Breaking the Press “Winning is fun... Sure. But winning is not the point. Wanting to win is the point. Not giving up is the point. Never letting up is the point. Never being satisfied with what you've done is the point” - Pat Summitt. Pat Summitt was a girls basketball coach for the University of Tennessee, in Knoxville for 38 years. She had 1,098 victories, eight national championships, and had a 39-0 run in 2008. Despite her winning record and her winning team, she was forced to resign from coaching because she was diagnosed with early on dementia at age 59. To this day Pat Summitt is one of the most successful women's basketball coaches of all time, but what made her a successful coach and a leader to so many people? Patricia Head
…show more content…
She joined a sorority and the girls made fun of her clothes and accent. She recounts that the “laughter wounded me, and it made a lasting impression” (Summitt and Jenkins page 58). Summitt was determined to never be made fun of again and this is where she learned being mentally tough is a priority in life and basketball. She asked for help from one of her sisters in the sorority with her speech. She became a decent student that was determined and hard working. Even though she was straining to achieve in class, she always felt comfortable in the gym. She signed up for basketball at Martin. Her team went 16-3 and they won the state title. They had conditioned and trained and was merely recognized because they were women. That’s when, the team decided to change it up and do everything to be recognized for their hard work. Her whole college career made her realize you have to work for respect and for recognition. Finally, in 1976 girls basketball was put in the Olympic Games. This was an accomplishment for the Association of Intercollegiate Athletics for Women and a beginning to women basketball players like Pat Summitt. Summitt trained and pressed through games to earn her a position on the Olympic
She joined a sorority and the girls made fun of her clothes and accent. She recounts that the “laughter wounded me, and it made a lasting impression” (Summitt and Jenkins page 58). Summitt was determined to never be made fun of again and this is where she learned being mentally tough is a priority in life and basketball. She asked for help from one of her sisters in the sorority with her speech. She became a decent student that was determined and hard working. Even though she was straining to achieve in class, she always felt comfortable in the gym. She signed up for basketball at Martin. Her team went 16-3 and they won the state title. They had conditioned and trained and was merely recognized because they were women. That’s when, the team decided to change it up and do everything to be recognized for their hard work. Her whole college career made her realize you have to work for respect and for recognition. Finally, in 1976 girls basketball was put in the Olympic Games. This was an accomplishment for the Association of Intercollegiate Athletics for Women and a beginning to women basketball players like Pat Summitt. Summitt trained and pressed through games to earn her a position on the Olympic