What made Joan Ryan decide to be a sports writer? 'Ten years ago, I was editing news stories at the Orlando Sentinel in Florida--my first job out of college. I didn't know any female sports writers. But I wanted to be one. First of all, the best writing in the paper was sports.' 'Furthermore, I had the background. I grew up in an athletic family: Three boys and three girls and a coach for a dad. ' Soon after describing her ambition to a co-worker, the editor of her paper reassigned Joan to the sports department. Today, Joan is the sports columnist for the San Francisco Examiner in California. When she landed her job eight years ago, she was the only woman sports writer on any major American newspaper. (She is now one in about six.) Was it tough to pioneer as a female sports writer? You bet ! Take for example, the first time Joan tried to get an interview in the men' s locker room. 'It was the U. S. Football League. I wanted to interview one of the players, Joe Cribbs, because he had just broken a finger. As soon as I stepped into the locker room--where all sports writers interview athletes--the room went crazy. Guys started yelling at me. It was really terrible. Suddenly I felt something move up my leg. It was the handle of the razor (剃刀) that someone used to cut the tape. I yelled and walked out.' Joan ended up interviewing Cribbs--outside the locker room. 'In retrospect (回顾), I feel this was a defining moment for me as a journalist. I went back and wrote my story and made my headline. Now I know for sure that nothing can interfere with getting the story.' If you want to be a sports writer, Joan suggests that you read 'the best fiction writers' and learn how to write well. Her other suggestions: 'Don' t let anyone keep you from doing what you want to do. Just pretend you have courage.' The term 'You bet' in Line 1 of Paragraph 5 can be best replaced by ______.