Playboy's Sporting Women (1986)

We have always taken pride in featuring in the pages of PLAYBOY women who are in perfect physical shape. They didn't get that way by accident. They understand the importance of following a proper regimen of diet and exercise. They are rarely sedentary. When we were growing up, we thought sports were just for the guys. Home Ec and cheerleading were the proper preserves of the girls in our lives. They could yell us on to our greatest athletic achievements, but let them pick up a Louisville Slugger and we'd pick up our ball and go home. Girls were for appreciating sports, not playing them. Girls were supposed to date jocks, not become them. That was then; this is now. Today, women compete as equals. Experts predict that women, because they're more buoyant, will one day break all the swimming records. Martina Navratilova is reputed to be the best-paid athlete in the world. Pumping iron is as much a female activity as it is a male activity. There is a difference, however. Women usually look better than men do in their athletic endeavors. Sports are about the thrill of victory and the agony of defeat. PLAYBOY is about beautiful women. Put them together and you've got Playboy's Sporting Women, which is about the thrill of beautiful women and the agony of having only 112 pages in which to show them. But every page will contribute to your cardiovascular health. Put away the exercycle- this will be the best workout your heart has had today. This special edition of PLAYBOY proves that games have an allure that transcends the players. That's why ours is the most sports- minded society in history. If this book adds to your appreciation of the fine forms displayed on our playing fields, we've batted a thousand. There's the whistle; let's begin. CREDITS Covers: designed by Bruce Hansen; photographed by Pompeo Posar; produced by James Larson; attire by Elyce Kapolas; hair and makeup by Pat Tomlinson. Photos: Harry Benson, 58, 59; Mario Casilli, 14, (1), 34, 35, 50, 60 (1), 82 (1), 83; David Chan, 20 (1), 97,109; Nicholas DeSciose, 18, 62, 63; Philip Dixon, 4, 5, 80-81, 87, 89, 95; Richard Fegley, 7 (1), 10, 11, 12, 13, 19, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26-27, 30, 31, 40, 41, 51, 61 (1), 78, 79, 82 (2); Arny Freytag, 28 (1), 29, 52, 53, 54, 55, 56 (2), 57, 61 (1), 76, 77, 85 (1), 88, 98, 102, 103, 106,107,110 (1),111; Dwight Hooker, 112; Neil Leifer, 28 (2); Larry L. Logan, 56 (1); Ken Marcus, 3, 7 (1), 15, 20 (1), 21, 33, 36, 37, 39, 48, 49, 60 (1), 70, 71, 72, 73, 74 (1), 75, 84, 94 (1),108 (1), 110 (1); David Mecey, 16-17, 32, 42 (1), 74 (1), 86 (1), 93 (1), 104, 105, 108 (1); Kerry Morris, 38; David Neely, 96; Pompeo Posar, 42 (1), 43, 44, 45, 46-47, 85 (1), 90, 91; Suze Randall, 99,100-101; Steve Wayda, 6, 14 (1), 20 (1), 64, 65, 66, 67, 68-69, 86 (1), 92, 93 (1), 94 (1); Otto Weisser, 8, 9. Models Jolanda Egger Monique St.Pierre Hope Olson Cindy Russell Patti McGuire Susan Smith Marianne Gravatte Victoria Cooke Karen Price Graciela Casillas Bambi Lynn Finey Kim Malin Tracy Vaccaro Candy Loving Kimberly Herrin