Athens student-athlete starts women in sports podcast

ATHENS, Ala. (WHNT) — Athens sophomore soccer and basketball player Kinley Hargrove has been playing sports for as long as she can remember.

“I started playing at the rec center here and I fell in love,” Hargrove said.

From the basketball court to the soccer field, the competitive spirit has driven Hargrove since she was a child.

“I grew up in a very competitive family and ever since I was little we’ve always been competing, from board games to sports in the backyard, it’s always been highly competitive so I love it,” Hargrove added.

However, she also loves the bond she’s been able to form with her teammates over the years.

“You get to know each other and form a special bond. We just have a female community that is here to support us. We have great female coaches, we have great coaches period and we’re all so competitive,” Hargrove said.

Those relationships have driven Hargrove to kick off a new project, launching a podcast called ‘Talk Women’s Sports’, highlighting teams and athletes across North Alabama.

“I kind of saw a gap between the men’s and women’s coverage here, in Athens and the North Alabama area and I know that we have great teams here that love to compete at a high level,” Hargrove added.

What started as a quick suggestion as a friend has grown into a platform with nearly 300 followers and dozens of guests, sharing their stories on and off the fields.

“I bring former athletes, former coaches, current coaches on interviews and you learn about their journey through women’s athletics as coaches and as players. You get to know them on a personal basis, off the court, and on the court. You get to see how their journeys have shaped them into the athlete or the coach that they are and that’s a really cool thing,” Hargrove said. “Interviewing my Athens coaches, learning a little bit about them and the struggles that they went through when they were my age and we kind of went through the same stuff that you wouldn’t really think about when they’re coaching you.”

It’s been an experience that has helped Hargrove on a personal level in more ways than one.

“I kind of wanted to go into being a coach or athletic trainer but from the coaching side, I’m kind of getting all of the coaching wisdom from the best around. I’ve grown off the court, on the court, on the field, off the field, as a teammate, as a player, just in my speech, my confidence, I think I’ve just grown in all different ways,” Hargrove said.

Hargrove is now thinking about a career in journalism and also has goals of playing a sport at the collegiate level. She also hopes to continue to grow her podcast as she has one wish for the future of women’s sports.”

“Be as equal to men as we can, if not better. Now is the perfect time for a platform, women’s sports are at an all-time high right now. I think that highlighting that in my area is such a blessing,” Hargrove added.

Hargrove recently competed in the TSA for Athens High School in the audio podcasting competition and placed first in the state.

Learn more information or listen to the podcast on her website.

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