When I told my family that I would really want to do bull riding, they just looked at me and said “sure you do”.

It made me so mad that they don’t think I can do something like that. I would always say I know what to do and I practice with my friends, but they just won’t let me go. My dad is the worst of them all, he says that if even just sit on the bull that he would pull me off and beat my butt. Wow, dad, what a threat!

My dad would tell me stories about when he use to pull the gate for the riders, he said they are nothing but jerks, but I know that that’s not all true. My dad has even pulled the gate for Lane Frost once or twice when he was younger. I thought that was awesome!

I know my parents are just scared for their little girl to ride a big bad bull, but I just wish that they would have a little more faith in me. I also wish that they would understand that if I can go and get stomped, crushed, and kicked by the calves at our place and still get back up that I can survive in that arena.

I am now starting to get better over time, and have been practicing every chance I get. I am looking forward to one day joining the other women in the ring, so wish me luck and thanks!

At the time I only rode my little pony he was only 11.2 hands high. It was quite a sight watching me run him around three barrels in a clover leaf pattern as he had a strong head and I would often stop next to a fence and wedge my leg in between him and the fence and not move. He really is a big sweetie though.

Anyway…. I kept begging mum and dad to let me ride a poddy calf at a rodeo. When I was eleven I started riding a bigger horse as well as riding Ticko who will always be my favourite. Her name was Misty and was 14.2 hands high. She was very young and I was the very first kid to ride her. As we all know nobody’s perfect but I have to admit Misty and Ticko were to horses that weren’t far from it. I rode Misty bareback a lot and gained a lot of trust in her. We’ve gotten lost in acre paddocks and stuck in storms.

When I was twelve we went to another rodeo and this time I couldn’t help it I came home that night telling mum and dad how much I wanted to bull ride. They finally gave in and said at the next rodeo we promise. One day a big box arrived in the mail I opened it up to find a bull riding vest. I was delighted. The next rodeo came round and I nominated for the rodeo. When I rode my first poddy calf my mum had hoped that it would turn me away but I was hooked. I loved the adrenalin rush and had stayed on for four of the six seconds. I couldn’t wait for the next rodeo.

When it came round we had organised an entire weekend to camp at the rodeo grounds with some other people. I called the National Rodeo Association office to nominate but the phone call resulted in tears. I’d just recently ridden with their association but all of a sudden I can’t. They said it was something to do with someone complaining about a girl riding a poddy calf. I couldn’t believe it. After my first ride we’d bought all my bull riding equipment and now I believed I’d never be able to use it.

Instead at the rodeo I competed in my first official barrel race on my horse Misty. We did our very best but Misty was one of the youngest horses competing and we were up against massive quarter horses. Misty is big but she’s a smaller thoroughbred and doesn’t have much muscle as she’s still filling out. I was still proud of competing in it and super proud of Misty.

When the Gympie show turned up I nominated Misty and me in all the novelty events and the barrel race later that night. I tried nominating again but they said no ‘GIRLS CAN’T BULLRIDE’. A man who runs some of the rough stock events tried to talk them into letting me ride but they said no to him, too. I competed at the show and we won Misty’s first ribbon, we came second in keyhole event. Barrel race went well, I got a faster time than last time but the girl who won the junior barrel race also won the open ladies barrel race.

The man who had tried helping me nominate told me about another rodeo association that would let me ride, the Queensland Rodeo Association (QRA). Their rodeos are further away but are worth it. We own a little pony with a bad temper so I would often hop on him and hope he’d buck like a maniac so I could get some practice it wasn’t the same but there was still some adrenaline rush. I nominated for the Gin Gin Rodeo. This has been my biggest and best rodeo yet. I rode my first Juvenile Steer here. I stayed on six second out of eight but it was a mighty fine ride. I think people will remember me for that one. I also rode another poddy calf at this rodeo. Let’s just say poddy calves are a lot harder to ride than steers. Again I showed the boys how it was done at that rodeo.

I also competed on my Dad’s horse in two barrel races. This was quite a big rodeo and we did okay but didn’t place in anything.

One of my most recent rodeos was in Mulgildie. I rode two steers. One was for a ladies steer ride. For this one they got me to stand up on the back of a truck along with five other ladies and people they bet money on us. This was scary to me and I was under a lot of pressure thankfully some people put money on me, one person had 100 dollars on me. When we got to the easy bit I reckon I did pretty well and my steer bucked like a maniac. I still didn’t ride time but came forth; none of the girls rode time. With my second steer ride I was disappointed in the way my steer bucked. If I had ridden time I wouldn’t have won anyway I don’t think. It’s the luck of the draw.

To all the people who said I couldn’t do it here I am, and I’m doing it well. I’d like to also thank my Mum and Dad for all their support and time they put into this and also my Grandad for his encouragement. To any girl who has ever been told you can’t do it, you can as long as you put your mind to it.

To find my videos on youtube just search Girlbullrider2011 on youtube.

I have to admit, I was far less supervised than my children. Times were different. There weren’t so many child protection laws. I had three older siblings who were all attending private colleges at the same time. My parents weren’t wealthy and both had to work in order to pay the bills for three tuitions. In fact, my earliest memory of my oldest brother is the day he left for college. For the most part, I was left to myself, to do what I wanted.

My seventh birthday was my first recollection of not accepting “no”. My parents had a simple rule; I could do what I wanted as long as it didn’t cost anything. Throughout kindergarten and first grade, it seemed all my friends were having birthday parties and I wanted one too. I knew if I asked my parents would say “no”. Not to be deterred, one day I took some drawing paper and made party invitations for my classmates. I invited every girl in my class of 120 students. I handed them out at school the next day. Then I told my parents I was having a birthday party at our house and I handed them the list of things – birthday cake, party decorations, prizes – that I needed. I don’t recall them saying anything, they just did as I asked and it was a great birthday party. Of course, my parents not saying anything just encouraged me. Finally, I saw how to get what I wanted!

I went to a private school for K-8 and my parents decided that I would attend the public high school. I remember having an introductory meeting with the guidance counselor. The counselor was to advise me on what subjects to take and the academic levels for each subject. In my high school, there were 5 levels, the fifth was by invitation only and was reserved for those students thought to be promising enough to attend the top private colleges. I remember telling the counselor I wanted to be in the 5th level and the counselor saying, “No, you didn’t go to the right elementary school. You should try the 4th level”. I stood my ground. I insisted on the 5th level. I graduated 9th in a class of 700+ students and I did attend one of the top universities.

My older brothers helped me get admitted to those top universities. They came home from college during breaks and told me that straight A’s wouldn’t be enough. I had to do more. So I found the city-wide science competition. I still remember researching and devising the experiments, using the yellow pages to call around and find all the necessary supplies, and enlisting my mother’s help to drive around and get them. My science teachers had to sponsor me for the competitions. Every year they just glared at me and rolled their eyes as they signed the paperwork, but I always brought back the awards.

When I applied to colleges, I applied to engineering schools. I loved computers. They fascinated me. Personal computers were just starting to make headway into the everyday lives of the average person. It was exciting times. It turned out to be a technology that would change the way people lived. Computer Science was a new field and many colleges stuck the fledgling subject under the electrical engineering or mathematics departments. I remember an alumnus of an Ivy League school coming to my high school to speak with me. I was called to the guidance counselor’s office, the alumnus said they received my application and wanted me to change my intended major. I was bluntly told that they don’t accept girls into engineering. The alumnus suggested I try the pre-med or pre-vet programs instead. I didn’t attend that college, but did pursue engineering and computer science through both undergraduate and graduate school.

These types of incidents have continued throughout my life, and they still happen today. It doesn’t stop. What have I learned both from my reflections and from observing my daughters?

The ability to stand against the tide of no’s starts early. These won’t be the easiest kids to deal with as parents or teachers. As children, the ones that will change the “You can’t” into “Yes, I can and I will” will drive everyone around them nuts. They are uncontrollable. They are independent. They don’t give in – ever. These traits don’t just suddenly appear in adulthood.

There will always be naysayers. Until you are successful, the naysayers will vastly outnumber those that encourage you. To succeed, one must fail first and likely many times. Those naysayers will be quick to point out, “I told you so”. Once you succeed, no one remembers all those failed attempts. Once you succeed, those naysayers are quick to point out again, “I knew you could do it.”

If you can, disassociate with the naysayers. When you are constantly bombarded by people saying you can’t, your mind begins to focus on failure instead of success. Instead of planning how to achieve your dreams, you start to concentrate on contingency and risk management plans, imagining all possible failure points and what-if scenarios.

Just ignore the people who tell say, “You can’t do that”. As long as you are not trying to break the laws of science, you can.

Cynthia Kocialski is the founder of three tech start-ups companies. In the past 15 years, she has been involved in dozens of start-ups. Cynthia writes the Start-up Entrepreneurs’ Blog www.cynthiakocialski.com.

Cynthia has written the book, “Out of the Classroom Lessons in Success: How to Prosper Without Being at the Top of the Class.” The book serves up tips, insight, and wisdom to enable young adults and parents of kids to know what it will take to forge a successful career, no matter what their academic achievement.

My sister who was my guardian, was strict and I had made up my mind early that I wanted to go to university. Boys used to take the top four positions and I would take the 5th position. When we did the national primary school exam,I did not perform very well but my sister wanted the best for me. She pleaded with the principal of one of the best girls school in the province. She took me in, in what was called a third selection…this is like the last of the last to be selected. I went in and decided I had to make my sister proud and show those boys that I can do it.

I realized I was so good in sciences and the teachers encouraged me. In the end I made it to campus. The first girl from that group. There was one other boy who made it too but he was not from my class. The following year a boy from our class joined and he almost fainted upon seeing me in the university. I had made it. I was training as a science teacher.

When I graduated I went to work with girls in an even remote village school. We were only two female teachers in a staff on 24 teachers. I was a testimony to the girls that it can be done. As I taught Biology and Chemistry I also told them that they are just as good as the boys in that school. Since then some have gone to campus and even doing their masters degrees. I am now in the US, I am a mother of three girls, a homeschooling mum and a blogger. I am blessed. I tell them everyday that they can do anything they put their minds on. I see it in them. I hope that when they get to be teenagers they will keep up the spirit and use it well into their adult life.

I started a blog on building self-esteem in girls a place @ http://esteemedgirls.com. It is a place where I share my heart on how girls can work on their internal psyche to bring out their best.

Thank you
Grace

Find me at: http://esteemedgirls.com

I decided to be useful and started moving a table. A counselor (female) then said: “Vanessa! Put that table down! You’re gonna hurt your back! You’re a GIRL!”

I was shocked and offended, as I had NEVER encountered such sexism.

After that hour passed I started to get mad. I used this anger to motivate myself to train harder and more seriously than I ever have before. I have been training for a little over a month now. In April I will be ready to try riding a bull.

Thank you C, without your sexist comment I would have never gotten to where I am today. I can’t wait to see the look on your face when I come out of that chute on a bull.

Now here’s my message to you: Don’t ever let anyone else tell you who you are. You know who you are. You are beautiful and strong just the way you are.

;D

Since I am only 16, I can’t exactly join the academy. In my community, being a cadet at the fire station is a pretty big deal: especially when you’re a girl.

At first, I didn’t want much to do with it. After all, I want to be a cop, not a firefighter. Then, my friend and I decided we were going to join, even though we would be on different departments. So, one day I went to the fire department and filled out an application.

When the training officer handed the chief my form and said “Hey chief, we have a new cadet”, he stared blankly at me and said “well, where is he?”. My first thought? Oh great!

But instead I just smiled and said “Here I am!”

I’ve gotten A TON of weird glances and questions like “ummm…what are you doing here?”, “are you even old enough to be here?” and “if you want to be a cop, why are you in the fire station?” The guys have all gotten used to me, and the few women (there are a few on the department, but I’m the only girl cadet) that are there think it’s nice having a girl around.

The only downside? I’m 5 feet tall and 96 lbs. again, brings up “why are you here?”.

My answer? I want to make a difference in peoples lives, and if I can help one person, then that’s one person’s life that I made a difference in.

I’m not afraid of being “one of the guys” and actually embrace it. Even some of my friends didn’t approve of me joining. But all that meant was that I needed to make a decision based on what I knew I wanted to do, not their opinions.

Just because its a male dominated field and not everyone had my back doesn’t mean I should run in the other direction… means I took a deep breath and went for it… and I’m not turning back I am as happy as ever and wouldn’t want it any other way!

I wasn’t very outward about my interest for firefighting for one particular reason, that reason being even from a young age, I was told I couldn’t fight fires… Because I was a girl. So I kept to myself and listened to my dad’s scanner in the basement every time he went on a call. To join, I had to wait till my 16th birthday and as it crept closer, the ants in my pants seemed to multiply on a daily basis.

But then, when the goal seemed so close, I was diagnosed with Essex Lopresti syndrome , meaning a bone in my arm was too long. I had to have it shortened and put back together with a metal plate and five screws. Now I had two obsticles because at that point in time my mom found out about my internal flame for firefighting and flat out told me “No.” It was a punch in the gut that made me cry for quite a while. The same woman who had always encouraged me and lifted me up was telling me “No” because I was a girl!

But I held my head high and waited. With support from my dad and close friends, I healed from my surgery and waited patiently for the day my mom might say “Yes.” I never really got a yes, but a year and a half after my 16th birthday my Dad took me down to the firehouse one day and handed me an application. When I finally got the phone call from the Chief that I was accepted, I think a tear or two fell from my eyes because I had done it. I fullfilled my ultimate dream. I didn’t have the support I thought I would, but I got through any way.

So now every time my pager goes off and the tones go out, me and my dad race to the car and drive to the firehouse to gear up and roll out on the trucks. It’s the most amazing feeling in the world, being accepted in a world that is thought of as a man’s world. I was immediatly accepted by all the men there and instantly they became my second family, all of them “My Dads and Brothers.”

I stand tall in my turnout gear, even though I am only 5 feet tall and less than half the weight of my smallest male commrade. I still have the metal plate and screws in my arm, but I don’t let it slow me down. I turn heads every where I go and enjoy surprising firefighters from other departments on calls when they realize I am a girl and I just performed as well or often better than others. And nothing beats riding back to the firehouse after a call in the passenger seat, my dad driving. My mom is slowly climbing aboard with support, but either way, I know I can. My gender does not define who I am or what I can do. I am me, a female firefighter, following my dreams, one fire at a time.

Find me at: http://www.facebook.com/

I first started racing when I was 10 years old. No one ever specifically told me that I ‘can’t’ race, but fellow racers definitely gave me a hard time about being a female racer when I was first starting out. At that time, there were very few girls racing motocross and no one thought a girls career would go very far. People treated it like it was some frivolous hobby and I’d soon grow tired of it.

Boy where they wrong… fast forward 18 years and I’ve got 6 National titles, an ESPY nomination, 4 times competing in the X Games, and having been featured twice in an EA Sports video game to show for it. Us girls ride just as hard as the boys, and Women’s Motocross is finally starting to get the respect and attention that it deserves!

To girls that are thinking about getting involved in the sport, I always tell them ‘If you want to do it, than do it! Listen to yourself. If you’ve made up your mind that you want to race, don’t let anyone stop you.’

1. The softball gear was too big for me, at least in the league that i was in.
2. I wanted to play with the guys, I had been playing baseball since as long as I can remember. I wanted to make friends with the boys.
3. I wanted to prove to my family and the team that I could play with the guys.

My mom made me play softball instead, but I didn’t end up playing because I was sick with mono for like half the year. Anyway, I started reseraching the MLB and NFL. ( I love playing football too, and might play on my middle school team if I can.) and it turns out that girls can’t play!!! I was pissed. I mean Guys should be able to play pro softball if they want to, and girls should be able baseball if they want to.

And football, well girls shouldn’t have to play on a stupid powderpuff league if they want to play football. They should be able to play with the big boys. I mean, if they’re good enough, what’s the problem? If girls want to, and are good enough, they should be able to. End of story.

Thnx guys – this probably won’t matter in the end, but I just wanted to say something.