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 COSMOPOLITAN
Magazine pays tribute to a fabulous selection of South Africans as their Awesome
Women for 2007 in their magnificent December Issue (Biggest Issue Ever), and eight of the 30 women, have succeeded in the world of sport. gsport is
delighted the efforts of women in sport continue to be recognised across all
media, and these accolades go a long way to inspiring other young women to
achieve their dreams.

The dynamic
group of women in sport featured as COSMO’s 2007 Awesome Women are Banyana
Banyana captain, Portia Modise, professional surfer, Rosy
Hodge, champion weightlifter Babalwa
Ndleleni-Ramahlape, Dancer and Choreographer, Amy Rosslind, talented athlete,
Justine Robbeson, champion gymnast, Odette Richard, Lorna Maseko, a soloist with the South African Ballet Theatre, and
gsport Editor, Kass Naidoo.

Portia is
having a wonderful year; she signed with a top Danish women’s team, won the
2007 gSTAR award, and now being lauded by COSMO.

Responding to
a question about where she saw herself in 10 years time, Portia told the
magazine: “I see myself as one of the best female footballers in the world. I
would like to show the international market what Africa
is made of. We have remarkable talent here that is unknown to the rest of the
world. I want to be the face of African female football.

 Rosy (20) was
just 11 when she was selected to represent the South African Junior Surfing
team, competing in the under-19 division. In 2006, she turned professional,
finishing sixth in the 2006 World Qualifying Series and qualifying for the 2007
World Championship Tour in her first year as a pro.

In response
to a question regarding her personal motto, Rosy told COSMO: “KISS – Keep it
simple, stupid. I think it is important to appreciate the simple things in life
and remember to be grateful for the experiences we are afforded. I often find
myself complicating things unnecessarily and getting caught up in the selfish
side of being competitive, so when I find myself in a rut or if I’m not
enjoying my surfing, I try to remind myself that I do it because I love it.”

Babalwa is
best known for becoming the first black South African woman to win a
weightlifting medal, after scooping bronze at last year’s Commonwealth Games in
Australia.
Her efforts in Australia
led to her being named SA Sportswoman of the Year for 2006 and she was awarded
a high performance scholarship by the Western Cape Minister for Cultural
Affairs and Sport.

Babalwa, who
is busy preparing for the Olympics, told COSMO the most awesome thing she’s
ever done was “carry the South African flag at the opening ceremony of the 2007
All-Africa Games in Algeria.

 
Amy (18) won
the Nike Dance To LA competition in 2006, and she formed part of the Nike How I
Fight campaign earlier this year. She is the director of the Urban Degree
School of Performing Arts, where she choreographs and teaches dance. Amy shared
her personal motto with COSMO: I have two: crush boundaries to inspire, and
mediocrity attacks excellence.

 
Justine won
the World Junior Championships Heptathlon in Italy
in 2004, and finished third in at the World Cup for Athletics in Greece last
year. She told COSMO the most awesome thing she ever did was “hurling the
javelin a distance of 62.8m ( a new South African and African record) three
months after slipping a disc in my back. A neurosurgeon had told me I would
never be able to throw a javelin again”.

 
Odette (19)
has been a gymnast since the age of five and has tasted wonderful success,
including becoming National Champion in 2001, and winning five gold medals and
a silver at the African Championships in 2004. Odette, who has her sights set
on the 2008 Olympic Games, told COSMO that her best qualities are: “total
dedication and very hard work – without them there’s no way I’d be where I am
today”.

  Lorna (24)
started dancing at the age of nine and has since performed for audiences in South Africa, Switzerland,
Holland, Russia,
and Austria.
She is now a Soloist with the South African Ballet Theatre and is also studying
for a BCom in business management.

Asked what
has been her greatest achievement so far, Lorna told COSMO: “Becoming the
country’s first black female dancer to dance the role of Kitri in the ballet Don Quixote. This is a Principal role,
although I have yet to achieve Principal ranking in the company. My partner,
Andile Ndlovu, and I made history by performing the lead role to critical
acclaim in a ballet historically danced by white dancers.”

 
Kass (29) was
overwhelmed to be selected as one of COSMO’s 30 Awesome Women for 2007. In
December 2003, Kass made her radio cricket commentary debut, becoming South Africa’s
first female cricket commentator. In October 2005, she achieved her lifelong
dream of commentating on TV, and in November 2006, Kass made her international
TV commentary debut at the Hong Kong Cricket Sixes. In August 2006, Kass launched
gsport … for Girls! with her husband, Ryk Meiring, in an attempt to help raise
the profile of women in sport.

When asked by
COSMO which women she admires, Kass said: I admire our country’s sportswomen,
who continue to fly the SA flag wherever they compete, despite limited support
and sponsorship. Special mention must go to the national women’s hockey
captain, Marsha Marescia, women’s soccer captain, Portia Modise, national
netball captain, Bronwyn Bock-Jonathan, and Springbok women’s rugby captain,
Nomsebenzi Tsotsobe.”

 
gsport
salutes COSMO or showing their support for women in sport. To find out which
other women were chosen as COSMOPOLITAN Magazine’s 2007 Awesome Women, get the
December Edition, with Shut Up And Drive singer
Rihanna on the cover. For more information on COSMOPOLITAN magazine, log on to
www.assocmags.co.za

Leading Ladies:
Woman of the Month- Carina Bruwer: Sounds of Silence
Style Star- Bianca Le Grange: Music in the Air
Woman in Media- Hendrien Grové: Talent Falls Near
gSTAR- Tarryn Chudleigh: Ripping the Might Fantastic

Monthly Regulars:
The Penny Heyns Series: Action III
Wonder Woman: Celebrating Life

Personal Accounts:
Dorah Nkgage: My gsport Attraction!
Anja van Aswegen: Loving Sport!

December Features:
Synchronised Swimming: Poetry in Motion
Star Search: Splash! Swimming Academy
5 Mins with Carol Joyce: Sprint Canoeing on High
5 Mins with Zeena Isaacs: World Cup Wonder
Waterpolo the New Rage: Eye on the Ball
Clinique December Newsletter: Celebrate Beauty!