the difference between cats + dogs

when I was a child, I assigned gender to lots of things.  spoons were girls, forks + knives were boys.  cats were girls, dogs were boys.  boats were girls, cars were boys.  salt was a girl, pepper was a boy.  mustard was a girl, ketchup was a boy.  birds were girls, squirrels were boys.  you get the idea.  some of these items were genderless, some not.  I have no idea why I did this.  was it based on appearance or behavior or utility?  I'm not sure.  but somehow, in my child's mind, there was a difference between feminine and masculine and I clearly felt the need to distinguish between the two.

flash forward to my 20s and I focused the efforts of my MBA on the study of gender.

flash forward again to my 30s and I started a business based on gender.

now in my 40s I've had the unique opportunity of spending the past decade working in a women's -focused organization (that allows men to join us from time to time, too).

while others might disagree, I definitely believe there's a significant difference in how the minds of women and men work.  we approach sport differently.  we approach learning differently.  we approach community and relationships differently.  we tick differently.  we tock differently, too.

yeah, I know that none of this is black + white.  I also know that some of this is learned behavior (not inherited behavior) and that there are generational differences.  but all in all, I still believe that there is great value in gender-specific activities from time to time in our lives.

in 2003, I developed a two-day women's cycling clinic.  in later years, at the request of our clients, we developed a series of men's clinics, too.  and eventually, as our client base shifted to 40% men, we started offering co-ed clinics.  but there's still something very special about our women's-only Girls Got Skills clinic sponsored by Jan Medina Real Estate.  so even though we've let the boys come out to play for many of our programs, Girls Got Skills will forever remain a women's-only event.

our next Girls Got Skills clinic is October 8th + 9th, right here on the San Francisco peninsula. it's two days jam-packed with women + skills + bikes + fun!  we learn fundamental cycling skills, group riding, and climbing + descending.  we share our challenges and our successes. and we have fun doing it in a safe, comfortable environment.

there's still time to register!  as a matter of fact, if you register by Sunday, September 25th, you save $20 on the registration fee (score!).  so please, join us for a fabulous, women's-only cycling weekend in October.  I guarantee it will change your world.

you'll find info on Girls Got Skills and all our clinics and programs here:

http://www.velogirls.com/coaching/main.php