The Valkyries have electrified the Bay Area and are transforming the culture of women’s basketball nationwide. From record-breaking crowds to a new spirit of fandom, the Valkyries are shaping sports history right here at home.
KALW’s BOUNCE podcast team hosted a live conversation spotlighting how the Valkyries are reshaping the Bay Area, both on and off the court. The event brought together journalists, fans, and community leaders to discuss the team’s growing influence on sports, culture, and identity.
The discussion also looked ahead to what’s next for the movement the Valkyries have sparked, reflecting on how their story connects with the wider community and redefines the spirit of Bay Area athletics.
About BOUNCE
"BOUNCE: The Valkyries First Season in the Bay" is a 10-episode, sound-rich, biweekly podcast. It follows the nationally award-winning "BOUNCE: The Warriors Last Season in Oakland." It's tracing the origin and evolution of Ballhalla as it unfolds in real time. It also includes features contextualizing this historical moment in women's sports and what it means to people in the Bay Area.
Panelists include:
Kristal Raheem is a sociologist, journalist, and poet from Oakland. Her work calls attention to health and educational disparities among systematically oppressed communities locally andaround the world. She has traveled to countries such as the Dominican Republic and South Africa to address issues of colonization and gender based violence. As a journalist, she writes for Oakland Voices and is a recent graduate of the KALW Radio Audio Academy.
Joyce Xi is a photographer based in the East Bay. She photographs sports and local communities. You can find her photography @joycexiphotography and @jxsportsphotos.
Erin Lim is Bay Area born-and-raised. She has called San Francisco home for two decades and has worked in various communication roles around The Bay. Erin started her career in local radio, then moved into newsrooms and cable TV productions, and then landed in PR/marketing. During her years in PR (hotel and film), she founded the award-winning culture podcast Bitch Talk and is producing a documentary called The Nomadic Family Project. Both creative projects continue to inspire her. Recently, Erin graduated from KALW’s Audio Academy and is the host of KALW’s BOUNCE, a podcast about the first season of the Golden State Valkyries.
Ben Trefny, BOUNCE executive producer, has been part of the KALW family since 2003, where he currently serves as Executive Producer. As Executive News Editor, News Director, and Interim Executive Director, he helped the news department win numerous regional and national awards for long- and short-form journalism. He also helped create numerous training programs — for teenagers, incarcerated people, and early-career journalists — and has taught hundreds of audio producers. His current work focuses on journalism, live events, and partnerships.
