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jeremystrele · 6 years

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Meet AFLW Forward And Mum-Of-Two Sophie Abbatangelo

Family

Emma Eldridge

North Melbourne Tasmania Kangaroos’ forward Sophie Abbatangelo is Mum to Meika and Hendrix. Photo – Sarah Collins for The Design Files.

Hendrix, 5, started school as Sophie began her debut AFLW season this year. Photo – Sarah Collins for The Design Files.

Meika, 3, also started kinder – it has been a big year for the family! Photo – Sarah Collins for The Design Files.

After being overlooked in the 2018 draft, Sophie started donning the North Melbourne Tasmania Kangaroos’ #1 jersey this year. Photo – Sarah Collins for The Design Files.

Sophie is a single mum, though Meika and Hendrix’s Dad has been really supportive of her football career, taking the kids Thursday to Sunday. Photo – Sarah Collins for The Design Files.

The family live near the beach and the kids do bush kinder once a week. Photo – Sarah Collins for The Design Files.

They do dinner together after going for a bike ride to the park to kick the footy in the afternoons. Photo – Sarah Collins for The Design Files.

‘I have always been passionate about equal rights and recognition, not just for athletes but for women in general,’ tells Sophie. Photo – Sarah Collins for The Design Files.

Sophie has learned ‘it’s not what you teach them, it’s what they see’. Photo – Sarah Collins for The Design Files.

‘I hope my kids will grow up to be kind,’ she says. ‘That’s the most important trait I can teach them, whether it’s standing up to someone or opening a door for someone else, kindness goes further than anyone can imagine.’ Photo – Sarah Collins for The Design Files.

Women are under-represented in sport, both on and off the field – think participation, coverage and leadership. Contrary to popular belief, this cannot be attributed to boys being naturally more active. In 2016, the LOOK Longitudinal Study found a 19 per cent gap in physical activity between girls and boys – girls, the research revealed, are less favourably influenced by their families, schools and communities.

Yet, equal opportunity and support when it comes to playing sport not only positively impacts girls’ health and development, it counters privilege and bias – which is why I was particularly excited to interview North Melbourne Tasmania Kangaroos forward and mum-of-two Sophie Abbatangelo. Even the unversed like me can see how the AFLW and its counterparts across codes are starting to change attitudes and norms, a welcome development for my generation and those to come. Wishing Sophie and the team the best of luck for the season’s final month!

Your son Hendrix started school the day after your first AFLW game with the North Melbourne Tasmanian Kangaroos, a 36-point win over Carlton. Congrats on two massive milestones, how are you both finding your new roles ?

We definitely experienced a rollercoaster of emotions leading up to our big days, with Meika also starting kinder. It was always going to be a challenge for the three of us, as we’re a really tight unit, and Hendrix and Meika are still adjusting to me being away. I think Hendrix nailed his first day with less nerves than I had going into my first game!

But it never stops for us. Coming out of my first game, I was sore and exhausted, but the kids still wake up in the night and crawl into bed with me, so I function on very little sleep. There’s a lot more responsibility when your child starts school, so dealing with him being tired from longer hours and having to do homework takes patience and time.

Hendrix is having so much fun at school, I can’t wait to see what this chapter brings for him. As for me, I’m absolutely loving my new role as a player, I just wish the kids would let me sleep more!

You grew up watching your dad and uncle play AFL, but pursued inline (Sophie represented Australia) and ice hockey as, up until recently, there was no national women’s game (though the VFLW was founded in 1981, and Sophie played with Diamond Creek until this year). Libby Birch of the Western Bulldogs has said that sport has the power to effect cultural change and advance gender equity. What does it mean to you, and your daughter Meika, to be a part of this?

I grew up watching men in my family play football, from my Dad and brother to my uncles and cousins. Even though I preferred to kick with the boys, I was still supported when I wanted to play competition.

I have always been passionate about equal rights and recognition, not just for athletes but for women in general. If Meika grows up to love sport as much as I do, I feel confident that she’ll be encouraged and accepted within any sport she chooses to play. And if she does aspire to play football, it excites me to think how amazing she could be with the talent and growth that is coming through now. I just hope she uses her strength and ferocity in competitive sport rather than on Hendrix and me!

As for following in my footsteps, I hope she feels empowered to challenge herself with things she might find difficult and if she does choose a sporting pathway, listens to her coaches and finds herself a great group of friends.

Entering the 2017 AFLW draft, you were overlooked by all eight clubs – a disappointment that ultimately afforded you more time with your mum, who passed last year. Can you tell us a bit about your mum? I can only imagine how proud she’d be of you today.

Being overlooked in the second draft was a blessing in disguise, though it was upsetting, that feeling of letting my Mum down. I knew not being drafted meant I had a lot more to learn – I needed to touch the footy a little bit longer. But it was hard seeing her sad for me.

She was always my biggest supporter in everything I did. I played a lot of sport at a high level growing up, from tennis to basketball and then hockey. It was always mum who was beside me during the early morning, road trips, camps and late-night games.

Mum was all about connection and conversation, and she loved to dance. She was witty and feisty, a bit of a know-all, intelligent, fabulous and fun. A really beautiful woman. I see a lot of her in Meika.

She always made people feel important and valued. The day I became a mum was the day I realised how extraordinary she was, and that feeling grows stronger every day. The sheer magnitude of motherhood and all it encompasses, the all-consuming love and exhaustion; I don’t think I’ll survive my kids’ childhood and adolescence with the same composure as she did mine.

Towards the end, she had such strength, determination and unwavering love; her ‘get on with it’ attitude was awe-inspiring. The hardest part of my football journey is her not being here doing what Mums love to do best – watch their kids kick ass. I miss life with her.

Much has been made of AFLW players like yourself, Erin Phillips and Dana Hooker balancing footy and family (this rarely comes up in relation to dads in the AFL). You’ve said you’ve spent the last five years as a stay-at-home-mum, how have you found the transition? In what ways do you share the load with Hendrix and Meika’s Dad?

Being a stay-at-home-mum can be quite controversial. For me, it was an instinctive decision – the best way I knew to raise my kids. Though more demanding than any job I’ve had, it’s meant I’ve been able to share every moment and milestone with Hendrix and Meika.

Since AFLW season has started, the kids have spent most weekends with their Dad in Melbourne. He picks them up on a Thursday night, and I get them back on Sunday. They love being with him, and it’s always nice to switch-off and have some me time. Even though we are not together, he has been really supportive of my football career.

During the week can be difficult. Living an hour out of Melbourne with Hendrix now in school and Meika at kinder, it doesn’t give me much flexibility to find a permanent income. But we live near the beach, so we enjoy spending a lot of time down at the water, catching crabs and going on little adventures. The kids do bush kinder once a week, which is a program that helps them develop a deep connection to nature and animals. It’s their favourite day of the week.

Can you give us a glimpse into how your days start and end with Hendrix and Meika?

Mornings can be very rushed; Meika has an 8am start, so when the kids wake up between 7 and 7.30am, there’s only around 30 minutes to ensure they’re fed and dressed with lunches packed. Getting out the door is never an easy task, I generally look like I haven’t slept in six weeks straight!

Wednesday is Hendrix’s day off, and Meika starts kinder later in the day. We have swimming lessons and gymnastics, then usually spend the afternoon together, when we might take the dog for a walk and go kick the footy down the park.

Thursday and Fridays are just me and Meika until we pick Hendrix up. I’ll catch up on the housework and we usually do something fun, every day is different. I do enjoy the days we pretend I’m sick and have broken bones because she enjoys playing doctor and fixing me, it’s totally her idea!

Nights can be hard as a single parent; by 5pm I’m ready for bed. We do dinner together after we have gone for a bike ride to the park and kicked the footy. I try to have the kids in bed by 7pm and asleep by 8pm. We read books and sometimes meditate, then we have a 15-minute chat about our days, telling funny stories and looking at photos of Mum, then I tickle their backs until they fall asleep.

Moving across time, what kind of adults might you like them to grow into? How would you like them to remember you to their own families?

I hope my kids will grow up to be kind. That’s the most important trait I can teach them, whether it’s standing up to someone or opening a door for someone else, kindness goes further than anyone can imagine.

I want them to embrace self-love, something I’ve had to learn as an adult. My theory is that if you grow up loving yourself and feeling safe, you’ll grow to be happy and healthy. If the world is filled with people who share the same thinking, then we’ll see more compassion and kindness – and that’s the kind of world I want to live in.

I’ve learnt it’s not what you teach them, it’s what they see. We can tell them to do things over and over, but if they see us living in a way that contradicts our advice, they won’t take it on for themselves.

I will always try to encourage my kids to see their strengths and use them, whether it’s Hendrix’s hand-eye coordination and great ball skills that might have him playing under the mother-son rule, or Meika’s strength and determination that will make her a future leader or CEO.

The reality is, I was still much like a child myself when I had my two kids, and under the circumstances of losing my Mum the experience of motherhood has been confronting and challenging, which has nearly broken me a number of times. But the best part is I get to grow up alongside my kids, rolling with the punches and learning along the way, all to hopefully become the parent they deserve. That’s how I want them to remember me, by all the love!

Family Favourites

Activity or outing

We love the beach and zoo, The Big Goose, swimming pools and bush walks.

Dinner destination

Anywhere with a playground. My kids aren’t the type to sit at a restaurant in silence, so out of respect for everyone else I prefer to just stay at home.

Book, film, or show

We read a lot of books, it’s been a night-time ritual since they were babies. As much as I like to limit screen time, it’s the only peace and quiet I quiet I get, so they enjoy anything on YouTube Kids.

Place to travel

We have taken the kids to Bali, and will go again after footy season, can’t wait!

The AFLW’s undefeated North Melbourne Tasmania Kangaroos vs. Adelaide Crows is this Sunday, 4pm, at Avalon Airport Oval, Werribee. The league’s reigning best-and-fairest, Kangaroos captain Emma Kearney, as well as 2018 winner, Crows co-captain Erin Phillips, will be playing along with our girl Sophie Abbatangelo in what’s tipped to be a ‘blockbuster‘!

Find out more about gender-inclusive AFL Auskick here and further AFLW pathways (juniors, youth, and women’s seniors) here.

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thrashermaxey · 6 years

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Ramblings: Updates on Turris, Larkin, Byfuglien, and Carter; Trade Deadline – February 8

The Nashville Predators are starting to look like the team many hope they can be, and that’s just largely a function of getting their players back. Viktor Arvidsson has put his injuries behind him, P.K. Subban looks great as always, and now Kyle Turris has returned to the lineup, suiting up on Thursday night. He skated on the second line flanked by Calle Jarnkrok with the newest Predator, Brian Boyle, on the left.

On the topic of Boyle: he was on the top PP unit in Craig Smith’s usual spot.

Dylan Larkin was back in the lineup for the Wings much quicker than expected. They thought he might be out up to two weeks, or at least one. He was back in six days.

Lots of good news on the Arizona injury front as Kevin Connauton, Jakob Chychrun, and Christian Dvorak all skated in the game-day skate. The last on that list was in a non-contact jersey but considering there was a possibility he’d miss the entire season, Dvorak being able to return sometime in the next couple weeks would be a boost to their centre depth. He probably won’t be fantasy relevant for the balance of the season but getting some games under him and a full offseason of training should help a lot for next year.

Chychrun could be back this weekend.

The Sharks were still without Erik Karlsson on Thursday night but their hope is that he will return before the end of the road trip that wraps up Monday in Vancouver.

Patrik Laine was moved off the top PP unit in favour of Jack Roslovic. I know this is in response to Laine’s current slump (two goals in 21 games) and it’s undoubtedly temporary but this kind of move never made sense to me. One of the best goal scorers in the league is in a shooting percentage drought, so you take him out of the best situation he has to score? I would better understand moving Laine down the lineup at even strength and playing him with Mathieu Perreault or Adam Lowry.

Sticking with the Jets, Dustin Byfuglien returned but Josh Morrissey missed the contest. The team expects the young blue liner to return this weekend though so don’t worry too much.

The Kings are not expecting Jeff Carter to play anytime soon though there’s hope he can return to the lineup by the end of their current road trip on Monday in Washington. Michael Amadio took his spot on the second line but honestly, I wouldn’t even be reaching that far. This is a dead zone of fantasy value. The L.A. Kings are the AT&T of fantasy hockey.

We got an update on Thatcher Demko’s injury and it’s a sprained knee. The team said they expect him to miss 7-10 days, so it’s nothing too serious. Everyone can breathe a sigh of relief.

With no points in six games, a player with a short leash is going to get a tug. That’s exactly what happened as Brandon Pirri was a healthy scratch on Thursday night. So it begins. Again.

I remember before the season I was debating keeping Kevin Fiala over Viktor Arvidsson in one of my keeper leagues. I am still very high on Fiala but sometimes the obvious choice is obvious for a reason. There’s a fantasy sports lesson to be learned here.

It was another tough night for John Gibson and Ducks fans as not only did the team lose 2-0 to Ottawa, but Gibson left the game after the second period due to injury. His own defenceman crashed into late in the second period backchecking on Senators forward Matt Duchene and slammed into Gibson. The netminder finished the second but did not return for the third. Updates will be posted when they become available.

Jonathan Drouin continued his hot streak with a pair of goals in Montreal’s 5-1 win over Winnipeg, adding a pair of assists along the way. He has four goals and 11 points in his last six games. He had a season-high eight shots on net as well. If he can keep consistently shooting as he has been (over 2.5 per game since Christmas, consistent with much of his season), it makes him even more of a threat offensively. He doesn’t have to score 40 goals but shooting as much as he has puts 25 goals in play every year.

Phillip Danault had a four-point game along the way with one goal and three assists. Danault has tied his career-high of 40 points set back in 2016-17 and is now two goals shy of tying a career-high 13. His two-way game is very much underrated, though his upside in fantasy will always be capped as long as he’s not on the power play.

Matt Duchene scored his 23rd and 24th goals of the season in Ottawa’s 4-0 shutout win over Anaheim. Anders Nilsson posted the clean sheet for the Senators.

How much longer can Randy Carlyle last?

Mike Matheson had a goal and an assist in Florida’s 3-2 overtime win. He hasn’t taken the next step offensively like many (me) hoped but games like tonight where he stood out offensively beyond just the box stats are what keep reeling us back in.

Jeff Skinner scored a pair of goals, both in the third period and the second with under a minute left, to help Buffalo salvage a point in their 5-4 overtime loss to Carolina. He had six total shots on goal with a pair of penalty minutes to boot. That’s the seventh multi-goal game of the season for Skinner, one shy of his high in his 37-goal campaign when he had eight multi-goal contests.

Teuvo Teravainen had two goals and an assist to pace the ‘Canes to victory, including the overtime winner.

More updates in the morning.

We have about two months left in the season. The trade deadline is just around the corner in a little over a couple weeks and then it’s the push to (hopefully) a fantasy title. Pushing for that fantasy title usually means deftly handling games played and schedules, but it also means taking chances. Most people pushing for a title aren’t in a comfortable enough position to stand pat. They aren’t first place in their roto leagues by 15 points, or they aren’t stacked to the gills in their head-to-head leagues. Most people have to fight for the title.

As I mentioned, this means taking chances. Those chances could include trading for a player who has had a down year to date but has the potential to rebound. I thought it’d be fun to go through some guys I was high on before the season who’ve not performed well to date, but could turn it around down the stretch. These are taken from my Ramblings at the end of September here and here.

Jake DeBrusk

Before the season, I was very much gung-ho on DeBrusk in the anticipation of top power-play minutes. That Ryan Donato (remember him?) earned those minutes early on worried me but I was still drafting DeBrusk. He’s still on pace for a 20-goal campaign but his ice time has been declining of late. He still has those top PP minutes, and the question is whether he can turn it on down the stretch.

The problem with the decline in ice time is that there’s a similar drop in his shot rate as he’s now below two shots per game over his last 11 games. It’s not only a function of his ice time drop, but over the last four weeks, his shot attempt/minute rate has gone down by about 20 percent.

What gives me hope is Boston’s upcoming schedule. Out of their next 20 games through the third week of March, they only have nine games against teams currently in a playoff position (with only a few of those games are against top defensive teams) and their next four games are against Colorado, Chicago, Anaheim, and Los Angeles. At best, those teams have one good defensive line which should be swallowed up by Boston’s top line, allowing DeBrusk and his line mates to run wild on the depth. The latest trends concern me, but if DeBrusk is going to turn his season around, I expect to see it in the next handful of games, and then fantasy owners can make their decision.

Anthony Mantha

It hasn’t really been a bad year for Mantha. His 82-game pace right now is about 25 goals, he’s just missed some time with injury. All the same, he has multi-shot games in eight straight contests heading into Thursday night’s action. His ice time per game is all over the place (over his last 10 games he has as many games under 15 minutes as over 20 minutes) but he’s consistently getting to the net, and that’s what matters.

Mantha has often been skating on the second line for Detroit, especially since he returned from injury last month. The likely trade of Gustav Nyquist and injury to Tyler Bertuzzi currently leaves the top line wide open aside from, I guess, Justin Abdelkader for some reason (as a small aside, the Red Wings sure don’t catch enough from the media for this awful contract). Mantha is on the ice for more goals per minute when playing with Larkin than he does with Frans Nielsen, although the gap isn’t much. More than anything, a promotion to playing with Larkin should lead to more consistent high-end ice time rates than he has endured lately.

Rickard Rakell

It’s been a brutal year for Rakell. He had averaged 24 five-on-five goals over the previous two seasons and would be on pace for eight this year had he been healthy all season.

Injuries have been a factor with the Ducks all year, but it looks like they finally have their typical top line of Rakell-Getzlaf-Perry back together. That trio averaged nearly three goals per 60 minutes at five-on-five last year. Whether Perry is up to speed is up for debate (and unlikely) but at the least the conditions are there for Rakell to rebound. His issues this year are almost all driven by shooting percentages, but it is worth noting that his individual expected goal rate is a four-year low (via Corsica), and considerably lower than the previous three seasons. Does this change with Perry back in the lineup? We’ll see.

This is one player that has a lot of uncertainty. The Ducks are terrible in almost every facet. That doesn’t mean the top line will be terrible, but can they recapture the production of last season? Time will tell. I think it’s worth the gamble if you need to push for a title win or a playoff spot.

Oscar Klefbom

The Oilers are a favourite punching bag of many, and rightfully so. All the same, Klefbom is an excellent talent and he still plays on a team that boasts Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl. He cannot be ignored.

The question for Klefbom is where he fits. He just returned from injury, but Darnell Nurse has maintained his role on the top PP unit. They’re going to ease Klefbom back into his minutes but when he’s back to full gear, he should be back to 24-25 minutes a night.

When McDavid has been on the ice with Klefbom over the last season and a half, the Oilers generate about six percent more shots and though it hasn’t led to more goals (it’s close), I will usually bet on the side of volume. Give it another week or so for Klefbom to get some games under him and then see if he can be had for cheap in your leagues. He’s a guy that can be had for the price of a fourth or fifth defenceman with the upside to be a number-2 over the next two months.

from All About Sports https://dobberhockey.com/hockey-rambling/ramblings-updates-on-turris-larkin-byfuglien-and-carter-trade-deadline-february-8/

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