“Whatever happens, happens…” (Armour). This quote by Aly Raisman shows that she is a free spirit and does not let the small things throw her off. Aly Raisman is a three-time olympic champion. Her background, experiences, and contributions have all made her into a role model to all young gymnasts. Aly Raisman’s background played a part in why she is the empowered women she is today. “The role of leader is one that comes naturally to Raisman, the oldest of four children” (Armour). Aly has three younger siblings that look up to her and see her as a leader. Aly grew up in Needham, MA. (USA Gymnastics). “I got involved when I was two years old when my mom put me in mommy and me classes, I always had a lot of energy so it was the perfect fit! I …show more content…
Aly is in love with gymnastics and has been dedicated to the sport since she was two years old. She said her favorite parts about gymnastics are performing and the fact that gymnastics never gets boring, there is always something that needs to be fixed or improved (USA Gymnastics). There is no doubt that Aly’s favorite part about gymnastics is performing because she is so great at it. She knows how to get the audience to lock their eyes on her while she is doing her gymnastics. Her childhood and the way she grew up greatly influenced her success as a gymnast. Aly has experienced so many different situations as an olympic gymnast, including both bad and good ones. “Aly Raisman is the reigning Olympic champion in floor exercise and has another gold medal as part of the Fierce Five” (Armour). Aly has had a very impressive gymnastics career and her floor exercise performances are flawless. Aly is one of the two gymnasts to make the Olympic gymnastics team twice since 2000 (Armour). She is a solid competitor …show more content…
“The tables have turned, Larry. We are here, we have our voices, and we are not going anywhere. And now, Larry, it's your turn to listen to me” (“Full Text of Aly Raisman’s Statement.”). Aly is using her power of voice to make a difference in every affected person’s life. “You are that example to all of those other survivors that they can be you, not just as an Olympian—as a woman, as a strong survivor, as a voice” (Orbey). Others have been noticing her for being a role model as well. She is seen as a strong women. “Aly Raisman has sued the U.S. Olympic Committee and USAGymnastics over her alleged sexual abuse by former Team USA gymnastics physician Larry Nassar” (Hobson). Aly is showing her dedecation to the problem by sueing the gymnastics organizations that celebrated her and so many others success in the Olympics. “I am here to tell you that I will not rest until every last trace of your influence on this sport has been destroyed, like the cancer it is” (“Full Text of Aly Raisman’s Statement.”). She is making it obvious that she will not stop Larry gets what he deserves. “Nassar prodded Raisman on her vagina with his bare hand and claimed he was providing legitimate therapy that would relieve pain,” (Hobson). Larry Nassar took advantage of the trust Aly had in him. He used his so called knowledge to brainwash her into
She’s just a girl who had won over 14 champion medals. Who is that you are probably wondering. Well “that girl” is Simone Biles. Biles won over 10 gold medals in the sport of gymnastics. Some people say that simone can do tumbling passes on the balance beam that some olympians can’t even do on floor. Some say that is true some say that is false.
Gabby Douglas, Olympic gold medalist. She is known for being the first African American gymnast to be the Individual All Round Champion at the Olympics. In pursuance of her dream, Gabby Douglas had to sacrifice the things most important to her. This would include leaving her home and family behind to go to Iowa in the interest of training as a serious gymnast at age fourteen. Not only did Gabby Douglas make sacrifices, but her family also had to, financially and emotionally. In fact, most Olympians give up all of these things so that they can achieve their objective. Luckily, the sacrifice paid off and Gabby Douglas achieved her dream. Much like Gabby Douglas, Asher Lev has to sacrifice his family and community for the sake of following his
Have you ever thought what it would be like to be dancing up on your toes with the American Ballet theatre (ABT)? That’s just what happened, Misty Copeland currently a principal dancer at ABT had a dream to dance there ever since she started to dance and she didn't think that she could do it,but with training, hard work, and passion you can achieve anything. For the month of September I decided to read “Life in Motion” written by Misty Copeland. This book was very inspiring in many ways. I learned so much that I didn’t know, not only about Misty Copeland but also about ballet. I decided to read this book because, Misty Copeland is one of my idols, she is also a big inspiration and I really wanted to learn more about her. Overall this book was amazing. I would recommend it to not only ballet dancers but to also people who love non-fiction because it is full of so many details and a lot of imagery that it makes a person feel like they are in her shoes dancing through her life. I would recommend this book because many people can relate to Misty Copeland in many ways, your mind wanders while reading, and because the plot was very unbelievable and surprising.
Laura Robinson article “Girl Unprotected” (Play The Game May 11th, 2008), David Frost, a former hockey coach and an agent is accused and on trial for the sexual abuse of two of his players and their girlfriends. This sexual assault case is an unlimited attention that’s been in and out the news especially in Canada, but also for the world of sport in general. Laura Robinson is present in Napanee, Ontario, and reports, from the trial in Canada.
As an example she cites the Nancy Kerrigan-Tonya Harding story. “After the original attack on Kerrigan’s knee, news stories focused on the rivalry between the two skaters instead of portraying Kerrigan as the victim of the attack.”
It’s a year later and Leah loves ballet. She’s even trying to get some dance classes at her school. All of her football friends took some classes of ballet and loved it as much as Leah so now they’re in ballet too! Leah overall learned how the knowledge that her mom had versus her ignorance that knowledge is always going to win over
Gabby Douglas is true to her beliefs, and her personality shows that she is helpful to the world, and her family and she shows exceptional execution in gymnastics Gabby shows long and beautiful lines specifically in bars, floor, and beam. She is very powerful in the vault, as well. In the text, it states, “I compete for each element with great grace and strength… I will flow beautifully” (Douglas 192). This quotation supports the thesis statement because it shows how Gabby Douglas has long and beautiful lines on the uneven bars. Gabby’s only specialty is the uneven bars, but she occasionally does very well on the balance beam. Gabby Douglas can hit on beam, and when she does, it is an exceptional routine to watch. The text supports this by
The Olympics have not only been a prized achievement for many athletes throughout the years, but have been a huge influence of societies all over the world through producing viewpoints, social roles, and societal hierarchies. Observing the continuities and discontinuities within the Olympic games one can gain clarity on how past events still shape the present. Recently new rules set by the International Associations of Athletics Federations (IAAF) have declared that female athletes with abnormally high rates of testosterone must lower their hormone levels or be forced to compete with men. This rule amendment in women’s sports highlights only a small factor of how women have been segregated and discriminated against by a higher power. Through
"I quit" (Copeland 34). Those were the first words out of Misty Copeland's mouth as she walked out of her first ballet class when she was only thirteen years old (Copeland 34). This quote illustrates just how hard Misty Copeland has had to work to achieve the greatness she has accomplished. If one would watch Misty Copeland today he/she may not believe this. The clean lines along with the stretched fingers would leave the viewer to think she has been doing this her whole life. Copeland, being black, has had to overcome many barriers the common ballerina would normally not have to deal with. With her being only thirty-four years old, she has worked many stressful hours to earn her spot in today's dance world. She was born on September 10, 1982 and grew up with six siblings (Biography.com). She moved often during her childhood due to her mother having multiple boyfriends and husbands. Although her family did not stay in one place long, the one constant thing in her life has always been dance. Dance, being her only outlet in her life, enabled her to focus extremely hard on her training. Every decision she made revolved around her dance career, even at the age of thirteen. Her unstable childhood and life events may lead the reader to question: what qualities did Misty Copeland obtain that enabled her to become a significant person in the dance
Gabby Douglas was the first African-American female gymnast in Olympic history to become the individual All-Around champion. In the 2012 Olympic Games, she won gold in the team competition and the individual competition. She is a gymnastics phenom. From the beginning of her career to where she is today, she has been a true trooper through everything. Gabrielle Douglas is an inspiration to me and many others because she overcame being homeless,moved in with a new family, and won Olympic gold in gymnastics.
As Gabby first walked on stage to observe she “scanned the 16,500 seats. Some were so high that she could barely see” (197). As she left for the Olympics, her host mom, Missy, gave her an enveloped with a note for each day at the Olympics. The first card came from her mom, it read “Breeeeeezy, you’re an Olympian! You did it! When you’re preparing to compete, I want you to always end up on top. Never forget that god has made you the head, and not the tail” (198). This gave Gabby so much confidence that she was ready to take on the floor. Team USA put itself in a strong position with the all around competition. Gabby came in third which is all she needed to stay here and compete with her teammates she has dreamed of all along.
When I look at Misty Copeland I see an athletic, inspirational African American woman. She has broken major barriers in the dance world by being the first African American principal dancer at the American Ballet Theatre. Her determination inspires me in many ways. Being a dancer, there are multiple times where you did not receive the opportunity you was hoping for; however, Misty Copeland did not give up. She kept working to become the best she could possibly be. Misty Copeland inspires me because she showed me that young African American females can make it far in the dance world if they put their minds to it. Despite many dancers feeling the will not go far because of numerous racial stereotypes in the ballet world, Misty Copeland shows many
Most ballet dancers start at the early age of 5, learning the mechanics and techniques and perfecting them as they get older. Another disadvantage she had was that she did not have the right body type. She was far too muscular and curvaceous to fit in. She was dedicated to prove the dance instructors wrong and that it doesn’t matter what body type you have. After four years, and after winning the Spotlight Award, she became well known around the world. She put in 17 years of work put into only 4 years, which shows extreme dedication because she already didn’t have the right body. This is why so many athletes look up to her and that’s what separates her from the rest of the contenders for the most influential person of the
Gendered Gymnasts Stories regarding gender issues are becoming more and more publicized through social media, and that holds true with the recent discovery of inappropriate actions performed by the United States of America Gymnastics national team doctor, Larry Nassar. The New York Times published an article written by Carla Correa on January 25th that explored the details of this situation. Larry Nassar, an osteopathic physician at Michigan State University, was accused of sexually assaulting women through his medical practices. The thing that made this such a nationally heard story was the fact that he worked as a doctor for the US Gymnastics team and sexually assaulted members on the team during his practice.
"Politics has come to be considered not only inappropriate in the arena of sports, but actually antithetical to it," Zirin says. "We want so much to see sports solely as an arena of play, not seriousness. But here's the thing, this can cheapen not only the greatness and relevance of sports to us as a society, but also the courage of the athletes" (The Nation). The pursuit of fame, wealth and status can blind the human conscious, which is why it is important for us to encourage athletes to speak their minds. As a nation, we should not silence the athletes, because it is the truly courageous athletes who have the audacity to stand up when it’s not popular. Sports should be used as a platform for a certain kind of politics: militarism,