June 16th, 2026 Episode SummaryThis episode of “The Forecast,” Seattle’s weekly women’s sports show on KVRU 105.7 FM, covers major developments across local and global women’s sports, alongside an author interview for the show’s summer reading series. Host Maggie Mertens and producer Jeff Scott Shaw open with news that the PWHL’s Seattle Torrent have hired assistant coach Christine Bumsted as their new head coach, highlighting the rarity of women head coaches in the league, her Canadian hockey roots, and her extensive coaching résumé with the University of Saskatchewan, the WHL’s Saskatoon Blades, and Team Manitoba.They frame her promotion as a key step in building a sustainable women’s hockey pipeline and note her public praise of Seattle as “the best city in the world for women’s sports.” The show then shifts to NCAA track and field, spotlighting University of Washington twin pole vaulters Amanda and Hannah Moll, who finished first and second at the outdoor championships in Eugene, Oregon. The hosts recount their recent dominance, including alternating NCAA titles, multiple collegiate records, and Amanda’s winning clearance of 15 feet, 10½ inches—this year’s highest outdoor mark and a new collegiate record that would have met the Olympic A standard. They emphasize that both are still juniors, already competing at a world-class level, and part of a strong UW pole vault group that placed three athletes in the top eight. A detailed Storm segment analyzes a grueling stretch in the WNBA schedule, including a competitive road loss to the Las Vegas Aces and a narrow home loss to the Los Angeles Sparks. Mertens highlights signs of growth despite a seven-game losing streak: improved cohesion, reduced turnovers, and balanced scoring with all starters in double figures against the Sparks. Individual performances from Awa, Dom, Natisha Hiedeman, rookie point guard Flau'jae Johnson, and Jordan Horston are dissected, with particular praise for Flau'jae’s back-to-back turnover-free games and her status as the only WNBA rookie with two double-doubles so far. The hosts also discuss defensive matchups against Kelsey Plum, Nneka Ogwumike, and Cameron Brink, bench struggles, and the ongoing absence of center Ezi Magbegor due to a lower-leg injury with no clear return timeline. Postgame, Mertens plays clips from Flau'jae’s press conference, where the rookie reflects on transitioning from a powerhouse college program to a rebuilding WNBA team and embraces a “no rain, no flowers” mindset focused on process, culture, and daily improvement. In a second clip, Flau'jae outlines how the Storm can flip close losses by controlling controllables—rebounding, on-ball defense, and adherence to team principles rather than shot-making variance. The segment closes with the hosts noting that the season is about a quarter complete and encouraging listeners to follow All-Star voting and new team content, including a “Welcome to the W” video series featuring Flau'jae Johnson. In the summer reading portion, Mertens interviews author Clelia Castro-Malaspina about her YA book “Girls With Goals: How Women’s Soccer Took Over the World,” which chronicles the global history of women’s soccer for teen and tween readers. Castro-Malaspina describes growing up in a soccer-obsessed, Peruvian-French household in 1990s New York–New Jersey, playing travel soccer, and being profoundly influenced by the 1999 Women’s World Cup and its stars, including Mia Hamm, Brandi Chastain, Michelle Akers, Briana Scurry, and Julie Foudy. She recalls the 1999 opening match at Giants Stadium as a formative moment that gave her her first female athletic heroes and reshaped her understanding of women’s strength and visibility in sport. Motivated years later by a lack of accessible trade books on women’s soccer history, she wrote “Girls With Goals” for her 16-year-old self and today’s young fans, uncovering more than a century of struggle and progress predating 1999. She recounts the unofficial 1970 and 1971 women’s “World Cups” organized by Italian soda executives, including the 1971 tournament in Mexico that drew crowds of around 100,000, treated teenage players like celebrities, and ultimately forced FIFA to assert control over women’s soccer—initially without investing in a formal World Cup. Castro-Malaspina explains that FIFA’s first official women’s World Cup in 1991 was initially branded under a corporate name tied to M&Ms before being retroactively recognized, illustrating the “one step forward, two steps back” pattern that women players have repeatedly overcome. The conversation also explores how successive generations of U.S. women’s national team players—from Abby Wambach to Megan Rapinoe and Alex Morgan to today’s Trinity Rodman cohort—inherit both benefits and responsibilities from earlier pioneers, and how older pros work to instill a sense of historical context and ongoing obligation in younger teammates. Castro-Malaspina notes that while the U.S. leads globally in women’s soccer, many countries still restrict or stigmatize women’s participation in sport, underscoring the need for continued advocacy. She recommends additional reading, including Elizabeth Rush’s YA book “A Greater Goal” on the U.S. team’s equal pay fight and the historical work of soccer historian Jean Williams, whose research underpins much of her own book. The episode closes with Mertens announcing a brief hiatus for “The Forecast” while the team seeks funding, plans deeper segments, and refines the show. During this period, the program will continue to air in its usual Tuesday and Wednesday slots with a mix of repeat and previously unaired interviews from the summer reading series and the Seattle Storm “Rebuild” series, and listeners are encouraged to support the show via underwriting, sponsorships, ratings, and feedback Episode Notes0:00 - Weekly Sports Recap 32:26 - Interview with Clelia Castro-Malaspina author of Girls with Goals 41:05 - Interview with Heather Moonka from The Hockey News ____________________________________________________________ Clelia Castro-Malaspina : Clelia has been a children’s publishing professional for over a decade. She’s an author, a former literary agent and vice president of a boutique literary agency, where she successfully launched a children’s book division. Clelia is dedicated to bringing diverse, meaningful and illuminating books to the next generations. GIRLS WITH GOALS: HOW WOMEN’S SOCCER TOOK OVER THE WORLD came out in May 2025. Kirkus called it "a spirited, well-told success story, all the better for being true" and the UK’s The Sun called it a “wonderfully researched book.” Clelia is a mother of two young daughters and you can find her writing and editing while nestled amidst old mossy pines on Mercer Island. Follow Clelia on Instagram : @mossypinesclelia ____________________________________________________________ The Forecast is a Production of : KVRU (https://www.kvru.org/shows/the-forecast/) & JEFFSCOTTSHAW _____________________________________________________________ Executive Producer + Host // Maggie Mertens // Maggie@KVRU.org Executive Producer // JEFFSCOTTSHAW // Jeff@KVRU.org Additional Production Support Provided By // Crystal Fincher & Shannon Cheng & Maurice Jones
