The Wise Words of Lillianna Franco
South Suburban College gave the Girls soccer team a great opportunity to hear stories from great speakers of cool speeches. Lillianna Franco was amongst them and her story was empowering to the female athletes. She gave her voice and I would love to broadcast it out, so that other female athletes in my school and community can hear also. There are three important things that Coach Franco spoke about.
1. "Currently, in our society being a female athlete is becoming more and more accepted, in comparison to before. However, there is still much more work to do to not only strengthen the support female athletes get, but also increase the level of difficulty and challenge for females in the U.S. I would say we need to continue to challenge ourselves and be the best we can be, not because we have to prove that we are better to male athletes, but to prove that we can become better and better year after year, to ourselves."
Once we convince ourselves that we can do it, that we can become better athletes, then we will be more respected. Moreover, we will gain more resources and programs to help strengthen female sports in our community. It isn't about males versus females; it’s about females comparing themselves to who they were the year before. Did they improve? If so, we deserve more support and more attention in the sports world."
2. "Education is everything to me. Many people get stuck on just wanting to be an athlete and forget that in order to be successful at the sport, you must be smart. Every sport requires some type of thought process. It isn't all just physical. So, we must be putting an equal amount of time on the field/court and in the classroom. Additionally, I believe that being a professional athlete is competitive. It is hard and it should be. But that also means there isn't room for everyone, which also means you should always have a plan B if you do not become a professional athlete. And even if you do become one, what will happen if you get injured and cannot play anymore or once you are too old to play?"
"Everyone need a higher education. The situation here is that many young students believe college isn't for them or that it will be too hard. Well, they are wrong. You must believe college is for you and you must do everything you can to go to college. An education opens more doors for success and is necessary to become the person you want to become."
3. "CoolSpeak is a great company. Imagine this: you get to speak to young kids all the time and motivate them to have the life you always wanted for yourself. It feels incredible to be able to be a part of such a great company. CoolSpeak is all about integrity; doing what is right and what is needed for our youth. We are innovative in that we don't just talk to the kids, we talk with them, and we make it cool and fun for them to understand.
"When I do work for CoolSpeak, I know I am in the right place at the right time because it just feels right; like something I was born to do."
The Return of Sports at Hammond High School
Soccer, volleyball and football are preparing for their seasons in the weeks to come there are games quickly approaching. The Girls soccer team has a game on the 17th and Volleyball has their first game on the 14th. School spirit is spreading and the chants are being prepared, the Wildcats are ready to be released from their cages.
Some Awesome Student and Teacher Shout Outs
As the school year is approaching I would like to give a shout out to two amazing teachers that took time out of their summer to help accompany the Girls soccer team on their tournament, helping make the trip possible.
Mr. Borsits and Mr. Glassford are this month’s outstanding Wildcat Staff! Thank you for the support and wildcat cheers.
Student shout out of the month goes to (Senior) Jacquelyn Tirado, she is a member of the National Honors Society and now a captain of the soccer team! Keep of the great work and setting an example for female athletes in our school. Education and Sports don't take from each other, they embrace one another and you're showcasing both of them. Great Job and congratulations Jackie!