Chris Mosier didnt intend to be a game-changer.When he started doing triathlons after college, he didnt envision becoming the first openly transgender athlete to participate on a Team USA squad consistent with his gender identity. This summer Mosier competed at the ITU Duathlon World Championships in Aviles, Spain. Duathlons were originally something Mosier did as a warm-up for triathlon season because he hates cold water. However, I just found that I was really good at it, he said in a phone interview.In addition to being an elite athlete, Mosier is an activist. He started the website transathlete.com, which tracks the policies governing trans participation in youth sports in each state. He also works full time as the vice president of program development and community relations for You Can Play, an organization working to end homophobia, transphobia and biphobia in sports.Mosier chatted with espnW about his incredible year, athlete activism and what a gender-inclusive sport culture looks like.espnW: Why did you become an advocate in addition to being an athlete?Chris Mosier: I dont think it was ever my intention to become an advocate, and for a long time I actually struggled with the idea of being so public and so out. I knew that when I came out publicly in media, that was a forever thing. I would never be able to just be another athlete or another guy.I knew that being visible could have a positive impact. The whole reason that I was public about being out as a trans athlete was that I didnt see people who looked like me when I was deciding to come out. I didnt see trans men competing with men. I wanted to see that and be an [example] for other people.espnW: Should?athletes have a sense of responsibility for their community?CM: Each athlete needs to make that decision for themselves, as far as how public they want their statements to be. But I think every athlete needs to understand and recognize the incredible platform that they have. If youre a good athlete, you have a little extra social capital and people listen to what you have to say. Athletes are role models whether we like it or not,?but I think its up to each person to decide how much they want to use their platform.espnW: This has been such an incredible year for you. What has been the biggest change? CM:?I actually feel visible. Prior to this year, I knew that I was impacting people. Impact is not the reason for my work, but I know that it is a byproduct of what I do, so I want my words and actions to reflect my values. The biggest change this year is that now I know people are watching and they do see me. Being recognized on the street is certainly a different thing for me as well.espnW: In your opinion, what is the current state of sport for trans athletes? CM: Im really thrilled with the movement that weve had. However, movement doesnt necessarily?mean progress. Something like [North Carolina law] HB2 is not progress, but its movement. People are talking about how [the law] impacts trans athletes, and I think thats really positive.We obviously have a long way to go and certain areas of athletic participation are moving faster. For example, I was able to have a successful year with relative ease, meaning that I didnt receive much pushback around the International Olympic Committee?policy change. I also know that when we see trans women who are athletes, that these conversations are completely different, and so I certainly have male privilege as Im working to make policy change. Our next step is shifting the conversation around trans women in sports, and also how we include nonbinary and gender nonconforming folks in a way thats comfortable.espnW: When you say shifting perceptions regarding trans women and gender nonconforming folks participating in sport, what do you mean by that?CM: There are so many intersections that could be addressed, but part of it is breaking down the sexism in sports. When people are identifying the characteristics and qualities of a good athlete, we need to understand that is different for every sport. There is so much diversity in terms of skill and genetic [composition] of genders. Since sport is so binary, it becomes complicated for anyone who is not male or female. We need to have conversations about what gender actually is and what are the attributes of a successful athlete. The idea that trans men would not be able to compete with men because they were designated female at birth, thats the sort of sexism Im talking about.When people are talking about the greatest athlete in the world, are they immediately saying Serena Williams? They should be, but Im going to guess that many minds go to scrolling through a Rolodex of male athletes.espnW: What does a fully gender-inclusive sport culture look like to you?CM:?At the most basic level, an inclusive environment in athletics comes down to respect. We need to respect one another with our language. [Its] not that we cant be competitive, that we cant talk s---, because thats part of competition and theres a place in sport for that, but at the end of the day we need to respect one another, our diverse backgrounds and who we are as people.Thats one of the reasons why eliminating casual homophobia is important. All of this conversation about locker room talk and giving someone a pass on the language they use -- thats the root of the problem. Thats one of the challenges we have with LGBTQ inclusion in sport. The locker room talk, or the casual, dismissive things that people say, creates an unsafe space for others. Thats why we see so many trans people stopping sports. Its not a safe environment.espnW: Whats next for you?CM: Part of it is enjoying this year. For a very long time, I did not celebrate my own victories and did not share good parts of my life with other people because of my fear of how I would be perceived. For example, I did not want to share that I was doing well in races, because I was not thrilled to be in the womens category. This last couple of years has been a big shift for me.Im enjoying the success that Ive had this year and training really hard so that I can continue next year. It is really important to me to make Team USA again, so that it wasnt just one and done. I have a really great race season planned for next year.Part of whats next is figuring out ways to use my platform to leverage change for other people. Whether thats my work with You Can Play, helping professional teams, colleges and high schools look at their policies, or conversations with athletes and administrators -- it will be leveraging this position so that we can see wider change. Its been a great year for me, but that doesnt make it a great year for all trans athletes. What Id really like to do is make sport a safer place for other people. Cheap Swell Bottles . The Islanders dealt Thomas Vanek to the Montreal Canadiens after less than a year on Long Island. Meanwhile, the Oilers dealt long-time sniper Ales hemsky to the Ottawa Senators on Wednesday for a fifth-round pick in 2014 and a third-rounder in 2015. sWell Bottle Wood Australia . -- On the field, it was business as usual for Jameis Winston and No. http://www.swellbottleaustralia.com/ . Jeff Green scored 13 points and Kris Humphries 12 for the Celtics, who nearly blew an 18-point, second-half lead. Sullingers 20-20 was the first by a Celtics player since Kevin Garnetts first game in Boston in 2007. Garnett was dealt -- along with Paul Pierce -- to Brooklyn during the off-season. Swell Bottle Sale Australia . Anthony Calvillo, through 20 CFL seasons, was frequently invincible and largely stoic in the heat of competition. But underneath the professional exterior he was, and is, compellingly human. Swell Water Bottle Sale .Y. -- Paul Byron and Matt Stajan scored as the Calgary Flames started a five-game road trip with a 2-1 overtime win over the Buffalo Sabres on Saturday afternoon. The pool of candidates for the Heisman Trophy is a deep one. Derrick Henry, the winner from Alabama last year, has moved on to the NFL, but five of the next six players in the voting are back, led by runner-up Christian McCaffrey of Stanford.Also returning are Clemsons Deshaun Watson, Oklahomas Baker Mayfield, LSUs Leonard Fournette and Florida States Dalvin Cook. All of them, along with Ohio States J.T. Barnett and Georgias Nick Chubb (if fully recovered from his knee injury), are in the first wave of contenders for 2016.Here are six players who could insert themselves into the Heisman conversation:---Chad Kelly, senior quarterback, MississippiThe strong-armed Kelly is the top returning QB in the SEC and listed high on NFL draft boards for 2017. The nephew of Pro Football Hall of Famer Jim Kelly led the Rebels to five victories over Top 25 teams, including Alabama on the road, and they are expected to challenge in the SEC West. A big showing against national title contender Florida State in the opener would push Kelly into the top flight of candidates.---Royce Freeman, junior running back, OregonFreemans 3,201 yards rushing the last two years are the most by any player in a Power Five conference. He broke LaMichael James single-season school rushing record with 1,836 yards in 2015 and was the only FBS player to pick up more than 100 yards from scrimmage in every game. He also led the country with 36 runs of 15 yards or more.---Greg Ward Jr., senior quarterback, HoustonWard led the Cougars to a 13-1 record that was the best in program history, and hell step into a big national spotlight in the opener against Oklahoma. He and Clemsons Watson were the only quarterbacks to rush for 1,000 yards and pass for 2,000 last season. He also was fifth in the nation with a schoool-record 21 rushing touchdowns.dddddddddddd His 16 runs of at least 20 yards led FBS quarterbacks and all players in the American Athletic Conference.---Seth Russell, senior quarterback, BaylorRussell led the Bears to a No. 2 national ranking and six straight wins before a neck injury against Iowa State ended his season. He threw for 29 touchdowns and more than 2,100 yards in seven games and also ran for 402 yards. He opened last season by accounting for six touchdowns against SMU, threw for six TDs against Rice and in his last full game threw for 380 yards and five TDs and ran for 160 yards and a TD against West Virginia.---Jabrill Peppers, sophomore linebacker, MichiganThe last two-way player to win the Heisman was the Wolverines Charles Woodson in 1997. Peppers could be the next. Hes moving from safety to a hybrid linebacker position. He also has shown the ability to excel at a half-dozen other spots, not to mention returning punts and kicks. Anything is accomplishable for Jabrill Peppers in the game of football, coach Jim Harbaugh said, adding that Peppers has greatest-in-the-world type of athleticism.---Josh Rosen, sophomore quarterback, UCLARosen threw for almost 3,700 yards and 23 touchdowns as a freshman and set a school record by going 245 consecutive passes without an interception, though he ended up with 11. The Bruins are transitioning from the spread to a pro-style system that suits him better. He has a new quarterbacks coach in Marques Tuiasosopo and new offensive coordinator in Kennedy Polamalu. As good as Rosen was last year, he figures to only get better.---Online:AP college football site: http://collegefootball.ap.org ' ' '
