The team, the Cheetahs, is coached by Jenny Mackenzie (she is also the film's director/producer and mom to player Lizzie, seen in the first clip at left); after multiple blowouts against other girls' teams, Mackenzie asked for - and was granted - permission for her team to play against boys' teams, with the idea that the girls under her tutelage might find themselves more challenged, athletically.

As could be expected, people had issues with this. Some parents were concerned that the boys might play less aggressively out of fear of "hurting" the female players they were up against; others couldn't seem to wrap their heads around the simple fact that their sons had to play girls at all - and that they might actually lose to them.

What resonated the most for me - other my envy of the abundance of confidence and team spirit on display - was the Cheetahs' embrace of their more aggressive, competitive sides. As a former (mediocre) soccer player, I can say that one of my fondest memories of my 7 years as a forward in the AYSO league in Northern California is that I was afforded the opportunity - nay, encouraged - to B-E AGGRESSIVE. I am now 36, and that opportunity hasn't really presented itself since.

Above left, star player Lizzie talks about playing soccer and growing up in Mormon country. Below, the boys - and parents - react to the introduction of the girls.

To see the entire film, check the schedule here.

Kick Like A Girl [HBO]

The Forbes article starts out saying that "so powerful is the public's urge to categorize mothers that even the arena of sports has bred a taxonomy with which to order the chauffeuring, ref-hating, ice-pack-applying women who get their kids to games and practices." Yet despite a lengthy comparison of soccer, hockey, basketball, baseball, and football moms, it fails to explain how the sport the child plays gives any indication of how the mother will vote in the election. While "soccer mom" was shorthand for "wish-washy female suburban voters," the new "hockey moms" are supposed to be "a more decisive voter: the pro-life, red meat Republican." Yet, it is noted within the same paragraph that hockey is played in both red states and blue states, and there are plenty of liberal hockey moms.

What the article really highlights is how ridiculous it is to stereotype women based on the sport their child randomly chose to play. (One particularly absurd point: that "Michelle Obama has about her the air of a basketball mom" because the basketball mom "doesn't have to venture into the next county, or sit on one of those silly folding chairs that soccer moms tote with them, or use the rest room at Dunkin' Donuts ...The basketball mom can attend games in heels, all the while congratulating herself for being a stylish force of life.")

All that soccer moms, hockey moms and those pretentious basketball moms have in common is that they are middle-class, suburban mothers. Despite the fact that if you go to any random youth sports event in the country you'll find both mothers and fathers watching their children's games, women are still defined as caretakers whose lives are dictated by their child's sports schedule. At least NASCAR dads get to be classified by an activity they enjoy, rather than a task thrust upon them.

But there is a difference between "hockey moms" and "soccer moms": Sarah Palin has given the term more pride. Whenever the term "soccer moms" was used in the 2004 election, it seemed like no matter how desperately politicians wanted their votes, they term may have been an insult to those women. You didn't really imagine the soccer mom forming any sophisticated political opinions while listening to talk radio in her minivan on the way to a game. By coining the term "hockey mom," the Republicans have not only brought the discussion of sports moms back to this election, but shifted the description of the same group of women from a beleaguered sweatshirt-wearing frumpy mother, to a kind of hot, "pit bull" of a mom who seems more likely to whack someone with a hockey stick than worry that every kid gets a chance to play.

Personally, I thought the makeovers this cycle were some of the worst yet. A couple of the girls came out looking great, but in some instances, it was really cruel. Here are the culprits:

And how could I resist this:

When I saw Stacey Ann's hair, all I could think about was Bill Murray's secretary in Scrooged.

And I don't know what Anya could be compared to, exactly, but whatever it is, it's sensitive to the sun, so it creeps around at night and probably collects the souls of little children.

But she did have an awesome photo.

OK, can we just talk about Dominique's confidence for a minute?

She knows this is a modeling competition, right?

She looks like a soccer mom on the sidelines rooting for her kid:

Here's another example of Tyra's cruelty:

Bitch had the airbrushers spend all the time on her.

[Woodland Hills, Calif; July 17. Image via Splash]

[Los Angeles, July 10. Image via Bauer-Griffin]