How to Be Like Women Athletes of Influence: 31 Women at the Top of Their Game and How You Can Get There Too
These women have got game . . . and you can get yours, too!\ With 32 never-before-heard interviews and stories about some of the world's most contemporary top athletes and sports pioneers, How to Be Like Women Athletes of Influence celebrates the exciting growth of women's sports . . . and the fearless, multitalented women who are making it happen.\ From the locker rooms to the board rooms to the training rooms, Orlando Magic Senior Vice President Pat Williams and sports writer Dana Pennett...
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These women have got game . . . and you can get yours, too!With 32 never-before-heard interviews and stories about some of the world's most contemporary top athletes and sports pioneers, How to Be Like Women Athletes of Influence celebrates the exciting growth of women's sports . . . and the fearless, multitalented women who are making it happen. From the locker rooms to the board rooms to the training rooms, Orlando Magic Senior Vice President Pat Williams and sports writer Dana Pennett O'Neil have interviewed many top athletes in every major sport—plus their rivals, coaches, and contemporaries—to give insights, advice, and inspiration to any budding athlete. · Serena and Venus Williams • · Michelle Kwan • · Annika Sorenstam · Steffi Graf • · Dorothy Hamill • · Mia Hamm • · Jackie Joyner Kersee · Michelle Akers • · Bonnie Blair • · Nadia Comaneci • · Gail Devers · Babe Didrikson • · Chris Evert • · Lisa Fernandez • · Peggy Fleming · Althea Gibson • · Billie Jean King • · Julie Krone • · Lisa Leslie · Nancy Lopez • · Shannon Miller • · Martina Navratilova • · Dot Richardson · Mary Lou Retton • · Wilma Rudolph • · Joan Benoit Samuelson · Dawn Staley • · Pat Summitt • · Jenny Thompson
Excerpts from How to Be Like Women Athletes of Influence\ LIFE LESSONS FROM SERENA AND VENUS WILLIAMS\ EMBRACE CHALLENGES\ Their practice courts were manned by drug dealers. Their sport was dominated by white people with money. Their father knew nothing about tennis. What's amazing about the Williams sisters isn't that they came so far, it's that they ever got started. But along with their tennis talent, the young women were blessed with courage. They welcomed obstacles, knowing that overcoming them would only make them stronger. 'To overcome any hurdle you have to be and think positive,' Serena said. 'God will never give you more than you can handle, keep this in mind. It will help anyone get through plenty.'\ REMEMBER YOUR VALUES\ Bad behavior runs through society like a rampant disease. Athletes who could make a difference in the world by showing young people how to behave instead corner the market on boorish behavior. For all of the complaints people have misguidedly lodged at the Williams sisters, no one can ever argue that the young women have failed to live up to their charge. They are role models, young women who have avoided scandal and embarrassment, all while toting the burden of opening their sport to an entire race. 'Winning, losing, money, riches, or fame don't make you happy,' Venus said. 'For my tennis career, it's great, but as far as me being Venus, it doesn't really make a huge difference.'\ NEVER UNDERESTIMATE YOUR WILL\ It is easy to get bogged down in the negative. If enough people say you can't do something it's hard to remember why you think you can. The little voice deep inside, though, is the one to trust. Fed well it can overcome even the harshest critics. Before she stunned the tennis world by winning the 2007 Australian Open, Serena Williams could have filled a phone book with the people saying she was out of shape, lacking the discipline and the dedication to win. But she believed in herself and ended up with her eighth Grand Slam trophy. 'More than anything, what I love, besides obviously winning, is proving people wrong,' she said afterward.\ IT'S OK TO ENJOY YOUR SUCCESS\ Humility certainly is an admirable trait, but hard work rewarded ought to be celebrated. The only way to reach for the next goal is to enjoy the first one. When Venus and Serena Williams one their first Grand Slam tournaments, they were rightfully elated, relishing their places in history and their moments in time. Once they tasted that feeling, it only made them hungrier for more. Asked how she felt after an early exit from her initial Wimbledon appearance, Venus replied, 'It's my first Wimbledon . There will be many more.'\ HAVE AN INTENSE DESIRE TO WIN\ Winning certainly isn't everything, but champions crave winning like children crave sweets. As Serena Williams once described it, winning creates an 'insatiable' appetite. Chastised for always dreaming so big, the Williams sisters knew they could achieve their goal because they knew the hunger inside of them wouldn't allow them to settle for anything else. 'There's nothing like being hungry for the sport of tennis,' Serena Williams said after her surprising 2007 Australian Open title. 'I love winning. I don't care if it's Uno or running a race. I love winning.'\ ---\ ©2007. Pat Williams & Dana O'Neil. All rights reserved. Reprinted from How to Be Like Women Athletes of Influence: 31 Women at the Top of Their Game and How You Can Get There Too. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, without the written permission of the publisher. Publisher: Health Communications, Inc., 3201 SW 15th Street , Deerfield Beach , FL 33442.
Foreword Linda Cohn xiIntroduction: Simple Idea, Amazing Journey xiiiMichelle Akers: Fearlessness 1Bonnie Blair: Humility 10Nadia Comaneci: Perfection 19Gail Devers: Conquering 28Teresa Edwards: Trailblazing 37Janet Evans: Everyday Champion 46Chris Evert: Sensational 56Lisa Fernandez: Tenacity 65Peggy Fleming: Graciousness 75Althea Gibson: Pioneering 86Steffi Graf: Strength 97Dorothy Hamill: Gentleness 107Mia Hamm: Selflessness 117Jackie Joyner-Kersee: Kindness 128Billie Jean King: Vision 138Julie Krone: Courageousness 149Michelle Kwan: Flawlessness 159Lisa Leslie: Exquisiteness 169Nancy Lopez: Joyful 179Shannon Miller: Determination 189Martina Navratilova: Daring 200Mary Lou Retton: Power 210Dot Richardson: Spirit 220Wilma Rudolph: Faith 230Joan Benoit Samuelson: Pacesetter 239Annika Sorenstam:Focus 248Dawn Staley: Inspirational 259Pat Summitt: Intensity 269Jenny Thompson: Excellence 279Serena and Venus Williams: Double the Drive 288Babe Didrikson Zaharias: Originality 301Donna Lopiano: The Difference Between Being Good and Being Great 311Closing: Lessons Learned 316Acknowledgments 318For More Information 319
