Pirate Galaxy » Talib (back) to start the game and lost cornerb

In July and August, espnWs weekly essay series will focus on body image.Ugh. You dress like a boy, I remember my mom complaining during numerous department store visits. I felt more comfortable in jeans than in itchy tights and a skirt.Growing up, I resigned to filling the role of the bro-chick archetype and never allowed myself to explore my femininity. Now, Im more aware of my gender. Theres nothing like training in Muay Thai -- which involves striking with hands, shins, elbows and knees -- to make you realize you arent one of the guys.As a female, navigating spaces populated and designed mainly for men can be difficult. After all, fighting is heavily associated with masculinity. And long before Muay Thai was the national sport of Thailand, the physical exercise was developed for hand-to-hand combat in actual warfare. Muay Thai requires mental doggedness.We all know there is a certain challenge with being a woman in this world. Not surprising, women remain a minority of combat sport practitioners.In November 2015, I started Muay Thai. I outgrew the cardio-focused, no-contact gyms. I wanted to train to fight at a combat gym that developed professional Muay Thai fighters, as opposed to a fitness center that just offered workout classes.When I joined?New World Combat gym in Fort Worth, Texas, I knew I was entering a predominately masculine space, but what I didnt realize was how, somewhat paradoxically, doing so would ultimately allow me to fully step into my feminine energy.While training at the gym, my daily interactions constantly reminded me of my womanhood. I had to tell my male training partners to strike harder, as it was obvious they reduced their power. They didnt want to hurt me, one man once told me.Well, they did kick harder than I did, but you best believe I was able to take a strike. I can kick pretty damn high, too. I am motivated to train twice as hard as the guys.As much as I practice Muay Thai, because I love it and not for the approval of others, any athlete can tell you that there exists an underlining desire for the esteem of your coach. I am no different.While I continue to notice an ever-growing respect from my gym mates, I often cant help but feel my coach is more dedicated to the success of my training partners, for the sole reason that they are males.I have cried in my car post-training, wondering what I have to do to gain his respect. Every now and then I am overwhelmed with frustration, feeling like my technique is up to par with my male training partners tactics. Ive felt my coach was holding me back because he didnt believe I could hang with the boys.I wanted to be viewed as a fighter, but like I once held on to the tomboy label, I now welcome the title of female fighter. As one of only three women at the gym, I feel a responsibility to represent what women fighters are capable of doing in the ring.I cater my training to account for the realities of my slender body type. When I was younger, I worked to hide my feminine traits in hopes of receiving some sense of acceptance and validation in male-centric spaces. I now openly embrace my femininity in and outside the ring.Gender is fluid and not a spectrum with tomboys on one end and girly girls on the other. I love shoes, but I also love taking off my shoes and kicking people in the face.Yvonne Cruz is a freelance writer, designer, and blogger based out of Fort Worth. You can follow her Muay Thai journey and work on both Instagram and Twitter follow @TejanaMaluca. Stitched Giants Jerseys . They hope to persuade the other team owners and commissioner Roger Goodell to put pressure on Redskins owner Daniel Snyder to drop the nickname they find offensive. "Given the way the meeting transpired," Ray Halbritter, an Oneida representative and leader of the "Change the Mascot Campaign," said Wednesday, "it became somewhat evident they were defending the continued use of the name. San Francisco Giants Gear . Aaron Harrison scored a 22 points for Kentucky (6-1), which has won four in a row following a Nov. 12 loss to current No. 1 Michigan State. Julius Randle overcame a scoreless first half and added his sixth double-double in as many games with 14 points and 10 rebounds. https://www.cheapjerseysgiants.us/ . Blackwood, 28, has played the last three seasons in the San Diego Padres system, including the past two summers with Class AA San Antonio of the Texas League. San Francisco Giants Pro Shop . A big centre with all the tools to be an elite player, Johansen paced the Blue Jackets with a standout game Saturday night. He had a goal and two assists for a career-high three points as Columbus beat the New York Islanders 5-2 to snap a five-game losing streak. San Francisco Giants Shirts . Ibaka equaled a career high with 20 rebounds, adding four blocked shots and 15 points as the Thunder smothered the Milwaukee Bucks offence in a 92-79 victory Saturday night. DENVER -- Welcome back to Raiders-Broncos, a rivalry thats lost some of its luster in recent years.Now, both teams are 6-2 and headed for a showdown next weekend with the AFC West lead on the line.You have to go all the way back to Week 16 of 2002 to find the last time these old AFL foes had this much at stake in a game against one another.The Raiders won that one, 28-16, ending Denvers hopes of taking the division, sending Brian Griese to the bench, Steve Beuerlein to the huddle and the Broncos on an offseason quarterback quest that ended with Jake Plummer under center in Denver.The Broncos and Raiders both stayed a step ahead of Kansas City (5-2) on Sunday in the NFLs top division.Oakland overcame 23 penalties to beat Tampa Bay 30-24 in overtime. Then, Denver beat San Diego 27-19 by hitting Philip Rivers 17 times, batting down 13 of his passes, picking off three other throws and sacking him four times.Thats the type of defense that we play, said Von Miller, who had a sack, along with Jared Crick, Justin Simmons and T.J. Ward. Theres enough to go around for everybody. Its great on our team. No one is waiting around for somebody else to make a play. Were all out there trying to make a play from left corner to right corner and everybody in between.We feel like the next play is our chance to make a play for our team and that type of mentality really drives the type of style that we play on defense.Rivers took solace in this as he left: We split with the Denver Broncos this year.And thats saying something.Other takeaways from Denvers win that avenged a 21-13 loss at San Diego 17 days earlier:GROUNDED GROUND GAME: Rookie Devontae Bookers first NFL start was a mixed bag: a 3-yard TD run and a fumble at the 2 to go with just 54 yards on 19 carries (2.8-yard average per carry).It was non-existent, coach Gary Kubiak said of his run game just six days after it had produced 190 yards against Houston. We come out and go right down the field and look like a good, sharp football team and then we couldnt get out of our way about the next three or four series. Im disappointed. I know that we were missing C.J. today, but thats a done deal. We have to improve.Kapri Bibbs ran twice for 4 yards and Juwan Thompson ran once for a 1-yard TD.SAFETY DANCE: Ward and Darian Stewart both had interceptions on the day they were featured on the Broncos program .ddddddddddddI told him on the sidelines, `Stew, we both got picks and we was on the cover today. Weve got to be on the cover every week, Stewart said.Stewarts 25-yard interception return to the San Diego 10 set up Bookers 3-yard TD run. Ward picked off Rivers pass at the 30, spun around and made it to the Chargers 7.Ive been telling you dudes that Im a natural running back, Ward said. I just dont like getting hit.He was lamenting not getting in the end zone like Bradley Roby did on his 49-yard pick-6 in the first half, however, when Booker fumbled the ball away at the 2 moments later.DINGED DENVER: The Broncos were missing two defensive starters in linebacker Brandon Marshall (hamstring) and cornerback Aqib Talib (back) to start the game and lost cornerback Kayvon Webster to a hamstring injury.The Broncos also lost their defensive leader when coordinator Wade Phillips was taken to a hospital after getting knocked down during Robys return in the second quarter. He was released a couple of hours later and is expected back at work Monday.San Diego running back Melvin Gordon was blocked into the 69-year-old assistant by Miller, and Phillips was strapped to a backboard and carted off the field in a scary scene that concluded with him giving a thumbs-up on his way to the tunnel.With linebackers coach Reggie Herring taking over Denvers defensive calls, the Broncos had a goal-line stand in the closing minutes and picked off Rivers twice more in the second half.I got on the headset a couple of times and he told me shut the hell up, hes got it, said Kubiak, who gave Herring a game ball.BACKUP BACK UP: Cornerback Lorenzo Doss surrendered Travis Benjamins 14-yard touchdown catch and came down hard on his back. But he returned to the game and broke up Rivers fourth-down pass to tight end Hunter Henry in the closing minutes.OFF THE MARK: San Diego kicker Josh Lambo had a forgettable day by pushing a 45-yard field goal wide left just before halftime and watching Shaq Barrett block an extra point in the third quarter.---AP NFL website: www.pro32.ap.org and AP NFL Twitter feed: www.twitter.com/AP-NFL---Follow AP Pro Football Writer Arnie Melendrez Stapleton on Twitter: http://twitter.com/arniestapleton ' ' '