Mel on Mickey D's Cups
Has there ever been a US weightlifter on a Wheaties box? Not yet.It's About Preparing People, not Preventing Injuries
ACL injuries do not happen in a void. People sustain injuries when their infrastructure is unable to manage a specific set of physical circumstances. To describe the mechanism of the injury without the context of the person and their level/type of sport, is to miss valuable insight. In sport, we prepare the person, to the best of our understanding, to meet the physical demands of that sport. We do not just work to prevent one particular injury; we prepare athletes to navigate the total sport physical environment. By "we" I mean the coaching and support staff -- specifically the athletic development staff. Athletic development (AD) coaches prepare athletes through the development of physical literacy and movement competencies via movement progressions. It is more than strength, power, agility; it is the acquisition of knowledge, skills, abilities and behaviors to manage themselves within the entire sporting environment. At the higher levels of sport, AD coaches coordinate wit...
Comments
I'd hate for some young person to make a connection between drinking soda from a McDonald's cup to being Olympic in nature ("eat and drink McDonald's food and you can be just like her!").
I'm wishing Melanie the best! Good luck!
Alex
This is a financial opportunity of a lifetime few weightlifters get. The $500 a month they get from USAW is a drop in the bucket to the training, travel, coaching and medical care expenses they incur, if they are not resident athletes at the OTC.
Now, also think about child care (3 kids under 7)--to have a few hours a week to yourself to keep your marriage together--and the thousands of dollars in one-on-one therapy and support services a special needs child may need for the rest of his adult life.
An apt in Beijing for the family to accompany an athlete runs up to $500 per day during the Olympics; airfare is $1300-$1800 each for mom, mother-in-law, son, husband, personal coach. Plus you have to pay for the room and board for your personal coach for the two week training camp prior to the competition as USAW is only paying for 5 days.
Every penny helps. And this athlete relishes every opportunity to break the stereotype of the female weightlifter. So, she takes the good with the less than optimal and does the best she can with it.