Do you know what Lisa Leslie, Lindsay Davenport, Kate Markgraf, Dara Torres and Paula Radcliffe all have in common? They have all experienced the selfless act of childbirth. Yes folks, they are all high-profile, elite athlete moms! After expressing some constructive criticism about the San Fernando Grand Prix two weeks ago, which evidently seemed to have stepped on some egos (the biggest problem in the sports industry in T&T), I thought this week I would change gears and focus on something more inspirational. In the cut-throat world of professional sports, it is always warming to hear the commentator state during a European football game, for example, that some said football player was able to fly back home in the middle of the tournament to witness the birth of his new baby. Subconsciously, we the listeners in all probability credit the athlete for their commitment to family life despite the unique challenges of their profession.
In the last Olympics, however, 17 moms competed. Collectively there were 21 children amongst them and at that time, more than half of them were under the age of six. Actually, I saw Dara Torres in the Olympic Village at the Beijing Olympic Games. She was 41 at the time and mother of one. It was almost bizarre to see her among her teammates, most of whom were more than ten years her junior, single, with no kids and asking for pictures with Kobe Bryant and the other pro basketball players, who had finally made their appearance at the village. Torres went on to win silver medals in all three of the events she competed in at that Olympic Games.For those of my readers who are already parents, you will know the life-changing experience it is to bring a new life into this world. Priorities change completely and you no longer live for yourself but for your child/children. Combine that with the maternal instinct and you can understand how much of a mental and spiritual challenge it must be to remain committed to the lifestyle of a professional athlete mom.
The bodies on these athlete moms further impress me, in some cases, complete with six-pack abs! Some women put on a lot of weight when they get pregnant for various reasons while others do not, but doctors say there is no physical reason why a player shouldn't return to competition after experiencing child birth, once they stay committed to a workout regime.
As a matter of fact, Radcliffe, 33 years old, won the 2008 New York Marathon less than ten months after having her daughter, and at five months pregnant with her second one, she was still running 14 miles a day in an effort to be ready for London 2012. In 2009, golfer Catriona Matthew, 39, won the British Open ten weeks after giving birth to her second child while Kim Clijsters became the first mother to win the US Open singles title, two-and-a-half years after having her daughter. So, the challenge then is not physical but mental-a test of determination and grit. But it is not all a fight against the odds. These moms have endorsed doctors' observations that the role of being a mom can contribute to a higher level of discipline and focus in their sport, returning to training with a new sense of self-awareness and maturity.
The challenge is finding that balance with the family. The role of the mom is pivotal to a happy and healthy home, so some athlete moms have resolved this issue by travelling with the family to their games as much as possible, as is the case with Jennie Finch, reputed to be one of the most popular softball players ever.In my practice as an athletic trainer, I have treated very few national athlete moms, partly due to the fact that there are very few of them around here. However, there was one instance where an athlete mom, after having given birth four years prior, was still without control over her core muscles, yet, she was training with the national team. Clearly her technical skills remained strong; however, she had been deprived of much needed, basic muscle re-education to recover her core strength. As such, it was only a matter of time before the injuries started, an avoidable reason for early retirement, something that these successful athlete moms would have been properly guided to avoid.
In so many ways the support of a sports medicine unit adds value to a team through cost effective strategies of athlete preservation. Fortunately, it is becoming increasingly evident that Trinbagonians appreciate this fact and are taking steps towards accessing such services. For my readers who were once athletic, you still are! If you have not maintained a level of activity that keeps you healthy and fit then let these elite athlete moms inspire you (men and women alike). The challenge is not physical but mental; it is just a question of determination and grit.
Editor's note:
Asha De Freitas is a qualified and certified athletic trainer with the NATA and has a Masters of Science in Sports and Fitness Management with a concentration in Athletic Administration.
"Fight for your opinions, but do not believe that they contain the whole truth, or the only truth."
-Charles A Dana.