Mia Hamm

Mia Hamm showing she is number one (http://soccercorpuschristi.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/Mia_hamm.jpg ())

Life is like a soccer game; everyone has obstacles thrown at them, but if they have skills and show their ability they can outmaneuver them! Mariel Margaret, also known as Mia Hamm, is not only an amazing soccer player, but a great hero. Born on March 17, 1972 in Selma, Alabama, she was raised into a family with five siblings, Caroline, Lovdy, Tiffany, Garrett, and Martin. Her father and mother, Bill and Stephanie, adopted Garrett at age 8 he later died in 1997. Her brother was her inspiration for getting involved with sports. That is where she found her love for soccer. Throughout the years she became the world's best soccer player and grew a strong relationship with her soccer team; to be able to inspire someone, someone should be a leader and willing to help others succeed. Mia Hamm is a hero because she is a strong leader, is encouraging, and a very considerate person.

Mia Hamm, as great a soccer player as she is, had to step up and help her team as well. Hamm worked so hard and had lots of heart towards this game she then became well known. Even though she was the youngest she knew someone had to be a leader and carry the team; she took that role. "Her soccer ability, determination, and sportsmanship earned her the nickname "Jordan" after a predecessor at UNC, basketball superstar Michael Jordan"(Hamm, Mariel). Mia showed everyone how strong a person she is. Hamm's own will to be the best and to be the one who makes an impact on the game made it recognizable. Being a leader cannot just be all talk and not the walk. "In 1989, Mia entered the University of North Carolina (UNC) at age seventeen and commenced what would be a stellar collegiate performance"(Loveday). To be a true leader, she would have to perform like one. She would not only have some days she was amazing, but she was always constant! Everyone was trying to be the next "Mia Hamm", the leader who expressed it in her play. Mia Hamm helped bring her team up by performing at high levels. Her determination made her teammates want to push just as hard.

Respecting USA (http://www.oleole.com/media/main/images/wallpapers/65196/mia-hamm-----usa-wom_80555.jpg ())

She had so much heart it overwhelmed her and made her play to her best abilities at all times. Mia Hamm made many differences in soccer with her records, effort, and her encouragement to her teammates. "In 1993, Mia graduated from UNC as the all-time leading scorer of the Atlantic Coast Conference with 103 goals, 72 assists, and 278 points"(Loveday). Her life was all about soccer, she always put in 100% effort and her teammates always followed her lead. Mia Hamm's dream was to encourage players to play to their best ability. Her effort was always there during games and practices. She wanted to inspire people to play great all the time. "Hamm's robust and aggressive style of play helped break down the stereotype of an elite woman athlete as being passive and loath to engage in a physical contest. As evidence of this passionate play, in 1999 she became the world's leading scorer (female or male) in international competition"(Hamm, Mariel). She was the best woman soccer player in the world for the longest period of time. She was always trying to improve anything that would make her better. Her goals were to help young children to learn how to enjoy the sport while playing their best. Mia Hamm used her abilities to show everyone is capable of being the best. She also showed she's able to empower the game just with the love of the sport.

Mia Hamm Foundation (http://secufamilyhouse.org/2010/11/nov10mhamm/ ())

Mia Hamm was a very considerate persons and she wanted to help everyone succeed. She wanted to make sure she made her fans proud with how she played and presented herself. "When Hamm said, 'I owe a huge debt to the girls who scream for us at every game. We play for you,'" she was not merely referring to their status as fans but as athletes"("Hamm, Mia 1972). Her heart was always to help improve not only herself, but her teammates too. She would help set them up for goals and have them in a good position to get awards also. Another considerate thing she did throughout her life was help find a cure for leukemia. "Her interest in leukemia stems from personal tragedy, the 1997 death of her brother Garrett from aplastic anemia. It was he who encouraged her athletic interests during childhood"("Hamm, Mariel). Her brother Garrett was killed from a rare disease called aplastic anemia. Once she got famous she put together a foundation to raise funds for bone marrow disease research. She really cared for her brother and wanted to much sure his cause of death was getting closer to finding a cure. Mia Hamm was not just a player on a team. She cared about her family and friends a lot, and wanted to do all she could to help and support them.

Mia Hamm is an inspiration to many people because she is a leader, encourages players, and is considerate of others. Through her years of playing soccer she has been the youngest, but also the one with the most heart. She lead her team to many victories and won awards for doing so. On and off the field, she always encourages everyone to go towards their dreams and to be happy. Her brother was her biggest inspiration so she felt she needed to owe him respect with putting in money, time, and effort to make a foundation to offer support for (bone marrow) transplant patients and their families. Mia Hamm is a hero for many reasons. She gave soccer a whole new view and helped bring women's soccer known worldwide. Mia Hamm is a strong well known woman who made an impact in soccer and helps towards research for cures for leukemia. She has given people reasons to enjoy their dreams and to show it is possible to get through life and finish proud.