This past week in class we discussed the loveable and charismatic
power lifter that is Holly Mangold. Many
people know her brother, former Ohio State Buckeye and current New York Jet
center, Nick Mangold. When many people
think of Holly, most of the time they just think of a big girl that is only
famous because of her size and her choice in athletic participation, but there
is so much more to this girl then meets the eye. Most girls her age are concerned with their
looks and how to be thinner, not many girls enjoy being the biggest person
(male or female) in the room. Holly
however, takes that statement in stride.
From a young age she never really was concerned with the norm of what
girls “should” be doing, she took after her brother and wanted to play
football. Although she was not very good,
she compensated with her size, for her lack of skill. Although many videos show her throwing people
around, this does not necessarily mean she was talented, she was just that much
bigger than all the boys participating on the field. With that being said, it is still remarkable
that she went through all the practices, and worked out in the weight room with
the team to try to better her skill. This is right around the time she got
recognized as being someone who could participate in power-lifting. She took a back-handed complement she received
from one of her coaches in stride, and just put her mind, her body, and her over sized personality to the task of becoming a power lifter. Yet another great accomplishment was the fact
that she made the US women’s Olympic team for weight lifting, which is a great
feat in itself for the fact that she has been doing it for such a short amount
of time. Although she did not medal, she
kept a positive mind throughout the whole process. She was not expected to be able to make the Olympics
until the 2016 games, and she made it for the 2012 summer Olympics. So maybe by the time the 2016 Olympics come
around she will be an elite weight lifter and be able to add an Olympic medal
to her already large personality.
Hi Gene,
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed reading your blog about Holley Mangold and hearing about her larger then life personality. However, I think you should have given her more credit when talking about her high school football career. There are many other large defensive ends/ tackles that play high school football, and there is also a disadvantage to being larger, such as being slow, or not as quick off the ball. I thought it would have been incredible if she got the opportunity to play college football, I think that would have been a huge deal in sports! What do other people think of that? Mangold was the first female to play D3 Ohio HS football as a non kicker. I believe Mangold should have had an opportunity to kept playing college football, if thats what she wanted to do, because she showed everyone that she can compete with the boys.
-Brett Creamer
I would have to start out by saying that I agree with Brett in saying that Holly Mangold deserves a good amount of credit when discussing her playing skill set. I haven't watched her play before, but the fact that she was able to start and play at her size, is impressive in itself, never mind the fact that she's a girl. My roommate actually went to her high school while she was there and said that she was, in his opinion a very hard working and charismatic person. She wasn't like other girls playing football at kicker's position, but she was doing the dirty work that could get the best of some guys on the team. Her story is very impressive and I wish I had gotten the opportunity to watch her play in college at any level.
ReplyDelete-Ryan Hetrick
Hey guys, I also agree with the first few comments, give credit where credit is due. Not only did Mangold do all of the same physical work on the field, in practices- she did it with an even tougher route to complete. First being a female playing in an over-saturated male sport, and with her larger size as an added challenge. She has a very hard working, head strong, and charismatic personality and it inspires me and I hope many like me to work hard and prove myself in all I do. She has been impressive as a female lead in what I hope to be a continuing story of growth in women's participation in this male dominated sport.
ReplyDeleteStephanie Loomis
Gene,
ReplyDeleteI totally agree with you. Holly is a perfect example of never judging a book by its cover. She's doing what she loves and not many people in this world can say that. She has the chance to medal in 2016 and I hope she accomplishes that. I think the biggest thing that you touched base on was the fact that in the face of criticism, she has risen above it. When many people are laughed at, or told they should do something else, normally people abandon what they love doing, just because of social pressure. Holly has overcome what many people can't and is defying what everyone has either said or thought. It's also important to note that while the majority of viewers are looking for the female with the best body, Mangold has a great personality, which is rarer to find in top athletes today.
Nate Dudzik
I also think that Holly has an amazing attitude. Being a bigger women in sports is not always an easy thing, and Holly handles it amazingly well. Her confidence is inspiring to all athletes. One of my favorite things she said about her confidence was something along the lines of, if you believe you are amazing, then eventually other people will think it too. I think that is definitely true. If you give your best in everything that you do, people are going to see that and recognize you as a hard worker, whether it is in sports, business, or any other aspect of life. Holly is a great example of an athlete with great attitude, and is someone that many women should aspire and look up to.
ReplyDeleteJenn Zoellick
It is hard to come by an attitude like Holly Mangold has. She could have easily given up on a lot of the situations that she has been through, but that is not who she is. She is a very hardworking woman that lives life to the fullest. She accepts any challenge that is put in front of her. She is a role model to other young big girls that need some direction. I agree that she proved that she could play with guys in a very competitive sport and she continues to prove that she can compete in very hardworking and intense sports. I agree that it is truly amazing that she proved everyone wrong with making the 2012 U.S. Olympic weight lifting team when she wasn't expected to make it until 2016. That shows how dedicated she is in life. Being able to achieve everything that she has in the shadow of her older brother must be challenging as well as motivating. She took a situation that many people would look down at themselves for and she excelled. Her actions have motivated others including myself to work hard and achieve dream goals.
ReplyDelete-Kody Burlingame
I love what everyone wrote about Holley in this thread. Thanks for sharing your thoughts about this topic!
ReplyDeleteDr. Spencer