I spent the past three days at the first Stone Clinic Women’s Sports Conference in San Francisco, California, and had the opportunity to get to know some of the most remarkable women I’ve had the opportunity to meet in my years as a sports writer. I attended the conference to speak on a panel about women in the sports media, and to give advice to young athletes about how they can get their story out there, and how they can work more effectively with the media. I met big-mountain skiers, white water kayakers, cyclists, mountain bikers, snowboarders and rowers with incredible stories who felt they would never break through the noise or be able to make a difference for their sport.

The weekend made me a bit disappointed in the messages these athletes have been receiving in the current media, yet optimistic about the future of women’s sports. I left thinking there has to be a way to make a better sports magazine for women. Conferences like this are a good start.

Today, I am off to Switzerland for my friends Lisa (you may know her from my Olympic posts) and John’s (ditto) wedding in Leysin (as well as a week of wine tasting, golf, thermal spas and chocolate). But first, a stop at their apartment in Lausanne, home of the International Olympic Committee’s HQ … where we will not be talking about sports.