Fastest Woman in the World
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| When | Why |
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| Dec-02-20 | Text Based Question |
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Comments are due December 18, 2020 12:00
Fastest Woman in the World
By Pat Parker
2015
Wilma Rudolph (1940-1994) was an African American sprinter from Tennessee who won multiple gold medals in the Olympics and set world records in track and field. As you read, take notes on the obstacles Wilma encountered throughout her life.
[1] Wilma Rudolph crouched at the starting line,
every muscle in her lean, 5-foot-11-inch body poised1 for the race. The starter gave the signal, and Wilma took off. Did this young woman from Tennessee have the strength and determination to win the Olympic gold medal?
Everything in Wilma’s life had prepared her for this moment. But Wilma wasn’t an ordinary athlete. “My life wasn’t like the average person who grew up and decided to enter the world of sports,” she said.
Sick All the Time
"Wilma Rudolph competes in the 200-meter sprint at the 1960 Olympics." by The Associated Press is used with permission.
Wilma Rudolph was born on June 23, 1940. She weighed four and a half pounds. No one expected her to survive. “I was sick all of the time when I was growing up,” Wilma wrote in her autobiography, Wilma.
Wilma was the 20th of 22 children. In America in the 1940s, segregation2 kept black and white people from being treated the same. Because the Rudolphs were African American, only one doctor in their town would care for Wilma. Her mother helped by using home remedies to nurse Wilma through measles, mumps, chicken pox, scarlet fever, appendicitis, and double pneumonia. “I think I started acquiring a competitive spirit right then and there, a spirit that would make me successful in sports later on… I was going to beat these illnesses no matter what.”
[5] Wilma fought her hardest childhood battle against polio, a disease that crippled3 her left leg. Mrs. Rudolph found a black medical college in Nashville, 50 miles away. Twice a week, for several years, Wilma and her mother took the bus to Nashville. At home, Wilma and her family massaged and exercised her weak leg to strengthen it.
After several months, the hospital fitted Wilma with a brace. “The brace went on… and I lived with that thing for the next half-dozen years… When I was six, I started treatments… that lasted until I was ten years old.”
- Poise (verb): to be balanced or suspended
- the enforced separation of groups of people based on their race
- to seriously damage
“I was nine and a half years old when I first took off the brace… I’ll never forget it. I went to church, and I walked in without the brace… I’d say it was one of the most important moments of my life,” Wilma wrote.
Although she used the brace on and off for three more years, she practiced until she could finally walk without it. When Wilma was 12, her mother wrapped up the brace and sent it back to the hospital.
That summer, Wilma went to a local playground and saw kids playing basketball. She fell in love with the game and decided she would play no matter what.
Off and Running
[10] In the fall, Wilma entered seventh grade and joined the basketball team. For the next three years, she practiced hard. Finally, in tenth grade, Wilma got the chance to be part of the starting team. She began to set state records for scoring.
Ed Temple, the women’s track coach at Tennessee State University, saw Wilma play. He invited her to come to Tennessee State during the summers so he could coach her in track. Wilma learned fast. In 1956, at the age of 16, she ran her first Olympic race at the games in Australia and won a bronze medal in the 4x100-meter relay.
Not About to Lose
Wilma’s time to shine came four years later. At the 1960 Olympics, she won gold medals in the 100-meter dash and the 200-meter dash. She had one event left as the last leg of a four-woman relay team, all from Tennessee State. As the third woman on the team ran toward her, Wilma reached for the baton and nearly dropped it. Her team was suddenly in third place. Wilma was not about to lose. With a final burst of speed, Wilma raced ahead of the competition, becoming the first American woman to win three gold medals at one Olympics.
The little girl who couldn’t walk had become the fastest woman in the world.
Helping Others
After the Olympics, Wilma decided that she wanted to help children overcome their difficulties by participating in sports.4 Through her teaching and the foundations she established, she helped countless children overcome all kinds of obstacles, just as she had.
Copyright © Highlights for Children, Inc., Columbus, Ohio. All rights reserved.
- In 1981, she founded the Wilma Rudolph Foundation: an organization that trains young athletes and encourages children to participate in sports.
Added December 02, 2020 at 8:07pm
by Alicia Hughley
Title: Text Based Question
How do you think Wilma Rudolph's Olympics medals contributed to positive changes in America? How do you think it made people feel to see an African American woman succeeding in sports? How did Wilma go on to help others after the end of her athletic career? What men and women in sports are creating change today? How are they creating this change?
I don’t think Wilma Rudolph’s Olympics medal contributed changed anything at all. I think they where jealous. By helping people like her dill with the problems she dealt with. There changing some white people thoughts about black people. by playing sports.
Use evidence from the text and your own experience to support your answer.
General Document Comments 0
Wilma Rudolph’s Olympic medals contributed to positive change in America by helping children to reach for their goals. I think that it made people feel proud to see an African American woman succeeding in sports. After her athletic career, Wilma helped countless children overcome all kinds of obstacles through her teaching and the foundations she established. Athletes like Kobe Bryant (RIP) and Serena Williams created change by showing us that if your work hard you could be rich and famous. They are creating change by telling children to stay in school, stay away from drugs, stay healthy, and reach for the stars.
According to the text it states, "I was sick all of the time when I was growing up,’ So her saying this can help kids grow and tell them just because you might be different from everyone you can still accomplish you goals. I think it made people fell different and also racist towards here because one she was African American and there was racisms back then. So I think the racist people were mad and also shock to see a African American girl accomplish her dreams. According to the text, William helped children overcome their difficulties by participating in sports. Some men and woman are Hajra Khan and Deshaun Watson. They are creating this change but telling people their stories and that anything can happen if you just believe.
Wilma Rudolph made positives changes to America by helping and inspiring everyone in american. In paragraphs 31 and 34,it says," After the Olympics, Wilma decided that she wanted to help children overcome their difficulties by participating in sports.4 Through her teaching and the foundations she established, she helped countless children overcome all kinds of obstacles, just as she had." " As the third woman on the team ran toward her, Wilma reached for the baton and nearly dropped it. Her team was suddenly in third place. Wilma was not about to lose. With a fin" She was still helping others even when she retired of being an athlete,she helped many people to be inspired and make new sports today, so if it wasn’t for her, than the US would still be the same like in 1960’s.
I think Wilma Rudolph’s medals helped contribute to positive change by showing people that African-Americans can do anything whites can do. I think seeing an African-American woman succeed in sport helped change peoples perspective on African-Americans especially African-Americans themselves by showing that they can succeed as much as whites. Wilma went on to help show children that they could overcome their obstacles and become great like Wilma. Micheal Jordan and Muhammad Ali help create change be succeed and showing African-American can do anything whites can. Micheal Jordan helped by being the first to wear long shorts and his own shoes in basketball and Muhammad Ali helped by showing that African-Americans can succeed in boxing and by becoming a big African-American figure.
The reason why I think Wilma Rudolph’s Olympics medals contributed to positive changes in America because black people wasn’t being treated fairly. Wilma proved that black people can do the same thing as white people.Wilma also had polio but yet she still fought for her rights, in the text it states “Wilma fought her hardest childhood battle against polio, a disease that crippled her left leg.” Wilma Rudolph’s Olympics medals contributed to positive changes in America by showing how strong black people are and brave and we are.Later in life Wilma put a stop to racism and proved white people wrong,now everyone white and black people can together as one.
Wilma’s Olympic medals contributed to positive change in America because it helped people to come to understanding how to achieve your goals and teach people to never get up. In the text it states that ‘’That summer, Wilma went to a local playground and saw kids playing basketball. She fell in love with the game and decided to play no matter what.’’ That means that she was determined to play basketball. How I think it made people feel to see an African American woman succeeding in sports is inspiring because it would motivate way more people than before. In the text it states that Wilma was the little girl that could not walk but became the fastest woman in the world. Wilma went on to help people by helping kids overcome their obstacles by playing sports because in the text it states that After the Olympics, Wilma decided that she wanted to help children overcome their difficulties by participating in sports. The men and women that are creating change today are Serena Williams and Usain Bolt because Serena Williams inspires girls to work hard enough and you can achieve what you want and Usain Bolt is helping boys by not letting things get in your way and chase after your dreams. They are creating this change by meeting up with communities and giving advice to people they can be sucessful in life.
Wilma Rudolph’s Olympic medals contributed to positive changes in America. As stated in paragraph 12, Wilma Rudolph was the first African-American woman to win 3 gold medals in Olympics. This set Wilma as a role model for not only young black girls, but young black children all over. This showed them that they could achieve anything just like Wilma. Not only did she become a role model for black children, but Wilma overcame a disease that crippled her left leg to being the fastest woman in the world.
1.)Wilma Rudolph was know as the fastest women in the world and she had a positive impact on young African American women is by showing them that nothing is impossible, but you must work for what you want in life 2.) To see an African American women succeed during that time may have been shocking because of segregation and during that time it was hard for black women to get a job so to see a black women have a job is very rare and her career was successful.3.) After Wilma retired she helped kids with similar conditions she had growing up and she wanted to encourage them to follow their dreams.4.) Stela Savin, Hajar Khan, Aderelle Alexandre, Abby Wanbach and etc are some female leaders that has changed the sport community and some male leaders that had a great impact were Merlene Ottey,Cathy Freeman,and Carmelita Jeter are some leaders that changed the way sports are played .5.) By not listening to the critics and other people that may have said things about them but instead of listening to they went on to become some most successful people in the world and many people look up to them because they are great role models to many and to the community.
Wilmas rudolp olimpic medals she overcome all her issues and all her illnesses. SHe stil became the fastet women in the world.
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