Women sport news

Will it be youthful fearlessness or veteran savvy that wins this week’s season-opening tournament on the Duramed FUTURES Tour? Defending champion Lori Atsedes, a 14th-year professional, returns to Lakeland, Fla., for the Bright House Networks Open, hoping to grab her eighth career win. Plus more news

Basketball Australia is pleased to announce its 25 player Australian Defence Force Opals squad for the 2008 Beijing Games. photo FIBA

The Ladies Spirit Tour announces the 2008 Season Opener, which will be held this weekend, March 15-16th, at Hammer Heads Billiard Lounge in Holiday, Florida! The owners of Hammer Heads, Dan & Nora LaVoie, are adding $1200 to the purse and hope to see everyone there to start off the new season! Remember that this is a WPBA Qualifier event for the Great Lakes Classic.

The 2008 Tenerife PWA Women’s PWA World Cup has now been rescheduled due to changing requirements of the local organisation. photo PWA Carter

Positive Coaching Alliance (PCA) a national non-profit that is transforming youth sports and USA Water Polo the sport’s national governing body have established a national partnership.

Organizers of US SAILING's Rolex International Women's Keelboat Championship - the first world sailing competition created for women - have announced the dates for the next running of this biennial event. photo Sally Barkow, Nashotah, WI USA celebrating her team's victory Photo by: Rolex / Dan Nerney

Lindsey Vonn (Vail, CO) fulfilled her lifelong goal of winning the World Cup downhill title when she received the coveted crystal globe on Wednesday during World Cup Finals in Bormio, Italy. photo Doug Haney US Ski Team

American Olympic Gold Medalist alpine ski racer Julia Mancuso and her British counterpart Chemmy Alcott take the lessons they have learned through a lifetime of sports participation and join Right to Play in their journey to bring those same life-affirming lessons to one of the many impoverished and underdeveloped communities in Africa.

Top U.S. athletes will be in Utah this weekend for the 2008 backcountry.com U.S. Ski Jumping and Nordic Combined Championships on the 2002 Olympic venues. Jessica Jerome (Park City, UT) will be among the leaders for the season-ending U.S. Championship event.

World’s 15th sliding centre praised by international federation technical officials

The level of riding was incredibly high in a straight-to-final format with riders allowed three attempts to throw down their best run. Australian rider Torah Bright took the women’s top spot, extending her Tour lead. photo Jake Mcbride.com

The final 5-Star event of the Swatch TTR World Snowboard Tour promises to shake things up in the TTR World Rankings as many world-class riders head to Killington Vermont, USA for the Chevrolet Grand Prix.

The Devizes to Westminster International Canoe Marathon (DW) involves starting the 125 mile race on Saturday in the quiet market town of Devizes in Wiltshire and continuing straight through the night without stopping, finishing on Easter Sunday at Westminster Bridge, directly opposite the Houses of Parliament in the heart of London. photos Paddlepics.com

Newly crowned World Indoor Champion and Australia Post Stawell Gift faithful, Tamsyn Lewis, has confirmed that not even her new international status and quest for Beijing Olympic gold will keep her from Central Park this Easter.

The U.S. Women’s Sitting Volleyball Team will begin its run up to the 2008 Paralympic Games in Beijing by hosting the Netherlands Women’s Sitting Volleyball team for a training and scrimmage camp on March 17-20 in the Chicago area.

Overall IPC World Cup Crystal Globe winner, Kimberly Joines (Edmonton, AB) was quickest in both giant slalom runs in the Ladies sit-skier category, finishing in a winning two-run combined time of 2:04.36. photo Alpine Canada

Loughborough Lightning did not ease up in the last round of the Co-operative Netball Superleague, despite already qualifying for the end of season play offs, and put in a superb performance to dismiss Brunel Hurricanes 58-40 in front of their home crowd on Saturday evening.

EHF NEWS LINKS with the match information for the 1/4 final matches of the Women's EHF European Cup competitions. The first leg took place from 04.03 - 09.03 and the 2nd leg will take place from 14 - 16.03.2008. photo EHF

Slovak Daniela Hantuchova will return to the site of her two biggest triumphs this fortnight at the $2.1-million Pacific Life Open. Also in the Tier I field will be four of the world's Top 5 players.

England Women’s Head Coach Gary Street has named his most experienced team for Saturday’s RBS 6 Nations championship finale against Ireland at London Irish ARFC, Sunbury, kick-off 445pm.

England Hockey is pleased to announce the selected U16/U18 Girls squad that will participate in the annual 4-Nations Invitational Event. The Girls event is in Germany. The teams will compete against their age group equivalents from The Netherlands, Germany and Spain.

New Zealand has levelled the Rose Bowl Series with an 82-run victory over the Commonwealth Bank Southern Stars in the second one-day international in Lincoln, Christchurch, this afternoon.

England's U19 Women were beaten 2-1 in their opening fixture of the La Manga Tournament yesterday. photo FA

More than 500 junior golfers will travel to the 35th Curtis Cup Match this summer (30 May - 1 June 2008) in St Andrews with transport costs met by The R&A.

The University of Lagos International School were crowned winner in the girl’s cadre. UNILAG (ISL) girls defeated Indian Language School 21-16 to win the girls title.

Reigning Women’s World Longboard Champion Jennifer Smith dominated from start to finish in the Women’s defeating Hawaiian surfer Jana Irons – final scores Smith 17.33 to Irons on 14.87. Third place went to French surfer Justine Dupont. photo ASP