Period 3
Gym
15 October 2012
Mia Hamm
Mariel Margaret Hamm, otherwise known as Mia Hamm, was born in Selma, Alabama on March 17th, 1972. Mia Hamm's brother recalls that she was extremely athletic even back then and that she would often compete with the other boys on the block in childhood games, often winning them. But earlier on, Mia Hamm had some problems with her legs, she was born with a partial clubfoot. This meant that she had to wear casts on her feet to correct this problem. Fortunately, the casts had a visible effect and Mia Hamm would soon fully recover.
Throughout Mia Hamm's childhood, she had to move a lot, because her father was in the Air Force. Once, her and her family went to Italy and it is there that Mia saw exactly what soccer is about. The Italians' passion for soccer triggered an interest in soccer, when she was just 6 years old. After moving to Texas, she immediately picked up the sport and started playing for a local women's soccer youth club. |
Unlike most other players that have to go through certain steps during their childhood, Mia Hamm's career had a jump start at a very early age. With Mia dominating the youth competitions of women's soccer in Texas, it was only natural that she ended up in the spotlight of the United States national team staff. However, at age 14, she wasn't ready for that big of a leap, yet.
One of the less known facts about Mia Hamm is that she also enjoyed watching and playing football. This helped her later on in her soccer career, increasing her strength, structure and aggressive spirit.
Age 15, Mia Hamm moved to northern Virginia, where she would attend the Lake Braddock Secondary school; living with her uncle. She kept on playing soccer and one day, an impressive phone call got the young girl cheering throughout the house. She was called for the senior United States women's soccer team, becoming the youngest player in history to play on it.
Fortunately, she did have a