6th Grade Winner

Jenalysse Renaud
6th Grade
Lake Washington Girls Middle School
Seattle, WA

When I saw this contest I knew that I had to enter. I had to enter because not only do I love sports but I also knew that my hero was someone who is barely ever mentioned in history books or sports. My hero is Wilma Rudolph. I picked Wilma Rudolph because she has encouraged me to try new things even though I have a disability.

Wilma Rudolph is an inspiring, courageous African American. She is the 20th of 22 children and was born during the depression. On top of that she has polio. It was discovered that she had polio about 3 years after she was born and her mother decided to take her to the hospital. At the hospital she was able to get a leg brace, crutches and corrective shoes. She was not able to walk until age 12. At age 12 when Wilma was able to walk she decided that more than anything she wanted to be an athlete.

In her first try as an athlete she joined her high school basketball team. In basketball she led her school to the state championships. The she started running track. She started in the Olympics at age 16 and won a bronze medal in 4x4 relay. Then in 1960 in Rome she was the first African American to win three medals in a row the 100-meter dash, the 200-meter dash and the 400-meter dash. Because of her bravery to run track as an African American woman she was able to break the gender barrier for all male field sports. That is Wilma’s sports life.

Wilma did not inspire me because she won the Olympics three times in a row. She inspired me because I happen to have a disability. My disability is a hearing loss in both ears, which has caused me to wear a hearing aid. Many kids my age who have a hearing loss are very quiet and shy because they think that no one will like them because of their disability and hearing aid. Wilma Rudolph has taught me not to be shy and quiet but to be outgoing and to never give up on my dreams. She has also inspired me to not be afraid of my hearing aid but to war it with pride just like it’s another accessory. Those are some of the reasons why Wilma is inspiring to me.

Because of Wilma’s inspiration people now tell me that they like me so for not being shy and quiet because of my hearing loss. People have also now told me that they wish that hey could have a hearing aid and that I should be proud to be different. That is why Wilma Rudolph is the most inspiring woman athlete to me!