Jennie Finch

A hero is an extremely good person. A hero is someone who can show courage when faced with a problem. A hero is a person who is able to help in various ways. Someone who can inspire you to follow their example. My hero would be Jennie Finch, a great softball player.

My hero is Jennie Finch. She was born on September 3, 1980 in La Mirada, California. Family is very important to her and she gives her family a lot of credit for her success. Because her two older brothers loved to play baseball, she grew up with a passion for baseball. She started playing when she was five on a t-ball team. It was obvious that she had a natural athletic ability. She had great hand-eye coordination, and was always bigger and faster than her teammates, she also had a cannon for an arm. Jennie started pitching when she was eight and by the time she was nine she was playing for a 10-and-under traveling all-star team. At age twelve, she led the California Cruisers to the 12-and-under American Softball Association national title in Chattanooga, Tennessee. Jennie started on the varsity softball team as a freshman and lettered all four years. In her four years as a La Mirada Matador, she went 50-12, with six perfect games, 13 no-hitters, and a 0.15 ERA. In 445 innings, she struck out 784 hitters.

She was recruited by several top universities, and had a hard time making a decision. She found her perfect program at the University of Arizona, which was coached by Mike Candrea. Jennie pitched and also played first base. As a first baseman she led the team in doubles (14) and extra base hits (21) and was second on the team in homeruns (7). As a pitcher she had 5 pitches, a fastball, a curveball, screwball, dropball, and riseball (changeup). She also played on the USA National team.

The reason I think Jennie Finch would be considered a hero is because she is an amazing role model for women athletes, not only because she has great talent but she also has a good personality. She has brought a lot of attention to girls' sports, so now female athletes are taken more seriously and have more respect. Another reason why she is my hero is because since she has won an Olympic gold medal and an Olympic silver medal, there are so many girls that look up to her as a great softball player and she is a good one to look up to. She is a great role model.

These are some of the reasons that Jennie Finch is my hero. Her accomplishments on and off the field are great examples to follow. She makes me realize that dreams can come true as long as you follow your dreams, because I'm sure she always wanted to be in the Olympics as a softball player, and it happened. In fact, she won the gold medal. She is a true hero!