Dara Torres, a 12 time Olympic medalist in swimming, has again qualified for the upcoming Olympic London games. If you are unaware Dara Torres was the oldest female swimmer to compete in the 2008 games, at the age of 41. At these games she won three silver medals. She was probably one of the most represented female athletes in media because of her age and also because she was a mother. This got me thinking about how professional athletes that are fathers and mothers are portrayed in the media. When I went to Google’s search bar to find some famous women in sport who were also mothers, nothing that correlated to what I searched came up; the closest thing was a “stage mom.” On the contrary when I typed in fathers in professional sport, there was a large variety of links on the topic, and then some even branching from father son duo in sports. To be a mother competing in a professional sport seems to be unheard of. But for men this is not something that would stop them from continuing on their athletic path.
Dara Torres has written a memoir about staying fit, aging gracefully, and pursuing your dreams. I think she tells her story of things she had to overcome to compete again on such an elite level wonderfully. These are more of the stories that should be read by all women. I believe there is no reason motherhood should stop you from competing. Your body may have changed but with the right attitude and training anyone should be able to get back into the best shape they were in. The media should also begin to change its perspective on mothers in sport and begin publishing more stories like Dara Torres to inspire and encourage other women.
Natalie Bell
Kin 338I Sec. 1
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