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    Heart of a Champion: The Dominique Dawes Story
    Heart of a Champion: The Dominique Dawes Story
    Heart of a Champion: The Dominique Dawes Story
    Ebook124 pages1 hour

    Heart of a Champion: The Dominique Dawes Story

    By Kim Washburn

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    About this ebook

    Dominique Dawes made history as the first African American woman to win an individual Olympic medal, and her trailblazing story is presented in Heart of a Champion, a biography perfect for readers eight and up, and anyone interested in learning about one of the greatest gymnasts in American history.

    Long before Gabby Douglas and Simone Biles entered a gym, Dominique Dawes was a young African American girl focused on her dream—and nothing would stop her from reaching it. Although the odds were against her, by the time she was nineteen years old she stood on an Olympic podium to receive a historic gold medal in women’s gymnastics, as well as numerous other impressive accolades—including medals in a record three Olympics—over her long career. Discover how her faith in God and hard work led her to become one of the top gymnasts in the world. Let her story and her motto of “determination, dedication, and desire” encourage you to become all you can be, in competition and in life.

    Heart of a Champion:

    • includes a special note from Dominique Dawes
    • contains quotes from and photos of Dominique that follow her life from childhood to her work with President Obama and Michelle Obama on physical fitness
    • is perfect for school reports and assignments
    • is an inspiring story for gymnastics fans as well as anyone with a dream
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherZondervan
    Release dateMay 22, 2012
    ISBN9780310413523
    Heart of a Champion: The Dominique Dawes Story
    Author

    Kim Washburn

    Kim Washburn comenzó su carrera en el mundo editorial con Enfoque a la Familia. Después de trabajar en el equipo de mercadeo para los libros de esa organización, se convirtió en editora asociada para su revista mensual. Desde 1997 estuvo a cargo de evaluar obras para jóvenes, escribió textos originales y ayudo a crear una revista refinada, entretenida y edificante. Dios de sus historias fueron premiadas por la Asociación Evangélica de Prensa, incluyendo un primer lugar en la categoría ficción.

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    Book preview

    Heart of a Champion - Kim Washburn

    Heart

    of a

    Champion

    the

    Dominique Dawes

    Story

    Kim Washburn

    For ABB, AVJ, and ALK

    Gutsy girls who leave me laughing and inspired.

    Table of Contents

    Cover

    Title Page

    Dedication

    Introduction

    Chapter 1: Success Under Pressure

    Chapter 2: The Blessings That Brought Her Here

    Chapter 3: What Teamwork Can Do

    Chapter 4: Nothing Less Than Perfect

    Chapter 5: Breakthrough and Clean Sweep

    Chapter 6: Long Road to Magnificent Gold

    Chapter 7: Audiences Fit for Rock Stars

    Chapter 8: Back to the Mat

    Chapter 9: Following Her Heart

    Chapter 10: The Challenges That Need a Champion

    Chapter 11: What She Missed the First Three Times

    Chapter 12: When the White House Calls

    Chapter 13: Building on the Foundation

    Endnotes

    About the Author

    Other books in the Zonderkidz Biography Series:

    Copyright

    About the Publisher

    Share Your Thoughts

    Introduction

    Thank you for reading about my journey in the sport of gymnastics. I pray that you are able to find your own D-3 Determination Dedication Desire from my story.

    Aspiring to Inspire!

    Chapter 1

    Success Under Pressure

    Success is a journey not a destination.

    In less than a minute, she will attack her routine with the stature of a pixie, the power of a firework, and the flexibility of Elastigirl. But until she gets the signal, Dominique Dawes quietly stands at the edge of the spring floor, shouldering the pressure and clearing her thoughts.

    The crowd buzzes in the arena and TV commentators list her accomplishments. But in her mind Dominique turns down the volume of all the distractions just like she turned down the volume when she watched gymnastics on TV at home.

    She takes a breath and waits. She has been in this position before and she knows what she has to do. Although still a teenager, Dominique is by all accounts an experienced veteran.

    For twelve years, she has trained to do tricks that defy gravity despite the weight of the situation. Still sometimes the physical gymnastics came easier than the mental ones. How does one simply set aside past setbacks and future goals, minor mistakes and big dreams?

    The petite and powerful girl in the blue velvet leotard sees her signal. Without blinking Dominique steps inside the corner of the mat, takes another breath, and focuses. The music sweeps through the speakers.

    Dominique takes two hard-charging steps, then launches into the air like on springs. When she lands in the opposite corner, she doesn’t stop or even pause before propelling herself in the opposite direction. With dizzying speed she successfully completes no less than eleven tricks on one supersonic up-and-back tumbling pass.

    The roar of the crowd overtakes the music but Dominique has practiced so many hours, she doesn’t miss a beat. With pointed toes, straight legs, perfect posture, and jumps that are higher than a grown man’s head, she performs her routine with precision and power. Timing her last movement with the last note, the crowd cheers enthusiastically. She raises her arms with the posture of a champion.

    Back on the side of her mat, Dominique meets her coach — the dedicated instructor and positive guide whose face she has looked up to since her first somersault. Dominique accepts the congratulations, smiles briefly, listens to the feedback, and waits for the score.

    Would her performance be enough to accomplish something that hasn’t been done in twenty-five years? She waits for the judges.

    Dominique tumbles through the floor exercise into first place overall in the 1994 Senior Women’s US National Gymnastics Championships in Nashville, Tennessee.

    Dominique had been in a gym for a decade, making the most of the gifts God had given her. Although her strong muscles masked a fragile self-esteem, she persevered through difficulties and dedicated her life to rare, elite competition. Her incredible accomplishments belied a young girl under significant pressure to be perfect — because even if God doesn’t require perfection, the international judges do.

    Slow minutes pass and the score is posted. She looks at the three small numbers, one step toward a gigantic achievement: Dominique wins the all-around portion of the competition — and goes on to win each of the four individual events as well. By the end of the meet, she is the first gymnast in twenty-five years to sweep the board.

    The significant accomplishment is one in a long line. By age 23 Dominique won more national championship medals than any other athlete — boy or girl — since 1963, became the only American to medal in an unprecedented three Olympics, was the first African-American to win an Olympic individual medal as well as win Olympic gold with her artistic gymnastic team, was the first African-American national champion.

    But this story is getting ahead of itself. This account is far more than a long list of unique accomplishments and accolades. It’s a rolling, twisting journey of passion, challenge, inspiration, heartbreak, humility, and life lessons. It didn’t begin with a score from a judge. And it certainly doesn’t end there.

    Chapter 2

    The Blessings That Brought Her Here

    There was always an emphasis on a strong foundation.

    This story really starts in 1976. The summer Olympic Games of the XXI Olympiad were held in Montreal, Canada, where the gymnastic competition was dominated by Eastern European teams and a fourteen-year-old Romanian named Nadia Comãneci. That year no female gymnast from the United States won a medal.

    Five hundred miles away in Silver Spring, Maryland, a little girl with a big Olympic future was born. Dominique Margaux Dawes was the second daughter of Don and Loretta. A coordinated ball of energy, she kept everyone on their toes and did her best to keep up with her four-year-old big sister, Danielle.

    Dad was dedicated to the family business he inherited from his father. Often up at three in the morning and back at eight in the evening, he worked hard to earn a living. Mom worked at home keeping the financial books for the business. Meanwhile the sisters bounced around the furniture, spent time with close cousins, and helped around the house as they got older.

    The girls had their own rooms until Dominique was six, when her brother, Don Jr., was born. Then the sisters started sharing a room and a bunk bed.

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