Standing Out
by Jillian Cafarchio
EDLA 615 Summer Session 2012
Use the 3 coaches below to help you understand the story!
Standing out
by Jillian Cafarchio
Growing up, Cammi knew she was different. When all of her friends wanted to play with dolls, she wanted to play with her brother's toys. When her friends wanted to do ballet , Cammi wanted to play sports with the boys.
At first Cammi reluctantly went along with everyone else. She tried to enjoy the "girly" activities that children her age wanted to do. She played dress up and had tea parties, but she didn't really like it.
One of Cammi's favorite things to do was to skate on the pond outside of her family's house. Cammi and her brother would stay outside playing hockey until it was dark out. Even though it meant being different, Cammi resolved that she wanted to be an ice hockey player.
Being different is not always easy. At school, Cammi was picked on because she was not like other girls. Some boys refused to play against her. Many people thought that girls should not be playing ice hockey. All of this negativity did not thwart her goals. Cammi worked harder than ever and channeled the negativity into her training. In the summer and anytime she couldn't be on the ice, she ran, rode her bike and worked out to stay in shape for hockey season.
Cammi was very lucky to have a family who supported her unconditionally . Even when people doubted her, Cammi's family stood by her and encouraged her to achieve her goals. When times got hard, Cammi just had to think about how great it felt to lace up her skates and play the game of hockey.
Through hard work and dedication , Cammi grew up and went to Providence College in Rhode Island. She worked hard in school and got good grades. She trained hard and made the hockey team, and was even a captain. Even after these accomplishments , Cammi was still not satisfied.
Cammi's love for the game of hockey and intense dedication led her to the US Women's Olympic team. She was the captain and led her team to the first ever gold medal in women's hockey in 1998. Cammi played in every world championship for the United States from the inaugural event in 1990 to 2005. In May 2008, Cammi became the first woman inducted into the International Ice Hockey Hall of fame.
"I always liked hockey too much to stop playing, so I worked harder and pushed myself to be better. If I was average, people wouldn't accept me. If I was better, they'd respect me."
- Cammi Granato