Mia Hamm – The "Say Never Die"​ Champion


You may have heard this saying before. "Champions are not born; they are made." What does it take to become a champion, whether in sports, business, or your personal life? To become a champion, you have to have the right mindset. Be in the game, play the game, and get results. No child is born a champion. You have to earn your championship ring. Nothing will be given to you. According to Dwayne Malone, Mr. Universe, "Having the mental strength to get up every day and repeat the same thing over and over. Year after year, month after month, day after day: It truly is that simple."

Siya likes sports and want to tell us the story of how she made the team in her first book, "The Siyabonga Story." 
And the right mentality is a champion's mindset. Every champion is confident in themselves and teammates and is never afraid to tackle a challenge, no matter how large. Champions have the mindset that they're the best, and if you disagree, they're going to go out on a soccer field and prove you wrong. Champions continue to show a lot of people wrong because they trusted themselves and believed in their abilities to perform under stress.

Our advice, no matter what you're doing in life, you must possess confidence every time you step on the field, be it at practice or in a game. You not only need to prepare for a match or game physically but mentally. Sometimes, being physically strong can only take you so far. Being in your best shape can only keep you in the game. To succeed at the championship level, you also need to be mentally healthy and prepare yourself mentally for the inevitable. Champions must endure criticism and must take a stand for injustice, especially with human rights and inequality of any kind.

Here is a story of one of our favorite champions, a great soccer player:   
Mia Hamm is considered one of the greatest female athletes of our generation. She played for the US National team for seventeen years. She attended the University of North Carolina and played forward position. Mia Hamm will go on to win the FIFA World Cup in 1991 and 1999. Mia won Olympic gold medals in 1996 and 2004. According to Wikipedia, Mia was an athletic, dynamic, and technically gifted striker, renowned for her speed, skill, footwork, stamina, and ability on the ball, as well as her consistency. Technically, an excellent, agile dribbler, with excellent ball control, grace, pace, and elegance in possession. She was creative and hard-working forward, and a team player. We will also remember Mia for being an excellent role model for many young players. She created the Mia Hamm Foundation after her brother died of a bone-marrow disease.

In the words of Mia Hamm, "Take your victories, whatever they may be, cherish them, use them, but don't settle for them. There are always new, grander challenges to confront, and a true winner will embrace each one."

In soccer, we need to develop the champion's mindset. No matter how big or fast our competition or opponents are, we have to have the mindset that we are even bigger and faster. We must prepare and train more than our opponents, so when we get to the moment of execution. We must show our competition or opponents that even though they are stronger, bigger, and faster than us, we are not intimidated because we prepared physically, mentally, technically, and tactically. We must have the belief that we can compete with the best at any level. As soccer players, we need to keep reminding ourselves that a true champion like Mia Hamm will never accept failure as the final result, but a chance to learn and get back on the competitive track.

Here are some traits of a champion based on Mia Hamm's journey:
1. Self-Confidence
2. Work Ethics
3. Durability and Endurance
4. Learn-ability
5. Resilience - Failure is not an option
6. Mental toughness
7. Play smart–game smartness
8. Ability to face difficult situations
9. Have the X-factor (what differentiates you from the rest of the competitors)
10. Consistency
Siya likes sports and want to tell us the story of how she made the team in her first book, "The Siyabonga Story." 
References and credits:
Images credit: Mia Hamm: FIFA.com
Photos also licensed under CC BY-SA

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