Chamique Holdsclaw

A person I admire would be someone who did a good thing. For a person to be my hero they have to do many good things, not just one. A hero should have to work hard and get through things that make them stronger. They should always try their best. When I think of these characteristics in a person, I think of Chamique Holdsclaw.

Chamique was traded by the Washington Mystics (http://espn.go.com/wnba/news/2004/1028/1911836.html)

Chamique Holdsclaw was born August 9, 1977, in Astoria, New York. When she was 11 her parents got divorced, and she went to live with her grandma, June Holdsclaw, in Queens, New York. My parents also got divorced and I know it is hard to deal with. Her grandma worked as a hospital records clerk and took part-time jobs so Chamique could attend private schools. She went to Christ the King Regional High School in Queens. While at this high school Chamique won 4 consecutive New York state championships. This makes her my hero because I think it takes a lot of effort to work with a team and win.

After high school she went to the University of Tennessee. When she was there, she played basketball everyday. She worked really hard so she could learn new moves and improve her game to new levels. At Tennessee her basketball team won 3 consecutive National Championships. She was their all-time leading scorer and rebounder in both the women's and the men's basketball programs. These things make her my hero, because of how hard she worked to become better, even when she was already successful.

She entered the WNBA draft in 1999 after her senior season and was selected by the Washington Mystics. In her first season she was named Rookie of the year. In 2000, she was named to the Women's Olympic basketball team.

Things didn't always go so smoothly for Chamique. In her 2004 season Chamique failed to show up for her game on July 24. She played in the next game as a reserve and then didn't play the rest of the season. She revealed to the Washington Post that she was suffering from clinical depression. She said, "Everything was negative, dark." During her depression she didn't talk to anyone, family or friends. Chamique fought through her depression. On March 24, 2005, Chamique was traded to the Los Angeles Sparks. She helped the Sparks make it to the playoffs.

Chamique is an influence to me, because even though she had to go through something tough she still went back to play in the WNBA. I think that she is a great basketball player and that she works hard to become better. Everything that Chamique has done inspires me to work as hard as I can to be my best at basketball. She also inspires me to work through anything that comes my way because there is always something good to everything.