How many times has this one been said: “You can be anything you want to be.” My mother tells me that everyday, and it’s true.
Of course there are going to be times when there are obstacles, but moving those obstacles can be a lifetime accomplishment.
In order to do that the world needs role models to be guides. They need a reassurance that anyone can accomplish major feats.
The 2008 Olympic games are near, and the world is buzzing because our favorite athletes will make their appearance in China to represent our country. Whether it is professional tennis players, basketball players or volleyball players, the Olympics will be a stomping ground to all athletes.
A lot of these athletes – these ordinary people – started just like the rest of us did…in college.
They had a goal in mind and a vision of where they wanted to go. Now they get to wear their colors and display their pride to the world.
That is what we need to look at – the journey of these amazing people. They never gave up their vision; they never let someone break their spirit by saying it’s impossible.
Wilma Rudolph was born prematurely, weighing only 4.5 pounds. Because of segregation, she and her mother were not permitted to be cared for at the local hospital that was for whites only.
Wilma’s mother spent several years nursing her through one illness after another: measles, mumps, scarlet fever, chicken pox, double pneumonia and polio. The doctors told them Wilma would never walk again.
But Rudolph’s mother did not give up.
She took Wilma to Meharry Hospital, the black medical college of Fisk University in Nashville, for treatment.
It was 50 miles away, but Wilma’s mother took her there twice a week for two years, until she was able to walk with the aid of a metal leg brace.
By the age of 12 with the help and determination of her mother, brothers and sisters, Wilma was able to walk normally without any aid.
That 12-year-old became the first black woman to win three gold medals in the Rome Olympics in 1960 for the 100-meter dash, 200-meter dash and the 400-meter relay team.
This story can inspire anyone, whether you’re into athletics or not.
The journey this woman and her family went through is inspiration enough and her “never quit” attitude can be achieved by anyone who really wants it.
To become better every second, every minute, with every breath is a challenge, but it’s worth it.
Marrita Royster-Crockett is a junior broadcast journalism student from Tallahassee. She can be reached at marritacrockett@aol.com.