Kelly and Sara are asking two burning questions this week: Is San Francisco really the top women’s sports town in the world? (The New York Times says so and Kelly agrees.) And: Why in 2025 is Nordic Combined still the *only* sport women aren’t allowed to compete in at the Olympics?

But first, the women's sports highlights:

• Mikaela Shiffrin just won her 104th World Cup race — her third in a row and her fifth of the last six. Why isn't this getting more hype!?
• Is it because there's too many records? How that happened.
• Speaking of: The PWHL set a record for the highest attendance at a women's hockey game in the U.S.

And then a few follow-ups. "Like we were saying..."

• There is adult cross-country! And Ceili McCabe won the Canadian champs in the snow. But the Winter Olympics still don't want to add XC to their events.
• Why the h*ll aren't women allowed to compete in Nordic Combined in the Olympics?!
• And, in the Paralympics, there is no women's sled hockey. Technically, it's co-ed, but only three women have ever competed at the Games.
• What are "whereabouts" violations in doping and why did Canada's most decorated female Olympian get one? Sara explains the logistics of how the system worked when she had to update her whereabouts everyday.
• And yes, The Enhanced Games appears to actually be happening for real.

Then: What Makes a Great Women’s Sports City?

Is San Francisco really the #1 women’s sports city in the world? According to The New York Times (and Kelly), yes. We unpack what actually creates a powerhouse women’s sports environment — fan culture, investment, access, and visibility...

Disagree? Send us a voice memo to podcasts@livefeisty.com.

Episode Resources:

The stats behind Mikaela Shiffrin's record wins: https://www.fis-ski.com/alpine-skiing/news/2024-25/a-century-in-numbers-the-stats-behind-mikaela-shiffrin-s-100-world-cup-wins

The top women's sports cities ranked: https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6807524/2025/11/18/womens-sports-cities-top-ranked-fans/

A Q&A with the founder of The Enhanced Games: https://feisty.co/p/q-and-a-the-founder-of-the-enhanced/

Episode timestamps

02:58 - Mikaela Shiffrin's record-breaking records

06:03 - Are there too many...

This week, we have a special guest: mountain bike world champion Samara Maxwell opens up about her struggles with an eating disorder and why she actually thinks it was good that her federation forced her to stop riding — or at least she can understand and agree with it now.

But first, the women’s sports highlights of the week:

• PWHL opening weekend: Vancouver packed in 14,958 fans to watch them take down Seattle—the highest-attended home game in PWHL history.
• NWSL Playoffs: Gotham FC’s Rose Lavelle delivered the lone winning goal. And Kelly confirms the hype in the Bay Area was real. Is it time for the NWSL to end neutral site championship games? Up the salary cap? Did Kelly regret not going to the fame?
• NCAA cross-country championships: Don't let the debate over international recruiting practices mar an amazing race from Doris Lemngole.

Then, we talk with New Zealand’s Samara “Sammie” Maxwell, the first Kiwi to win the UCI cross-country World Cup overall title.

Sammie, who has been open about her struggles with an eating disorder, was told to stop cycling by her federation and then left off the Olympic team because they didn't think she had fully recovered — a decision she appealed. She explains why she appealed the decision, but also why she now believes Cycling New Zealand made the right call. And what can be done to address eating disorders in cycling?

Then, of course, our Feisty Picks of the Week.

Episode resources:

• WADA considers banning Ozempic: https://velo.outsideonline.com/news/ozempic-weight-loss-drugs-ban-sports/
• Climbing introduces policy to combat eating disorders: https://www.climbing.com/news/ifsc-policy-combat-eating-disorders/

Episode timestamps:

• 00:23 - Shoutout to the PWHL & the NWSL Finals
• 18:05 - Kelly explains cross-country to Sara
• 22:36 - What is happening with NCAA recruitment?!
• 32:01 - Samara Maxwell on how she's recovering from an eating disorder and what she wants people to know
• 57:27 - What responsibility do coaches have?
• 01:10:51 - The future of GLP-1s in sports

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Our resident hockey expert joins us to explain hockey to Americans: all things PWHL, Canadian hockey culture, and is ringette a real sport... ?!

But first, the women's sports highlights of the week:

• The NSL playoffs brought in massive economic return for Canada. Now, it's the NWSL's turn: Ranked #8 out of 8, is Gotham FC ruining everyone's brackets?
• We're rooting for winter sports comebacks: Alysia Liu, who took her first Skate America win, and Mikaela Shiffrin, who just won her 102nd World Cup race and her ninth reindeer. Yes, reindeer.
• Then, why the heck can't endurance sports get it together?! A cycling world record that no one bothered to record?

Then it's time to get in the weeds on hockey!

The PWHL is expanding to eight teams (hello, Vancouver and Seattle!) this season. How did we get here? And what's next for the league? Plus, can you build a non-toxic hockey culture?

Plus, our new segment: 'Like we were saying...' with updates on sex testing (yes, again). And our Feisty picks of the week.

Episode resources:

• The Canada Hockey sexual assault case: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/jul/29/canada-hockey-sexual-assault-case-analysis
• History of women's hockey: https://thecolgatemaroonnews.com/47399/sports/the-pwhl-part-i-the-history-of-womens-pro-hockey/ and https://thecolgatemaroonnews.com/47893/sports/the-pwhl-part-ii-why-the-league-will-buck-the-trend/

Episode timestamps:

00:24 - Soccer playoff highlights

07:05 - Time for winter sports: Why we're rooting for Alysia Liu

09:22 - Mikaela Shiffrin's crash comeback & Lindsey Vonn's Olympic hops

16:43 - Why do triathlon and cycling keep messing up?

30:03 - PWHL expansion and a season preview

36:09 - The weird league ownership structure of the PWSL

39:40 - Hockey's toxic culture?

50:30 Ringette: A Canadian Sport(??)

01:05:19 - Like We Were Saying: Could trans athletes be banned from the Olympics?

01:08:04 Feisty Picks of the Week

Subscribe to The Feist, our Free Weekly Newsletter covering Women's Sports: https://feisty.co/feistnews/

Winter Cycling Program: Join our Winter Training for Cyclists at https://feisty.co/ and look for the yellow banner at the top of the page. Use code TRI50 to save $50.

https://feisty.co/

Hettas:  Use code STAYFEISTY for 20% off at https://hettas.com/

Previnex: Use code THEFEISTPOD for 15% off your first order at https://www.previnex.com/