The Greene Space at WNYC presents "Women Box: Fighting to Make History" hosted by Rosie Perez, with Female Boxers including an Olympic Hopeful, on Friday, Feb. 10 at 7pm

 

The Greene Space at WNYC presents

 

WOMEN BOX:
Fighting to Make History

  An Evening with Female Boxers, including an Olympic Hopeful,
In Advance of the First Olympics to Include Female Boxing

Hosted by ROSIE PEREZ

Friday, February 10 at 7pm

Tickets On Sale Now at www.thegreenespace.org
WNYC to Also Feature Radio and Podcast Stories Leading Up to the Olympic Trials

 

(New York, NY – January 30, 2012) – Men have boxed in the Olympic games since the ancient Greeks adopted the sport more than two thousand years ago. Women, never.  But this year, that changes, when 24 American women will compete for three spots on the Olympic 2012 team.

In a new multimedia series entitled, WOMEN BOX:  Fighting to Make History, WNYC, The Greene Space and photojournalist Sue Jaye Johnson will team up to tell the story of a group of women who challenge the prevailing wisdom that girls don’t play rough.  The series kicks off on January 29, when the New York Times Magazine will publish Johnson’s photo and video series following women boxers and WNYC’s first radio story will air.  The series will live online at wnyc.org/womenbox.

The centerpiece of the series is an event in The Jerome L. Greene Performance Space on Friday, February 10 at 7pm, convening some of the country’s aspiring and professional women boxers looking to make history.  Host Rosie Perez will introduce Claressa Shields, a 16-year old girl from Flint, Michigan, whose mind is set on getting to the 2012 Olympics and who is featured in Johnson’s photo series.  She is the youngest woman competing for a spot on the team and, at the tournament that qualified her for the trials, she was named “Most Outstanding Boxer.” 

The lively discussion will be joined by four-time world champion Alicia Ashley, who, during her 15 years as a pro boxer, has wowed fans around the world and, yet, finds it hard to get a fight in the United States, and Heather Hardy, an accomplished amateur boxer and single mom with high hopes she can go pro and make a living doing what she loves.

The evening will include an on-stage boxing demonstration from Shields and her coach Jason Crutchfield

WHAT:                       WOMEN BOX: Fighting to Make History
WHEN:                       Friday, February 10 at 7pm
WHERE:                     The Jerome L. Greene Performance Space
                           44 Charlton Street (at Varick Street)
                           New York, NY 10014
TICKETS:              $15, includes a complimentary beer, available at www.thegreenespace.org

The Women Box multimedia series focuses on the women competing to make the U.S. Olympic boxing team: who they are, why they fight, and what it takes to make it this far.  The stories run from January 29 through February 19 on WNYC 93.9 FM, AM 820, and www.wnyc.org, including:

  • RADIO pieces that bring listeners inside the lives and minds of women fighters while also exploring issues, such as the role of aggression and desire in the lives of girls; what turns a woman into a fighter and how that compares to men; how storied Brooklyn gym Gleason’s risked its reputation early on to invite women to train alongside its men; 
  • a PODCAST series of audio and video stories that take a peek inside the lives and minds of the female Olympic boxing contenders, including thoughts on what it feels like to punch and get punched, how the women view their opponents, and advice to beginning women boxers; 
  • a WEBPAGE that includes exceptional photographic essays to complement the series audio and video content; 
  • VIDEOS, featuring a day in the life of three of the Olympic hopefuls at NYT.com.

 
For more information, visit www.wnyc.org/womenbox.

 
New York Public Radio is New York's premier public radio franchise, comprising WNYC, WQXR, The Jerome L. Greene Performance Space, and New Jersey Public Radio, as well as www.wnyc.org, www.wqxr.org, www.thegreenespace.org and www.njpublicradio.org. As America's most listened-to AM/FM news and talk public radio stations, reaching 1.1 million listeners every week, WNYC extends New York City's cultural riches to the entire country on-air and online, and presents the best national offerings from networks National Public Radio, Public Radio International, American Public Media, and the British Broadcasting Company. WQXR is New York City's sole 24-hour classical music station, presenting new and landmark classical recordings as well as live concerts from the Metropolitan Opera, the New York Philharmonic, among other New York City venues, immersing listeners in the city's rich musical life. In addition to its audio content, WNYC and WQXR produce content for live, radio and web audiences from The Jerome L. Greene Performance Space, the station's street-level multipurpose, multiplatform broadcast studio and performance space. New Jersey Public Radio extends WNYC reach and service more deeply into New Jersey. For more information about New York Public Radio, visit www.nypublicradio.org.

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