[Spectrum L4] Unit16. Quick Feet and a Big Heart - Hojin

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What is it like to play soccer professionally?

 

When Mia Hamm was growing up, there were not many female athletes to have as role models . Today, there are many more women in professional sports . Mia Hamm, often called the world’s best all-around female soccer player, is happy to be a role model for many young athletes, both girls and boys .

 

Mariel Margaret Hamm was born in 1972 in Selma, Alabama . Her father was in the military, so she moved around a lot as a child . Mia’s mother wanted her to take ballet lessons, but Mia was not interested . She wanted to take soccer lessons, instead . This turned out to be the right choice for her . Mia was just 15 years old when she became the youngest player ever to get a spot on the U . S . National Team!

 

Mia attended college at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill . She helped the women’s soccer team there win the national championship four times in a row . When Mia graduated, her number was retired . This is a great honor for any athlete .

 

In 1991, the first Women’s World Cup was held in China . At only 19 years old, Mia was the youngest member of the team, but she still helped the United States win the title .

 

In the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta, Georgia, Mia was proud to lead the women’s team as it won a gold medal . More sports fans came to watch this game than had ever before attended a women’s event . This was a good sign that women’s sports were being taken more seriously in the United States . In 2004, Mia helped the U .S . team win another gold medal . She retired from the national team later that year, so the victory at the Athens Olympics was very meaningful for her .

 

During her career, Mia scored 158 goals in international competition . This made her a record-holder for goal scoring in international matches until 2013, when American Abby Wambach set a new record of 160 goals .

 

Since her retirement, Mia has had more time to devote to the charities that are important to her . In 1997, Mia’s older brother Garrett died of a bone marrow disease . Mia and her brother had been very close . In his honor, Mia started the Mia Hamm Foundation to raise money to fight bone marrow disease and to support sports programs for girls . Mia also works with many other charities . She likes to help other young athletes, both boys and girls, achieve their goals .