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| I have a feeling this might be a frequently viewed post... Photo courtesy of Howard Schatz, http://www.aimeemullins.com/gallery/index.php |
When I first started Nack for Track I had the vision of it being a resource for both the athletes on my track team, but also a resource for track coaches that happened to be scouring the internet looking for content. This vision, by and large, has fallen by the wayside. For the most part the site lays dormant when track season is not in full swing, and the majority of posts that are made center on administrative issues for the CV track team.
In order to get back to the original vision, for the next few months I would like to create the occasional post that involves something about coaching or, in the case of tonight's post, deals with members of the track and field community.
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| Photo courtesy of Lynn Johnson http://www.aimeemullins.com/gallery/index.php |
"Disabled. What does that word mean? Aimee Mullins doesn’t feel disabled. Born without fibulae in both legs, Aimee was told she would never walk. Twenty years later, she had accomplished more than most people ever dream.
Academically, she had thrived, graduating high school with honors and becoming one of three students in the United States chosen for a full academic scholarship from the Department of Defense, as well as becoming the youngest person to hold top-secret security clearance at the Pentagon.
Athletically, Aimee flourished. While a student at the prestigious school of Foreign Service at Georgetown University, she became a member of Georgetown's nationally-ranked Division I track team and, using her prosthetic legs, was the first woman with a "disability" to compete in the NCAA. She went on to set world records in the 100 meter, 200 meter and long jump. A Life magazine profile of her at the Atlanta Paralympic games in 1996 sparked a frenzy over Aimee and her prototype sprinting legs, and soon she was walking the runway at fashion shows, acting in films and appearing in magazines throughout the world.
And yet, no matter how much Aimee achieved, she was followed by this word: disabled. It seemed that by labeling her, society was putting limitations on how she could look, think and feel, and marginalizing her value to the community.
It was time to change the conversation. Using her newfound exposure as a platform, Aimee explored our concepts of disability, beauty and opportunity. In the process, she has opened people’s eyes about their notions of humanity.
If you are anything like me I'm sure you are filled with all kinds of questions about how she accomplished what she did in track and field. I think that is the purpose of her message--to get people thinking about paralympic athletes, female athletes, and how they are regarded. What strikes me the most about her is her drive. I love that at one point she said I want to have the fastest legs in the world, and then at another point she wanted to become a world famous runway model, and at another point she earned prestigious degrees from Georgetown University, and be an actress, and be a sought after public speaker, and on, and on, and on.Today, Aimee is an influential voice in our culture. She has been named one of Esquire's "Women We Love," one of Jane magazine's "10 Gutsiest Women," one of Sports Illustrated's "Coolest Girls in Sport," and was celebrated as the "Hottest Muse" in Rolling Stone's annual Hot List. In addition, Aimee serves on numerous boards and spends much of her time assisting various nonprofit organizations, all while continuing to encourage new ways of thinking about how we can all embrace and accept our differences to create a better future.
Wouldn't it be great if we all had that drive?
Interested in more about Aimee Mullins? Check out her website and TED talks
AimeeMullins.com
(the line at around 7:45 in the above video is something I could imagine Sepp saying, but with a New England accent)
Coach Nack
