WILMA RUDOLPH

Wilma wins the gold!!

Wilma Rudolph was a famous track star. She wasn’t famous just for the Olympics, but for how she overcame the illness of polio. Polio is a crippling disease. The doctors had once told Wilma’s mother that she would never be able to walk. But with a determined mom and family, Wilma was treated at Fisk university in Nashville Tennessee, two times a week for two years until she was able to walk with a metal leg brace. Wilma not only learned how to walk she learned how to become the fastest woman in the world by running track.

Representing USA

Wilma broke many records worldwide as the first American woman to win 3 gold medals in the Olympic games. Wilma’s life story was made into a movie in 1977, the movie is still being played on cable television.
Wilma's celebrity and fame caused gender barriers to be broken in all-male track and field events. Wilma also had the first ever intergrated victory parade in her home town of Clarksville,Tennessee.

WILMA

How did I decide to pick Wilma Rudolph?
I decided to do my national history day report on Wilma Rudolph, due to the fact I had just watched the movie on her life story. My mother and I watched the movie of her life not so long ago during black history month in February. The movie was played on national cable television. At the time, I wasn’t interested in watching the movie but my mother insisted that I should watch the movie with her and learn history about a great African-American woman. I am glad that I watched it and learned about Wilma Rudolph’s struggle and her triumph to become the fastest woman in the world by running track and by being the first American women to win three gold medals in the Olympics.

How I conducted my research: I conducted my research by remembering the movie on Wilma Rudolph’s life story that I saw earlier this year. I also went to the library and checked and read these biographies: Wilma Rudolph by Amy Ruth, Wilma Rudolph the greatest women sprinter in history by Anne Schraff, and Wilma Rudolph by Victoria Sherrow. I also researched information on the internet. The following web sites were very helpful to me: great women.org, Wilmarudolph.com.

WILMA THE TEACHER

How I selected my presentation choice and created my project:
I decided to present my topic as a web page project. When doing my research on Wilma, I located a web page that helps form my hero projects and presentations into a website. I thought that by showing it to my audience, they would understand and hang on to information better. I inserted pictures of Wilma Rudolph running track. By adding pictures of her, I wanted to show everyone in the school that didn’t know who she was and what she looked like so they can recognize her.

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Why this project relates to the national day theme:
Studying Wilma Rudolph was important to me and all people because she is a part of history that I did not know about. First for being a woman, who did not let any obstacles stop her. Learning about Wilma Rudolph can help all people, not just people with disabilities by showing them to never give up. Wilma’s persistence and strength helped her to achieve her goal to make it to the Olympics. I feel that she is a great hero to the youth like myself, who participate in sports and have to practice discipline within the sport of our choice. Every girl that runs track should watch the movie of Wilma’s life story. Doing this might make them work harder and run faster to win races and to make history like Wilma. Therefore, I am very happy that National History day exists, and that we have the opportunity to learn about all different types of heroes.