports fashionable for women, I just can’t imagine anyone wearing these stilettos.  Ok I take that back; I wouldn’t wear them.  As Jocks and Stiletto Jill so eloquently stated, “NBA team logos on women’s footwear screams CHEAP and TACKY! Slapping a logo on a platform heel and Italian sizing does not qualify as fashion.”

But that’s not the only reason I wouldn’t wear them.  I want to be comfortable when attending sporting event (since I don’t have the option of sitting in a floor seat like celebrities do where wearing heels is deemed more appropriate).  If I were going to wear heels to a game, I’d want to wear something that doesn’t have to be reserved just for a game.  I know people don’t have to only wear team logos to games, but let’s be real. If you saw someone walking down the street wearing these you’d give them the side eye.  The cost per wear is not worth it (I’ll do a separate post on cost/wear one of these days).

If these pumps are really a hot commodity, they seem like ones that will be hot for a minute and not the next. I first noticed the stilettos on other sites last month during the height of the NBA playoffs.  During that time everyone was in love with OKC and the Miami Heat, so I’m sure at the time the OKC and Miami Heat pumps were a big hit for some females fans at the time, but are they really hot now?!

So what would I recommend wearing to a sporting event?  Wear a fitted jersey or t-shirt with the team logo, skinny jeans and flat boots.  Don’t want to wear a jersey or t-shirt? Incorporate your favorite team’s color in your outfit instead.  If you can’t wear flats to sporting events, these looks will work with heels too.

If you do have a favorite NBA team and want to show your support by purchasing a pair of heels from HERSTAR, please don’t pair your Los Angeles Lakers purple and gold pumps with a purple and gold outfit. That’s doing ABSOLUTELY TOO MUCH! I just had to make that statement because you already know someone is going to walk around trying to be matchy matchy!!!

Click HERE to view all NBA stilettos.

What  do you think of the NBA Stilettos? Would you wear them?

Source: Ask Kissy & Black Visions