Empower Yourself

Playing sports means learning to cope with adversity. Nobody wins all the time. Win humbly and lose graciously. 

Part of your growth mindset includes learning about achievement. As a group, women are underrepresented in achievement literature, so here you go. 

Frances Perkins was the first woman serving on a presidential cabinet, serving as Secretary of Labor under Franklin Roosevelt. As a young woman, she witnessed the Triangle Shirtwaist fire in 1911. 146 people died, predominantly young women, literally locked in a New York sweatshop. The youngest victims were literally younger than all the players on your team. 

Perkins, a graduate of Mount Holyoke, was a strong advocate of minimum wage, maximum hour workweek, safety standards, and prohibition of child labor. Her tenure literally changed history for American workers, both men and women. 

Arlene Blum led a 1978, all-woman expedition to climb Annapurna, one of 14 Nepalese (Himalayan) peaks over 8000 meters. Her team braved unusually active avalanches and proved women could experience the audacity and tragedy of elite mountain climbing. Two on her team summited; two died trying. Her team showed that women had the courage, strength, and daring to succeed and to fail. 



Michael Useem profiles Blum and her team in The Leadership Moment. UNC soccer coach Anson Dorrance has The Leadership Moment as required reading for his team. The video referenced informs how "pessimism is self-defeating." 

Judy Blume is an American writer, of the "YA" (young adult) genre. In her MasterClass, she describes many writing challenges, including controversy and censorship. School libraries have removed her books because of realistic language and her inclusion of controversial adolescent topics. 

Blume had to address censorship and choose whether to lose sales and popularity because of school policy. She decided that authenticity and candor meant more than sales and advocated for the National Coalition Against Censorship. 

Adversity is your companionship on life's journey. Empower yourself to find strength to meet your challenges. Today is a good day to start. 

Middlesex League Standings...

Next up, Melrose hosts Winchester, Tuesday at 5:00 P.M.