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Activists Around the World: Laila Edwards · Stuff Mom Never Told You

• 0:05
  Speaker 1: Hey, this is Anny and Samantha.
• 0:06
  Speaker 2: I'm not kind of stuff. Never told you production if
• 0:08
  Speaker 2: I hurd you.
• 0:18
  Speaker 3: And the twenty twenty sixth Winter Olympics are in full
• 0:22
  Speaker 3: swing and then the Paralympics will be coming soon in March.
• 0:25
  Speaker 1: I was like, oh, when is this happening?
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  Speaker 3: So we had to do a feature on one of
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  Speaker 3: the athletes who is representing the United States as well
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  Speaker 3: as making history as one of the first you know,
• 0:36
  Speaker 3: we love those titles, even though we're like, why did
• 0:38
  Speaker 3: it take this long?
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  Speaker 1: But you know whatever, we'll go with.
• 0:40
  Speaker 3: It for our activist around the world, and we are
• 0:43
  Speaker 3: talking about hockey player Laila Edwards, and again she has
• 0:47
  Speaker 3: done a few firsts, but we are specifically talking about
• 0:50
  Speaker 3: the Olympics right now. So Laila Edwards has made history
• 0:54
  Speaker 3: being the first black player to suit up for the
• 0:56
  Speaker 3: US Olympic hockey team and playing and actually playing. She
• 1:00
  Speaker 3: is a twenty two year old who's been playing hockey
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  Speaker 3: four years, like years and years and years and years.
• 1:06
  Speaker 3: You know. Apparently she kind of figure skated for a
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  Speaker 3: little bit and decided to change that up for herself.
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  Speaker 3: And for this episode, we'll be using a bit of
• 1:14
  Speaker 3: information from her feature from ESPN, who has done a
• 1:17
  Speaker 3: great job in telling her story.
• 1:19
  Speaker 1: Like it is a very lengthy article. I love that.
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  Speaker 3: I don't think we have enough of those features for
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  Speaker 3: specifically like our marginalized athletes who have done some amazing things.
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  Speaker 3: So I love to see it. So kudos and shout
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  Speaker 3: out to that because it is a great article.
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  Speaker 1: You should read it. It feels like a good five
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  Speaker 1: minute read.
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  Speaker 3: Wonderful though so much like many of the other successful
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  Speaker 3: athletes and competitors. Edwards was born into a family of athletes.
• 1:45
  Speaker 3: Her father played everything from basketball, football, you know, all
• 1:48
  Speaker 3: the things, but at the age of twelve, he began
• 1:51
  Speaker 3: his adventure in hockey. He was raised in Cleveland Heights
• 1:55
  Speaker 3: in Ohio, and it was there that the Edward's children
• 1:57
  Speaker 3: and his children, including Leila, started there hockey journey. I mean,
• 2:01
  Speaker 3: every single one of the siblings play hockey, any all
• 2:04
  Speaker 3: of them. I feel like it's one of those things
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  Speaker 3: that they all like has to compete with each other
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  Speaker 3: but also encourage each other.
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  Speaker 1: I love them.
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  Speaker 3: From the ESPN article written by Ryan S. Clark, he
• 2:13
  Speaker 3: writes the Cleveland Heights Community Center became a powerful bridge
• 2:16
  Speaker 3: for the Edwards family, giving the children a chance to
• 2:19
  Speaker 3: explore the sport in familiar setting. Bobby, the oldest of
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  Speaker 3: the three siblings, played basketball before switching to hockey. Layla
• 2:26
  Speaker 3: joined her older sister Sheila on the ice for fisure skating.
• 2:29
  Speaker 3: They change out of their leotards and tutus and go
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  Speaker 3: to a different part of the community center where they
• 2:33
  Speaker 3: put on paz and jerseys to play hockey against the boys.
• 2:37
  Speaker 3: And they apparently have a younger brother who is.
• 2:38
  Speaker 1: Also in hockey just in Fyi.
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  Speaker 3: So the article talks about some of the challenges they
• 2:43
  Speaker 3: faced in a predominantly white sport within a predominantly white
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  Speaker 3: community growing up in the same area during his childhood.
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  Speaker 3: Robert Edwards talked about his own experience dealing with racism
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  Speaker 3: and prejudice, which Layla had to face as well during
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  Speaker 3: her own childhood, and with that play in the sport
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  Speaker 3: that is often seen as a man's sport, she competed
• 3:02
  Speaker 3: a lot with the boys.
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  Speaker 1: It was interesting to read.
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  Speaker 3: Too, because apparently she was really tall, because she's about
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  Speaker 3: I believe six feet, so she is a presence and
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  Speaker 3: she kind of has always been, to the point that
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  Speaker 3: they would put her up with older kids to compete with,
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  Speaker 3: and she did well, she held her own, she proved.
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  Speaker 1: Herself so a lot of things.
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  Speaker 3: She has talked about her own influence and being an
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  Speaker 3: inspiration to others and talked about some of the difficulties
• 3:24
  Speaker 3: as well. She told Olympics dot Com this, I think
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  Speaker 3: it's tough to walk into a building and want to
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  Speaker 3: do something you love when not many people look like you.
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  Speaker 3: It can be a little nerve wracking and uncomfortable. But
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  Speaker 3: I think once you see more and more people that
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  Speaker 3: look like you and just enjoying the sport, it gives
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  Speaker 3: you confidence. And she kind of goes on talking about
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  Speaker 3: her representation for others who want to be players as well,
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  Speaker 3: or something similar to. She says, I could not do
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  Speaker 3: interviews or not talk about it, but then the story
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  Speaker 3: doesn't get out there, and maybe a little girl doesn't
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  Speaker 3: see me someone who looks like her. And I think
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  Speaker 3: that's what's been important. And she's talked about like how
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  Speaker 3: she feels responsible being a good representation as well as
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  Speaker 3: just being present so that others know that they could
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  Speaker 3: be a part of it too. So you know, we
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  Speaker 3: love to see that and we've talked of many times
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  Speaker 3: how representation.
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  Speaker 1: Is so so important.
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  Speaker 3: She as well as her sister continued to excel in
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  Speaker 3: hockey and would go on to different private schools to
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  Speaker 3: enhance their abilities and opportunities. In her time playing for
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  Speaker 3: Bishop Kearney, a private school in Rochester, New York, she
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  Speaker 3: was able to grow her skills and help win the
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  Speaker 3: national championship three times. From that ESPN article, they write
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  Speaker 3: Edward was part of the three national championship teams at
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  Speaker 3: Bishop Kearney. She's finished with one hundred and forty seven
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  Speaker 3: goals and two hundred and sixty six assists for four
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  Speaker 3: hundred and thirteen points in two hundred eighty seven games,
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  Speaker 3: for a one point four to four points per game average.
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  Speaker 3: In her senior season, she finished with thirty eight goals
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  Speaker 3: and ninety seven points.
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  Speaker 1: It's a lot of numbers. This is allowed high numbers.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, I don't.
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  Speaker 3: Know much about hockey, but I just also want to
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  Speaker 3: celebrate the all of these things are happening, and in
• 5:01
  Speaker 3: my mind, there it's a push. I think we talked
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  Speaker 3: about this in our previous episode with doctor Baith, who
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  Speaker 3: also loves hockey and and she has coached hockey for
• 5:10
  Speaker 3: a long time, and how like watching women grow in
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  Speaker 3: the sport is phenomenal. Of course, this is kind of
• 5:16
  Speaker 3: another reason we decided to talk about Edwards as well,
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  Speaker 3: because we want to highlight how big it is growing.
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  Speaker 3: But those numbers are incredible. Yeah, man, I would like
• 5:28
  Speaker 3: to see her play. We get to see her play again. Yeah,
• 5:32
  Speaker 3: I missed the first game or have her mini games.
• 5:35
  Speaker 3: I'm gonna have to look it up, y'all. I'm gonna
• 5:36
  Speaker 3: catch up. I don't watch the Olympics off that it
• 5:38
  Speaker 3: makes me nervous, but I feel like this is something
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  Speaker 3: I need to be watching. She would then go on
• 5:53
  Speaker 3: to one of the best women's college hockey programs in
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  Speaker 3: the country, University of Wisconsin the Badgers, where she joined
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  Speaker 3: her sister Shyla.
• 6:01
  Speaker 1: Together they were a force.
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  Speaker 3: In fact, they won the twenty twenty three NCAA Championship
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  Speaker 3: that year together, and in her sophomore year, Layla really
• 6:08
  Speaker 3: showed her talents. This is from her Wikipedia page. She
• 6:11
  Speaker 3: recorded twenty one goals and thirty five assists in forty
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  Speaker 3: one games. In May of twenty twenty four, she was
• 6:17
  Speaker 3: named USA Hockey Bob Allen Women's Player of the Year.
• 6:21
  Speaker 3: I believe that next year she would be a finalist
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  Speaker 3: for another award because she is that huge.
• 6:25
  Speaker 1: And a bit more.
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  Speaker 3: From her ESPN articles, they write that season set her
• 6:29
  Speaker 3: up to play for Team USA at the twenty twenty
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  Speaker 3: four IIHF Women's World Championship. She went as an extra
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  Speaker 3: forward and scored six goals and eight points in seven games.
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  Speaker 3: She was named the tournament MVP after sharing the tournament
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  Speaker 3: lead in goals and helping the US to a silver
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  Speaker 3: medal finish. And she just kept winning, helping to get
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  Speaker 3: another national title in her junior year, leading the nation
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  Speaker 3: with thirty five goals in an average of one point
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  Speaker 3: seventy three points for twenty twenty four to twenty twenty five.
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  Speaker 3: She is seen as one of the best hockey players
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  Speaker 3: even till today.
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  Speaker 1: Obviously, so.
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  Speaker 3: Originally playing as a forward, she would soon move on
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  Speaker 3: to a defensive position. Just an fi all. As you
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  Speaker 3: can tell, I know nothing about hockey. So everything I'm
• 7:11
  Speaker 3: saying to at this point, I've gotten off of the research.
• 7:15
  Speaker 3: If I have something wrong, come and correct me, because
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  Speaker 3: I'm not gonna be offended by anyone correcting me in
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  Speaker 3: this specifically, Okay, So going on. Yeah, So she would
• 7:26
  Speaker 3: move on to a defensive position, which came with some
• 7:29
  Speaker 3: controversy so this is again from ESPN. They say moving
• 7:32
  Speaker 3: edwards to defense came with tactical challenges. There were also
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  Speaker 3: questions about shifting a black woman out of her natural position,
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  Speaker 3: similar to when football coaches would move black quarterbacks to
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  Speaker 3: different positions because they were such good athletes, which again
• 7:45
  Speaker 3: we know there's a lot of connotations in like racial
• 7:49
  Speaker 3: microaggressions I think, in this type of assumptions, but we
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  Speaker 3: also know that sports are different, and she had been
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  Speaker 3: playing an offensive forward position the entirety of her careers.
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  Speaker 3: It was noted that while she was in high school
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  Speaker 3: in college she did play defensively every now and again,
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  Speaker 3: but that wasn't her main position.
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  Speaker 1: So this is very different to have her move around.
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  Speaker 3: But apparently she really wanted to do this, and none
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  Speaker 3: of this seems to be deterring her. I think they
• 8:17
  Speaker 3: had some issues and recalculating some things and having to
• 8:21
  Speaker 3: do any kind of good tactical planning, but her family
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  Speaker 3: is right there and supporting her.
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  Speaker 1: In fact, the family is even more supportive.
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  Speaker 3: Apparently they had a whole gofunding before the actual Olympics
• 8:35
  Speaker 3: to try to get the entire family too and be
• 8:37
  Speaker 3: able to see them and be able to stay there
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  Speaker 3: and support her and with the help from the Kelseys. Travis,
• 8:42
  Speaker 3: A and Jason are from the same area, so this
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  Speaker 3: is kind of a hometown love help raise some of
• 8:48
  Speaker 3: that money and get them there. So we love to
• 8:50
  Speaker 3: see it. We lives to see a community come together.
• 8:52
  Speaker 3: But with that, the family is there supporting her one
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  Speaker 3: hundred and ten percent obviously, and again she is making history.
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  Speaker 3: As we said, she is doing that all currently while
• 9:02
  Speaker 3: being watched by everyone in the Olympics. So this is
• 9:06
  Speaker 3: from Nbcolympics dot Com. It didn't take long for her
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  Speaker 3: to make an impact in Milan. In the first period
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  Speaker 3: of the United States first preliminary round against Cheschia, Edwards
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  Speaker 3: came on the ice as a member of the team's
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  Speaker 3: top powerplay unit. She gracefully moved in from the point
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  Speaker 3: to this left circle to set up Alex Carpenter for
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  Speaker 3: a scoring chance. When the rebound kicked back to Edwards,
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  Speaker 3: she quickly fed Megan Killer for a one timer from
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  Speaker 3: the point, which Carpenter deflected and to open the scoring
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  Speaker 3: That was the only goal into the US tally. Twice
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  Speaker 3: in the first four minutes and thirty six seconds of
• 9:37
  Speaker 3: the second period, pulling away in the first step of.
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  Speaker 1: Their quest of gold. Yeah. So all of this is so.
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  Speaker 3: Beautiful to see the way that people are celebrating how
• 9:49
  Speaker 3: she is playing, that she is breaking records, I believe. Also,
• 9:52
  Speaker 3: she was the first black woman to play for the
• 9:54
  Speaker 3: United States at the IHF World Women's Championship as well
• 9:57
  Speaker 3: in twenty twenty four, So she already knows that she
• 10:01
  Speaker 3: is a groundbreaker, history maker and has done so much
• 10:05
  Speaker 3: for our community, and we are rallying behind her. I
• 10:08
  Speaker 3: can't wait to actually catch these games. I'm gonna do it, y'all.
• 10:11
  Speaker 3: I'm a watch. I don't usually watch, but I'm a
• 10:13
  Speaker 3: watch because I want to see her play.
• 10:17
  Speaker 1: Yeah.
• 10:18
  Speaker 2: Absolutely. I was watching with my friends this past weekend,
• 10:21
  Speaker 2: and I forget every time how the commentators can be.
• 10:26
  Speaker 1: Oh no, not quite cruel.
• 10:30
  Speaker 2: Well, the one that stands out to me is that
• 10:34
  Speaker 2: I was watching the ice skating and somebody said, what
• 10:38
  Speaker 2: an unpleasing position? I oh, wow, wowowow.
• 10:45
  Speaker 3: Where are they from, like a the Skating World or yeah.
• 10:49
  Speaker 1: Yeah.
• 10:51
  Speaker 2: I didn't even have the sound on, so I just
• 10:53
  Speaker 2: looked up and I saw the subtitle no, and so
• 10:56
  Speaker 2: I don't but we had been watching it was sound
• 10:58
  Speaker 2: earlier and they were people from the Skating Worm. I
• 11:00
  Speaker 2: can't confirm, but yes, I think.
• 11:03
  Speaker 4: So, but I'm like, oh my ooff anyway, yes uh
• 11:11
  Speaker 4: And as always, listeners, we love we know we have
• 11:14
  Speaker 4: some kind of Olympic correspondence.
• 11:17
  Speaker 2: Yeah, we love hearing from you. Any of your thoughts
• 11:21
  Speaker 2: please let us know. You can email us at Hello
• 11:24
  Speaker 2: at stuff Wedever Told You dot com. You can find
• 11:26
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• 11:28
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• 11:30
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• 11:32
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• 11:35
  Speaker 2: Thanks as always too our super producer Christine or executive
• 11:38
  Speaker 2: pus My and your contributor Joey.
• 11:39
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• 11:41
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