Shalini Vallepur - I Can Be Sporty: Amazing Athletes Who Pushed the Boundaries

Published in 2021 by Enslow Publishing, LLC 101 W. 23rd Street, Suite 240, New York, NY 10011 2020 Booklife Publishing This edition is published by arrangement with Booklife Publishing All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced by any means without the written permission of the publisher. Cataloging-in-Publication Data Names: Vallepur, ShalinIi. Title: I can be sporty: amazing athletes who pushed the boundaries / Shalini Vallepur. | Series: I can be | Includes glossary and index. | Series: I can be | Includes glossary and index.

Identifiers: ISBN 9781978519718 (pbk.) | ISBN 9781978519732 (library bound) | ISBN 9781978519725 (6 pack) Subjects: LCSH: Athletes--Biography--Juvenile literature. | Olympic athletes--Biography--Juvenile literature. | Sports--History--Juvenile literature. Classification: LCC GV697.A1 V35 2020 | DDC 796.0922 B--dc23 Printed in the United States of America CPSIA compliance information: Batch #BS20ENS: For further information contact Enslow Publishing, New York, New York at 1-800-542-2595 IMAGE CREDITS All images are courtesy of fullvector. CONTENTS I CAN BESPORTY Have you ever been to see a soccer game? Or watched a tennis match on TV? Sporty people all over the world spend their lives training to compete in competitions such as the Olympic Games. But why do we compete and play sports? People have always pushed themselves to be good at certain things, and sports are no different. Sports can be hard, but they are also a good way to overcome many problems.

There is a sport for everyone. It doesnt matter where somebody comes from or if they have a disability. Read on to learn about the lives of some super sporty people who have shown the world the amazing things people can do. GERTRUDE EDERLE Born: 1905 Died: 2003 Gertrude Ederle was brought up in New York City. Ederle caught when she was five years old and started to lose hearing in one ear. However, this didnt hold her back.

She began swimming and, when she was a teenager, she trained as a competitive swimmer. Ederle found huge success in swimming. She started competing in bigger and bigger competitions and went on to win medals in the 1924 Olympic Games. After winning many competitions, Ederle set her sights on something even more challenging: swimming the English Channel. At the time, only five men had swum the 21 miles (33 km) across the English Channel. Ederle wanted to be the first woman to swim the dangerous and tough journey.

After being blown off course during her first attempt and having to be taken out of the water, she succeeded on her second attempt. She was again blown off course the second time, which meant she swam a massive 35 miles (56 km). However, she had still beaten the previous record set by men by more than two hours. Everybody celebrated Ederles amazing achievement. Ederle continued swimming, but soon her hearing problems got worse. She became a swimming teacher and helped deaf children learn to swim.

BE LIKE EDERLE AND DONT LET DEFEAT KEEP YOU DOWN. TO ME, THE SEA IS LIKE A PERSONWHEN I
SWIM IN THE SEA, I TALK TO IT.
I NEVER FEEL ALONE WHEN IM OUT THERE.
- GERTRUDE EDERLE JESSE OWENS Born: 1913 Died: 1980 James Owens grew up in Ohio. He was the youngest of ten children. His grandfather had been a , and his father worked as a farmer. Growing up, Owens helped his father in the fields. Owens was given the nickname Jesse by a schoolteacher, and it stuck.

A high school noticed how fast Owens could run and encouraged him to start training. Owens began to set new records in athletics in his school and in Ohio. He became the captain of the college athletics team. However, because of in the United States, he was not allowed to live at college or eat with the white team members. Despite this, Owens kept smashing records and winning races. Owens went on to compete in the 1936 Olympics in Berlin, Germany, the first Olympic Games to be shown on TV.

These games happened while leader Adolf Hitler was in power in Berlin. Hitlers views were . He thought that white people were better than others, and he thought they would do better at the Olympics. Owens proved Hitler wrong when he won four gold medals. When Owens returned to the United States, he was not congratulated by the president, which was something the president did for many other athletes. Despite this, Owens great achievements were not forgotten, and he spent the rest of his life training new athletes.

IF I COULD JUST WIN THOSE GOLD MEDALS,
I SAID TO MYSELF, THE HITLERS OF THE
WORLD WOULD HAVE NO MORE MEANING
FOR ME. FOR ANYONE, MAYBE.
- JESSE OWENS BE LIKE OWENS AND PROVE PEOPLE WRONG. BE LIKE OWENS MAKE A MEDAL Owens won many medals during his career. Medals are used to reward athletes for their achievements. Lets make a medal! Draw a star or any other shape on the cardboard and cut it out. Make sure it can fit onto the jar lid.

Glue the shape onto the jar lid. Cover the jar lid in a thin layer of glue. Sprinkle the glitter all over the jar lid and leave it to dry completely. Make a loop with the ribbon, and glue it to the back of the jar lid so you can wear the medal. Wear your medal youre a winner! Why not make medals for your friends and family? You could write Funniest Friend or Amazing Aunt and give them out as awards. Get an adult to help you with the scissors! PEL Born: 1940 Edson Arantes do Nascimento was born in Brazil.

His family didnt have a lot of money. Nascimento played soccer in the streets with a sock stuffed with rags. Nascimentos friends gave him the nickname Pel and it stuck. Pel joined a youth team, and his soccer skills got better and better. He was picked to play with a soccer club as a goal scorer when he was only 15 years old. Pel became a hero in Brazil, and it wasnt long before he joined the Brazilian national team.

He played in the 1958 World Cup when he was only 17 years old. He stunned the world with his talent on the soccer field, scoring many goals and helping Brazil win the World Cup. Many European soccer clubs wanted Pel to play for their team, but Pel stayed in Brazil. He went on to help Brazil win two more World Cups. Pel became a huge soccer star around the world, and he also did a lot of work to help others. Pel understood what it was like to have a difficult childhood, so he worked with charities to help children.

SUCCESS IS NO ACCIDENT. IT IS HARD
WORK, PERSEVERANCE, LEARNING, STUDYING,
SACRIFICE, AND MOST OF ALL, LOVE OF WHAT
YOU ARE DOING OR LEARNING TO DO.
- PEL BE LIKE PEL AND ALWAYS WORK HARD. BRUCE LEE Born: 1940 Died: 1973 Lee Jun Fan was born in an American hospital and was given the name Bruce by one of the nurses. Lee left the United States and grew up in Hong Kong. He was interested in many different things growing up, such as dance and poetry. He even appeared in films as a child actor.