Florence Griffith Joyner

Florence Griffith Joyner (http://www.pocanticohills.org)

The first time I became aware of Florence Griffith Joyner (Flo-Jo) was when Mission Viejo created a park named after her near my house. Soon after that I found out that she was an Olympic track star. What I like about her is that she became a professional track runner. I've been really fast all my life and when I grow up I want to be a professional track star just like her. I also like that she is not afraid to be herself, she dresses in clothes that people don't usually wear. That's another reason why I like her; her style makes her stand out.

Running a race (http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com)

Florence Joyner is a track and field sprinter. She currently holds the world records for the 100m and the 200m run. To become a track and field sprinter it's easier if you have a natural talent for running. You have to run and train a lot every day to build up your speed and stamina. An average professional track runner makes 50,000 dollars at LEAST. It depends on how good you are, what sort of race you're running and who's paying you to determine how much money you would get. It's a hard job to get into, but if you have natural talent or just really want to do it then all you have to do is always try hard and never give up on your dreams. You can get sponsors for being a track star, it depends on how good and well known you are. If you are well known more companies would want to sponsor you so they could get more customers. Track stars make a living running, they get paid more if they do really well, and because they make money doing well they can make a living off of it.

Florence Joyner Running (http://www.pocanticohills.org)

When Florence Joyner was young she lived in the Mojave Desert with her father for a while. She took a liking to chasing jackrabbits; one of the fastest animals in the world. By chasing them almost every day she built up her speed and eventually could outrun a jackrabbit. Her mother decided that Florence should move back to Los Angeles where she was born in 1959 to get a better education. When her mother came to pick her up she noticed her great speed and discovered her talent. By the time she was 7 years old she entered a tournament called the Sugar Ray Robinson Youth Foundation running competition where she beat her opponent and won the gold. At the age of 14 she won another tournament called the Jesse Owens National Youth Games. She continued her track talent throughout high school and college. She was also known for her unique sense of style; she wore long fingernails, and brightly colored body suits. When she was 21 she was invited to take part in the Olympic Trials, she unfortunately didn't make it because she missed the qualifying time by a few seconds. Not making the team didn't make her hope in being a track star go down, it only made her stronger. She was determined to make the next team and she kept practicing to do so. She ended up making the 1984 team and won a silver medal in the 200m race.

Florence Joyner helped society in many ways. One of the things she did was that she taught kids to be themselves and express themselves in their own way. She is a good role model for this because she had her own style which many people don't have. She also helped kids by teaching them to follow their dreams. She related to and helped kids with this because she didn't make the first Olympic track team, but she was determined to make it so she kept practicing and made it on the team the next time around. She was not selfish, if a kid wanted to be a track star like her; she didn't really feel the need to defend her title. She said, "I always encourage kids to reach beyond their dreams. Don't try to be like me. Be better than me." That's why she is my personal career hero, she taught me to follow my dreams and always try my hardest, which everyone should do to get to where they want to be in life.

Tragically, Florence Griffith Joyner passed away in 1998. I could be like my hero Florence Griffith Joyner by setting certain goals for myself. In high school the goals I would like to accomplish are to make it on the track team and do a good job there. In college I would like to be on the track team there too, and hopefully be very good. The goals for my lifetime are to try out for the Olympic team and if I make it I would like to win a gold medal.