A timeline of a handful of modern key moments in the field of Minnesota women’s sports:
In 1999, Minnesota Lynx make their WNBA debut
In 2008, Wrestler Ali Bernard on her way to Beijing Olympics
In 2011, the Minnesota Lynx make it to the WNBA finals for the first time
In 2017, St. Paul’s Suni Lee sees her Olympic dream on the horizon
These and more that you can hear in this curated collection.
[This collection was curated by Shandi Burrows, Archival Assistant]
May 22, 2002 - All Things Considered’s Lorna Benson interviews Gary Gilson, News Council executive director, about Minnesota News Council holding a public forum to talk about concerns brought up by the Women's Athletics Advisory Council at the University of Minnesota. Athletes, journalists, and the public will discuss whether a bias exists in the coverage of women's athletics.
May 24, 2002 - MPR’s Marisa Helms presents this report after attending a Minnesota News Council forum to hear complaints about how Twin Cities news media are doing an inadequate job covering women's sports at the University of Minnesota.
June 7, 2002 - MPR’s Laurel Druley reports on two Minnesota teams competing in the 2002 National Women's Division One Rugby Championship, being held in Rochester, Minnesota. Six other teams from across the country are also competing in what is Rochester’s first time hosting a national tournament.
September 19, 2002 - MPR’s Cathy Wurzer interviews Jock Olson, director of golf at Interlachen Country Club, on Solheim Cup being hosted in Edina, Minnesota. Olson breaks down the various golfers attending the event and the course itself.
March 18, 2005 - MPR’s Bob Reha stops at women’s basketball team practice at the University of Minnesota to talk to guard Kelly Roysland…and her grandmother, Bernice Carlin, who started this generational basketball family.
November 29, 2005 - MPR’s Jayne Solinger visits with former members of the Grand Meadow girls’ basketball team, as they join together to commemorate the release of the book Daughters of the Game - The First Era of Minnesota Girls High School Basketball, 1891-1942. The former basketball players, who are now beyond 80 years old, look back at an era in which the school’s girls’ teams compiled a 94-0 record between 1929 and 1939.
March 18, 2008 - MPR’s Laura Yuen reports on local female ski jumpers who are pressuring the International Olympic Committee to create a women's event for the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver. Ski jumping is the only event in the Winter Olympics that excludes female athletes.
June 26, 2008 - MPR’s Tom Weber reports from Interlachen Country Club in Edina, Minnesota, to set the scene for the U.S. Women's Open golf tournament. Segment includes an interview with local golfer Hilary Lunke, winner of the 2003 U.S. Women's Open.
July 2, 2008 - MPR’s Mark Steil profiles New Ulm’s Ali Bernard, the first Minnesota female Olympian to come out of the state's high school wrestling program.
December 29, 2009 - MPR’s Dan Gunderson reports on how a Minnesota high school coach is challenging gender stereotypes. Women lead only 2% of Minnesota boys’ teams, so heads are turning when the Ulen-Hitterdal Spartan Boys’ Basketball team takes to the court this year.