Exceptional Athletes

Written by: Kate Pietruszkiewicz
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As we near the end of this years’ Winter Olympics, let’s look at all of the record-breaking and incredible feats we’ve seen… We started off with three-time Olympic speed skater Brittany Blowe as the country’s flag bearer. Soon after, Julia Marino won the first Team USA medal of the 2022 Olympics, silver in slopestyle snowboarding. Chloe Kim, another American snowboarder, won the half-pipe event, which made her the first woman to win back-to-back gold medals in the event’s history. From 21-year-old Kim, to 36-year-old snowboard-cross winner Lindsey Jacobellis, Team USA dominated the medal count (3rd currently) and the history book. Among our competing athletes was the first Indigenous woman for US hockey and the first Black Olympic athletes in skeleton and speed skating.

It’s so cool to watch these women excel in their sports, but guess what? None of these accomplishments would be possible without the trailblazing people that paved the way. The first woman to ever play in a PGA golf event, Babe Didrikson Zaharias, and Toni Stone, the girl referred to as “the female Jackie Robinson” were both unheard of in their eras. That didn’t stop them though; Babe was selected as best female athlete of the early 20th century and Toni earned a second-base(wo)man role in the place of a male hall-of-famer. To add to that list, we couldn’t forget to mention the famed Billie Jean King who was the oldest tennis Grand Slam semi-finalist and is the famed winner of  the “Battle of the Sexes'' in which she beat a male player head-to-head. These laudable ladies and so many less-recognized ones have all led the charge of girls into sports, not just in the winter, but all seasons of the year.

These women fought through so much just to play themselves, but they opened the door for our generation to do so without judgment. So next time you are lacking the self-confidence for a tryout, a practice, or a game, try looking up Nadia Comaneci - gymnastics, Victoria Roche - Little League, Nancy Liberman - basketball, Florence Griffith-Joyner - track and field, Mia Hamm - soccer, or Manon Rheaume - hockey. If they can do it, so can you! 

Check in next week for an update on the current leading ladies of the sports world!

“Our Favorite Team USA Moments from the 2022 Winter Olympics Thus Far.” Team USA, 2022, www.teamusa.org/News/2022/February/13/Our-Favorite-Team-USA-Moments-From-The-2022-Winter-Olympics-Thus-Far. Accessed 16 Feb. 2022.
ESPN.com. “Notable Female Trailblazers through Sports History.” ESPN.com, ESPN, 6 Mar. 2020, www.espn.com/espn/story/_/id/28839500/notable-female-trailblazers-sports-history. Accessed 16 Feb. 2022.