She may look like a petite blonde, but...

"She's the toughest bird I have here," Tuttle said. "She's got such great strength and determination. You'd never know it by looking at her, but she gets this look in her face like she wants to kill you."

The glare is becoming to the 48-year-old mother of three, at least in competition.

Roth dominated her age group at AAU Nationals in Ft. Lauderdale July 5-10, pocketing gold medals in Olympic Sparring and Point Sparring, and a bronze in Forms. In May she captured a third straight United States Taekwondo Union state title with a trio of golds, and in March she earned a gold and two silvers at her AAU state tournament debut.

Roth, a soft-spoken X-ray technician with a contagious laugh, is still reeling from the national title and the unexpected success from the sport she chanced upon seven years ago.

Her youngest son, Brent, participated in an after-school martial arts program that five years later burgeoned into Tuttle's School of Little Fish. After years of watching and learning, Roth approached Tuttle and asked if she could give it a go herself - much to her son's horror.

"I wasn't thrilled about it," said Brent, 17. "At first. But she does have a natural aggression. She's been good at the sport ever since she started."

After paving the way for an adult class, Roth worked on shedding inhibitions. As she tested her way up to second-degree black belt, Roth immersed herself in learning Forms (technique and power through individual fighting), Olympic Sparring (two two-minute rounds of continuous fighting) and Points Sparring (judges award points for technique).

"I was scared to death," Roth said. "I think it's more scary as an adult because the kids are watching you go through it."

Less than 3 percent of people who frequent martial arts centers doors ever earn black belts, Tuttle said, because of the time and dedication it takes. Initially he wouldn't have pegged Roth as part of the success rate. The more she learned about tae kwon do, the longer she stayed after class "to figure things out," he said.

She didn't quit because of time constraints and she didn't stop for injuries, despite breaking her left foot, several fingers, several toes, and her nose. She dislocated her right knee and then tore muscles in it, requiring surgery.

Friends and family have urged her to quit the sport for her own health. Roth said they just don't understand that the positives outweigh the sacrifices.

"You either like it or you don't," Roth said. "If I stopped this I'd probably sit around at home and do nothing. What kind of life is that?"

Roth practices up to three times a week and plans to compete as long as her bones holds up. She also teaches a tae kwon do after-school program in Milford.

"I really only got into it for fun, self-defense and exercise," Roth said. "Then I just fell in love with it."

Rachelle Bramlage / Louisville, Ky.

Growing up, Rachelle Bramlage doesn't remember seeing any female soccer referees at her games. So she decided to do something about it.

The Notre Dame Academy and University of Louisville soccer standout became a certified official her senior year of college and in August was named the 2004 Kentucky Young Female Referee of the Year by Kentucky Youth Soccer Association, Inc.

Bramlage, who's certified to officiate youth, high school and college soccer, earned the Kentucky honor for her work at the state and regional levels.

"I was excited because there are not a lot of female referees period. Especially in soccer," said Bramlage, 27. "One of the reasons I've worked so hard at (refereeing) is that it's nice to have a female referee if you're a female athlete."

Bramlage refs up to seven games a week each fall and aims to someday officiate a World Cup game. An avid soccer player since age 5, she's glad to have a place in soccer even when she's not playing her staple position, defender.

"Everyone knows who Mia Hamm is, but there are different avenues of going about (staying in soccer)," Bramlage said. "If you enjoy it, there are ways to be rewarded for doing something you love."

Bramlage's biggest challenges on the field are protecting the keeper, preventing slide-tackling and regulating language. But she has a tried and true - and unusual - way of staying mentally prepared. She sings Christmas songs.

From "We Wish You a Merry Christmas" to "O, Come All Ye Faithful," the tunes calm her down because Christmas is "always a soothing time for me," she said.

Don't expect to hear her belt out a jingle, though. She doesn't sing them when others can hear them.

Devon Buesking / Mason

The Mason Intermediate School sixth grader went to Thomson, Ga. to play in the USSSA 10U Girls Fastpitch Softball World Series. She came back the 2004 USSSA Throwing Champion.

Buesking, 11, was picked up from her Mason Rockets team to play for the Tealtown Panthers in the tournament, which ended Aug. 1. During the games, she was entered in a recreational throwing contest with 37 other players from 19 teams. Her goal? To be the most accurate hurler, hitting a target 60 feet away. Buesking hit her mark four times in six throws.

"I play third base so I'm used to throwing hard. I think it had a lot to do with luck, but also hard throwing," she said.

The second-to-last thrower also hit her mark four times, forcing a playoff. Buesking connected on one-of-six for the title.

The Panthers finished 13th of 19 teams in the World Series, losing to seventh-place Edgewood Storm 3-2 in eight innings. From May to June, Buesking played with the Rockets, which went 17-3 and won the 10U Southwest Ohio Girls Fastpitch A-Division title.

For Buesking, the throwing title capped a stellar softball summer.

"I was surprised," she said. "I didn't think I was going to do that good."

Cincinnati Lakers / Forest Park

These third graders - yes, third graders - was deemed the country's finest 9-and-under basketball team at the Best of the Best National Championship in Atlanta, Ga., July 22-26. It beat New Jersey's Linden Ballers 37-28 for the title, and was almost named the country's best fourth grade team, too, after being crowned runner-up in the fourth-grade tournament. The players, who won fourth-grade leagues and tournaments to prepare for third-grade nationals, attend schools in Forest Park, North College Hill and West Chester. Their motto is "We may be small, but we ball." Team members are (bottom) Dorian Jordan, Christian Higgins, Eddie Price, Ali Barnes; (second row) Jeff Larkin Jr., Hardison Ngwa, Ricardo Hill Jr., Malachi Kilgore; (third row) Daniel McCarthy, Kristian Dixon, Michael Harwick, Dylan Wedlock, Myron Kilgore III; (fourth row) assistant coach Kevin Arnold, assistant coach Jonathan Higgins, head coach Ricardo Hill, assistant coach Jeffrey Larkin. Player Keith Watkins Jr. is not pictured.

Ohio Fastpitch Club Heat / West Chester

This 12-and-under club won the USSSA Eastern B World Series in Canton, Mich., July 26 to Aug. 1, but it took extra innings. The Heat clipped the California Cruisers, a team from outside Los Angeles, 3-2 in eight innings. This team, which practices at Voice of America fields in West Chester, participated in 11 tournaments and the World Series. It finished the season with a 47-15 record, and went 9-0 to win the World Series title. Team members include Hannah Kendrick (Madison), Emily Lafferty (Liberty Township), Tracy Keeton (Liberty Township), Becca Berger (Lebanon), Allie Manwaring (Lebanon), Kelsey Rodier (Loveland), Laura Wright (Loveland), Cat Monceaux (Loveland), Ashley Hornschemeier (Kings), Danielle Wilson (North College Hill) and Sarah Hammitt (Madeira).

ALL THUMBS

Thumbs up

Michael Phelps

The record-setting swimmer not only has produced one of the finest individual performances in

Olympic history but has been nothing been classy the entire time. And he's only 19.

The Baseball Hall of Fame

The shrine will celebrate the contributions of Jewish baseball players Aug. 29-30. Included will be a forum on Sandy Koufax, arguably the greatest left-hander of all time. Koufax, attended the University of Cincinnati on a basketball scholarship and pitched for the Bearcats.

Ben Roethlisberger

The Miami product is pressing Tommy Maddox for the Steelers' starting quarterback job. Roethlisberger completed eight of 13 passes for 84 yards and a touchdown in his debut against Detroit.

Bud Selig

Don't yell, Rose fans! The Baseball commissioner, who just received a contract extension, has the game in good shape. Ratings are up, and attendance is at its highest level since before the 1994 work stoppage.

Thumbs down

Olympic tennis

It's expansion Olympics. Those guys play 50 weeks a year. It's just not needed.

The NCAA

The body ruled against world champion freestyle skier Jeremy Bloom again for accepting skiing endorsement money, ending his career as a Colorado wide receiver. Question: Why can a college athlete have a professional baseball contract and compete in other college sports?

Deion Sanders

His comment about Ken Griffey Jr. - "(He) needs to get his big butt out there and work in the offseason" - was unfounded.

Charlie Hustle

Now Rose faces a $1 million lien on his taxes. Yikes.

--Mike Ball