in the area.Carolina led Tennessee 19-10 with 1:34 left in the

In July and August, espnWs weekly essay series will focus on body image.Ugh. You dress like a boy, I remember my mom complaining during numerous department store visits. I felt more comfortable in jeans than in itchy tights and a skirt.Growing up, I resigned to filling the role of the bro-chick archetype and never allowed myself to explore my femininity. Now, Im more aware of my gender. Theres nothing like training in Muay Thai -- which involves striking with hands, shins, elbows and knees -- to make you realize you arent one of the guys.As a female, navigating spaces populated and designed mainly for men can be difficult. After all, fighting is heavily associated with masculinity. And long before Muay Thai was the national sport of Thailand, the physical exercise was developed for hand-to-hand combat in actual warfare. Muay Thai requires mental doggedness.We all know there is a certain challenge with being a woman in this world. Not surprising, women remain a minority of combat sport practitioners.In November 2015, I started Muay Thai. I outgrew the cardio-focused, no-contact gyms. I wanted to train to fight at a combat gym that developed professional Muay Thai fighters, as opposed to a fitness center that just offered workout classes.When I joined?New World Combat gym in Fort Worth, Texas, I knew I was entering a predominately masculine space, but what I didnt realize was how, somewhat paradoxically, doing so would ultimately allow me to fully step into my feminine energy.While training at the gym, my daily interactions constantly reminded me of my womanhood. I had to tell my male training partners to strike harder, as it was obvious they reduced their power. They didnt want to hurt me, one man once told me.Well, they did kick harder than I did, but you best believe I was able to take a strike. I can kick pretty damn high, too. I am motivated to train twice as hard as the guys.As much as I practice Muay Thai, because I love it and not for the approval of others, any athlete can tell you that there exists an underlining desire for the esteem of your coach. I am no different.While I continue to notice an ever-growing respect from my gym mates, I often cant help but feel my coach is more dedicated to the success of my training partners, for the sole reason that they are males.I have cried in my car post-training, wondering what I have to do to gain his respect. Every now and then I am overwhelmed with frustration, feeling like my technique is up to par with my male training partners tactics. Ive felt my coach was holding me back because he didnt believe I could hang with the boys.I wanted to be viewed as a fighter, but like I once held on to the tomboy label, I now welcome the title of female fighter. As one of only three women at the gym, I feel a responsibility to represent what women fighters are capable of doing in the ring.I cater my training to account for the realities of my slender body type. When I was younger, I worked to hide my feminine traits in hopes of receiving some sense of acceptance and validation in male-centric spaces. I now openly embrace my femininity in and outside the ring.Gender is fluid and not a spectrum with tomboys on one end and girly girls on the other. I love shoes, but I also love taking off my shoes and kicking people in the face.Yvonne Cruz is a freelance writer, designer, and blogger based out of Fort Worth. You can follow her Muay Thai journey and work on both Instagram and Twitter follow @TejanaMaluca.Fake Jerseys . -- The goal posts lying flat on the field, Arizonas fans lingered on the field, congregating around the locker room entrance nearly 30 minutes after rushing out of the stands. Wholesale Jerseys . Fellow centre Pavel Datsyuk remains out because of a concussion. Zetterberg has 11 goals and 19 assists for a team-high 30 points, and Datsyuk has a team-high 12 goals and 11 assists. https://www.fakejerseysfromchina.com/ . Siddikur, whose previous win on the circuit came in Brunei three years ago, finished his bogey-free round with a birdie on the 18th for a total of 17-under 199. Indias Shiv Chowrasia, who has finished runner-up in this tournament twice, was in second place after a 66. Cheap Jerseys . The 25-year-old Japanese star has officially been posted by his club team, the Rakuten Golden Eagles. Fake Jerseys Cheap . John Tavares, Thomas Vanek and Kyle Okposo were also being counted on to slow down sizzling Rangers forward Rick Nash. That plan didnt go so well early.NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- The Tennessee Titans preseason game against the Carolina Panthers was delayed about 30 minutes in the second half by severe weather in the area.Carolina led Tennessee 19-10 with 1:34 left in the third quarter Saturday when an announcement came over the Nissan Stadium loudspeaker that lightning in the Nashville area had forced a delay, causing both teams to head into the locker room while the stands emptied.The game resumed about 30 minutes later amid a steady rain and in front of a much smaller croowd.ddddddddddddThe starters for both teams had already long since left the game when the delay occurred.Panthers quarterback Cam Newton was 8 of 12 for 162 yards, including a 61-yard touchdown to Ted Ginn Jr. Titans quarterback Marcus Mariota was 9 of 10 for 104 yards with a touchdown and an interception.---AP NFL website: www.pro32.ap.org and AP NFL Twitter feed: http://twitter.com/AP-NFL ' ' '