Who were your heroes when you were young?
Michael:
Definitely Duke Snider! The Brooklyn Dodgers had three outfielders-Willie Mays, Mickey Mantle and the Duke. I felt that Mays and Mantle were the whole country's heroes, and Snider was my very own. I remember one of the first lessons I learned about baseball was that my hero struck out more times than he hit home runs. It was an important life lesson.
Doreen:
I personally came late to sports participation. I am from a generation of women who had few opportunities to be athletes. It wasn't until I was a mother of two young daughters that I started to compete in triathlons and marathons.
But my appreciation of what a female athlete could do came much earlier. I remember being amazed and delighted, as a young girl, by the accomplishments of Wilma Rudolph in the 1960 Olympics. I remember young friends having polio, so her achievement was a true inspiration to me. I have always been drawn to track and filed athletes. It probably has something to do with one glorious day in 4th grade when I one the school 50 yard dash.
