Dragonwing Blog
May 16: Happy Birthday, Joan Benoit!
Happy birthday to Joan Benoit, two-time women's Boston Marathon champion. Benoit holds the fastest times of any American woman at the Chicago Marathon and the Olympic Marathon; she held the record at the Boston Marathon for 28 years. Her record-making appearance at the 1984 Olympics marked the first time the women's marathon was an event, thus making Benoit the original Olympic women's marathon champion.
June 14: Happy Birthday, Steffi Graf!
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Happy birthday to Steffi Graf, winner of 22 Grand Slam singles titles! Graf is the only tennis player, male or female, to win all four Grand Slam singles titles and an Olympic gold medal in a single year and was ranked World No. 1 by the Women's Tennis Association for 377 total weeks, a record that no other player has come close to attaining. In 1999, Graf was named the greatest female tennis player of the 20th century by the Associated Press, a title that was bestowed to her once again by Steve Flink, author of The Greatest Tennis Matches of the Twentieth Century. She was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 2004.
July 26: Happy Birthday, Dorothy Hamill!
Happy birthday to Dorothy Hamill, three-time U.S. champion in singles figure skating. Hamill began skating in 1965 at the age of 8, wearing a pair of skates that cost $6.95. She won her first national novice championship in 1968 and won the senior U.S. Championships in 1974, 1975, and 1976. Besides that, she won the Nebelhorn Trophy and St. Gervais Grand Prix in 1972, the Richmond Trophy in 1973, and the World Championships and Winter Olympics in 1976.
Amazing Woman, Amazing Messages
In the past few months, I've been able to work with and be exposed to some amazing women. As part of my leadership class, I had the opportunity to interview the head of a local independent school. She was the first woman leader at the school! She also played collegiate level volleyball and is now a coach. I wanted to get her take on all things: from her story, to leadership, to some advice for girls and women. A few quotes from our conversation that stood out to me were: 1. "Face the beast. And then conquer it. I would like to see more girls do that. These days, find whatever that subject is that's hard, don't run from it, face it and conquer it. You're more equipped than you think you are." My interviewee was talking specifically about how she almost failed her college Spanish class, but, this lesson is applicable to everybody. Whether it's a teacher, a school subject, a coach, a tough sports play, a boss, anything; rise up and fight through it. Women, and people in general, wouldn't be where they are today if they ran from their challenges. 2. "I think everyone should have a little butterflies. Butterflies are normal. And embrace the butterflies." Don't be afraid to be afraid. Harness your fear and run with it. Get excited about having butterflies, and use them to do and play your best. (You can also use Dragonwing to help you feel more confident about your sports-related butterflies!!) 3. "I shouldn't have to fight to be non-girly. I'm a girl. Get over it. I'm proud of being a girl." She said it all right here. No caption needed. Own it girls. This woman is doing amazing things and had a lot of great things to say about women. We need to keep women like her around! As this month is Breast Cancer Awareness month, women's strength is highlighted more than ever. Dragon Wing is supporting funding for Breast Cancer Research, by selling these bras! Take a look and help a great cause!
July 27: Happy Birthday, Peggy Fleming!
Happy birthday to Peggy Fleming, five-time U.S. figure skating champion and three-time World Champion! Fleming started skating at age 9 and was coached by William Kipp. In 1961, however, Kipp, along with the rest of the U.S. Figure Skating Team, was killed onboard Sabena Flight 548. Her Olympic victory in 1968 boosted morale in the U.S. significantly and was seen as the country's return to figure skating dominance after the tragic events of that flight. It was the only gold medal the American team won in the Grenoble Olympic Games.
July 30: Happy Birthday, Hope Solo!
Happy birthday to Hope Solo, the U.S. soccer team's star goalie! Though Solo was a forward in high school, leading her team to the State Championships her senior year, she switched to the goalkeeper position at the University of Washington. After college, Solo played for the Philadelphia Charge and for teams in the Swedish Premiere Division and the French First Division. Named WPS Goalkeeper of the Year in 2009, Solo was the starting American goal keeper of the 2007 and 2011 FIFA Women's World Cups and the 2008 Olympics.
November 12: Happy Birthday, Nadia Comaneci!
Happy birthday to Nadia Comaneci, the first gymnast, male or female, to receive a perfect score, a 10, in an Olympic event. She won three gold medal at the 1976 Olympics and an additional two at the 1980 Olympics. Named one of the athletes of the century by the Laureus World Sports Academy, the Romanian has won nine gold medals at European Championships and two at World Championships.
December 21: Happy Birthday, Chris Evert!
Happy birthday to Chris Evert, winner of 18 Grand Slam singles championships. Evert has won a record seven French Open championships and a record six U.S. Open championships. She was ranked World No. 1 singles player in 1975, 1976, 1977, 1980, and 1981 and holds the record for the best win-loss record (.900) in history. In total, she has won 157 singles championships and 32 doubles championships in her career.
December 21: Happy Birthday, Florence Griffith-Joyner!
Happy birthday to Florence Griffith-Joyner, known to her fans as Flo-Jo. Joyner holds the world record for the 100 meters and 200 meters, thus giving her the title of the "fastest woman of all time". Before she retired in 1988, Griffith-Joyner won three Olympic gold medals and an additional two silver medals. She also won a gold medal, and a silver, at the 1987 World Championships.
February 1: Happy Birthday, Michelle Akers!
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Inducted into the U.S. National Soccer Hall of Fame in 2004, Michelle Akers was a member of the victorious U.S. 1991 and 1999 Women's World Cup teams and FIFA's woman player of the century. Happy birthday, Michelle!
February 7: April Heinrichs
Happy birthday to April Heinrichs, captain of the U.S. 1991 Women's World Cup team, which won FIFA's first ever Women's World Cup. As a college player at UNC, she was named National Player of the Year twice and was the first female player inducted into the National Soccer Hall of Fame in 1998.
February 23: Happy Birthday, Casey Nogueira!
Happy birthday to Casey Nogueira, the 2005 Gatorade Player of the Year, star midfielder at UNC Chapel Hill, and future Sky Blue FC player.