Conquering The Pitching Mound

I went to Chico, California, and was truly honored to have met a woman, Eri Yoshida who is the first female ever to play professional baseball in three countries. She is 5'1” and can throw a mean knuckle ball at about 63 mph. She is known as the "knuckle princess" and mentioned in her interview that she doesn't like the name simply because she doesn't feel that she deserves the title.

Three words I would use to describe Eri would be sweet, passionate and humble. After watching her batting practice and warm up, I was granted the opportunity to interview the Chico Outlaws coach, Garry Templeton. It was great to hear his story on how he found Eri and what he thinks of her as a ball player.

The fans were spectacular! The stands were filled with very loud cheering fans that not only respected Eri as a female who has inspired many women, but they all admired her dedication and humble nature. Eri's charismatic persona attracts tons of fans, who were all waiting for her after the game.

She was very excited to do the interview and reminded me that her goal is to play ball in the MLB, she doesn't want to be praised until she fulfills that goal.

We then spoke about how she prepares before the game and also about some of the jokes her teammates play on her. She told that before each game she has a different handshake with each teammate. My favorite part of the interview was when she created a unique handshake for us. It was also really cool when we brought in her catcher, Robby Alcombrack, and did an interview with him as well. They also did their pre-game 'handshake' and then Robby and I debated on who had the cooler handshake with Miss Eri.

So while I think Eri and I have the coolest handshake thus far, I know I’m going to keep track of her performance. She is truly and inspiration to me and has showed me that a Nike woman can do it all!

-Gevrina

Running In Pretty Dresses

When you think FASHION WEEK, you might think of one of these: blazers, high heels, sneakers, mini skirts, shorts, dresses, a little bling-bling here and there, the lists goes on and on. While the word sneaker might stick out in the above mentioned list, I think it would be great to take sneakers to another level, considering the impact the Air Force 1 has had on culture.

So what better way to spend my own fashion week than by grabbing my running shoes and interviewing Swedish fashion reporter Sofia Hedstrom, who gave me the inside scoop on her life as a fashion reporter and her new hobby of running marathons.

When you go on a run, do you ever think about dresses, makeup, or even jewelry? Well, while you and I might stick to shorts and a pair of Nikes, Sofia, does quite the opposite.

She totally adds flare to her running apparel (must be all those fashion shows), which has made her stand out from any other runner that I have ever met. Sofia stays true to herself by doing what makes her comfortable and happy and that’s running in dresses. She considers running in dresses and wearing red Chanel lipstick as her staple.

FSF (Fun Side Fact): according to Sofia, Chanel lipstick lasts at least 20 miles! She’s tested it in all the marathons she has run. How about you put that one your shopping list ;)

Sofia started running three years ago to bring balance to her hectic schedule as a reporter. With all the traveling, running seemed to be the perfect constant in her rapidly changing lifestyle. Since we are both reporters on the go, she gave me some advice and told me to run every chance I get. Her career has taken her to Sweden, China, Brazil, Italy, and Paris, and what better way to view the country than by running! She’s getting a workout and sightseeing all in one.

We concluded our interview by warming up and then running around her neighborhood in Brooklyn. Of course, being the girls that we are, we continued to chitchat about fashion, working out, staying healthy and traveling. We even started to compare who travels more in a week. The life of a reporter… unpredictable and a whole lot of glitter!

-Gevrina