导出博客文章In honor of National Hispanic Heritage Month, Erika L. Sánchez writes a tribute
essay to?Olympian Laurie Hernandez.This summer the Olympics in Rio gave us the
gift of Laurie Hernandez, the vibrant 16-year-old gymnast from New Jersey who
won a gold medal in the team event and a silver medal for the balance beam. Shes
one of the youngest members of Team USA and has quickly become an international
star and a role model for girls everywhere.I dont think Ive ever seen a young
Latina receive so much love and praise, and its been incredible to
watch.Hernandez, of Puerto Rican heritage, has been honing her gymnastic skills
since the age of five. Her dedication to her sport is palpable in her graceful
powerful movements. She exudes a confidence on the floor that is, unfortunately,
rare for a teenage girl.Its taken me a lifetime to be that self-assured.When I
was Hernandezs age, I never saw anyone who looked like me on TV, let alone in
sports. I was uncoordinated and dreaded any sort of physical activity. Part of
my hesitation stemmed from the discomfort I felt with my own body.Like many
young women, I was embarrassed of simply existing, of being me. Thats why Im so
encouraged when I watch Hernandez. I lament that I didnt have that kind of poise
and determination, but Im so grateful that she can influence future generations
of young women.Unfortunately, brown girls are often discouraged from exercising
outside because its considered masculine. My grandmother, for instance, once
called me marimacha, which roughly translates to butch, simply because I liked
to play outdoors.Instead of getting involved with after school activities, young
Latinas are often obligated to do chores or take care of their siblings. Their
responsibilities primarily reside in the home, and its considered indecent to be
out in the streets.Despite the discouragement I received from my environment and
my own self-doubt, in seventh grade I decided to join an after-school volleyball
league. Initially I was proud of having challenged myself, but I regretted my
decision as soon as I realized that I was absolutely terrible, incapable of ever
getting the ball over the net. My teammates would groan whenever I missed a
shot. Then, as a freshman in high school I joined the track team, but quit after
a few weeks because I was so slow my races didnt even count. I felt like a
failure and decided I wasnt athletic, that it wasnt a part of who I
was.Hernandez is the opposite of my younger self, and that is so refreshing to
me. Not only is she athletically talented, her exuberance and sunny disposition
add to her extraordinary presence. Its no surprise that her nicknames include
Baby Shakira, and Human Emoji.She moves with personality and attitude. In
addition to her gymnastics career, Hernandez is also a skilled dancer,
performing flawlessly on Dancing with the Stars. Its motivating to watch her
move her body with such joy. I spent so much of my youth shrouding myself and
grappling with depression that its heartening to see a young woman who isnt
afraid to celebrate her own talent and physique.Im now in my 30s and am so
thrilled to see that times have changed for young girls of color. Latinas have
become more visible in media in general, and the Internet has made it easier for
girls to pursue their interests and find positive representations of
themselves.Though she is much younger than me, I consider Laurie Hernandez a
role model. She is the embodiment of Brown Girl Magic. In an interview this
summer she stated, I want to make sure I always show off my smile and have a
positive attitude the whole time, whether its during a performance, practice or
doing an interview. This outlook is something we should all try to emulate.I
hope that Hernandez will inspire a generation of Latina girls to pursue sports,
to become comfortable with their bodies, to experience the exhilaration of
physical transcendence.Erika L. Sánchez is a poet, essayist, and fiction writer.
She is the author?of Lessons on Expulsion (Graywolf 2017) and I Am Not Your
Perfect Mexican Daughter (Knopf Books for Young Readers 2017). Her nonfiction
has appeared in Al Jazeera, The Guardian, Rolling Stone, and many other
publications. She has received a CantoMundo Fellowship, a Discovery/Boston
Review Poetry Prize, and a Ruth Lilly and Dorothy Sargent Rosenberg Poetry
Fellowship from the Poetry Foundation.
David Freese
Jersey .Y. -- Sabres defenceman Tyler Myers had no intention of changing
his hard-hitting style before taking part in a disciplinary hearing for his
illegal check to New Jersey forward Dainius Zubrus head.
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right sleeve during the season. The patch, shaped like home plate, carries the
number 715, Aarons autograph and a "40th Anniversary" banner.
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. The recently retired Stern was elected Friday to the Naismith Memorial
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Angeles Dodgers defeated the San Diego Padres 4-0 Saturday night.
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Jersey . -- Sergey Tolchinksy scored his second goal of the game 3:56 into
overtime as the Sault Ste. PHOENIX -- After a season of injuries and indecision,
the Phoenix Suns hope they have tweaked their young roster correctly as they
open the 2016-17 season against the Sacramento Kings on Wednesday night.Two
years ago, the Suns best three guards (Eric Bledsoe, Goran Dragic and Isaiah
Thomas) all played the same position. But the logjam at point guard quickly went
from unworkable to untenable, beginning a spiral that forced a reboot to the
Suns rebuilding plans.Now the Suns kick off the 2016-17 season with three guards
with defined positions and roles.Bledsoe is the survivor of the purge and the
undisputed point guard, hoping to rebound from injuries that forced him to watch
most of last seasons 23-59 disaster from the sideline.Devin Booker, who rose
from the ashes of a terrible season, is now the starting shooting guard and face
of the franchise a few days shy of his 20th birthday. He became the
fourth-youngest player in league history (behind LeBron James, Kevin Durant and
Kobe Bryant) to score 1,000 points in a season.Brandon Knight, plagued by
injuries and inconsistency but an undeniable offensive force, will come off the
bench as a sixth man who will see major playing time in coach Earl Watsons
rotation that now includes former Suns Leandro Barbosa and Jared Dudley and a
host of promising but unproven talent.With Bledsoe, Booker, Knight and Barbosa
heading up the guard rotation, the Suns waived Archie Goodwin on Monday and
opted to keep John Jenkins and Tyler Ulis at the end of the bench. Goodwin had
several highlight-reel moments during his three seasons with the Suns but never
enough to warrant serious playing time.Suns general manager Ryan McDonough told
Arizona Sports 98.7 FM that Goodwin had requested a change of scenery.We felt
like we got down to 16 really good, quality NBA players. Archie and his agents
for the last few months asked uus to accommodate a trade request, McDonough
said.dddddddddddd With that in mind, we told Archie and his agent wed try to
help him move to a team where hed have an opportunity and play. Unfortunately,
we werent able to work out a deal. This time of a year, its hard.Forward P.J.
Tucker, who underwent back surgery in September, was cleared to play on Tuesday
and will come off the bench. T.J. Warren, coming off season-ending foot surgery
himself, will start at forward with Dudley and Tyson Chandler at center.While
the Suns have missed the playoffs for six consecutive seasons, the Kings are
trying to break a 10-year postseason drought. Despite an explosive season from
center DeMarcus Cousins, who ranked fourth in the NBA in scoring at 26.9 points
per game, the Kings won only 33 games -- the most in Cousins six season in
Sacramento.The Kings won three out of four meetings with the Suns last season,
and Cousins was a big reason.Sacramento will start the season without starting
point guard Darren Collison, who will begin an eight-game suspension due to a
guilty plea to a misdemeanor charge of domestic battery. Ty Lawson will start at
the point for the Kings, looking to rebound after two poor seasons and two DUI
arrests in 2015.The Kings will open the season with 11 games in the first 17
days. Most of those games will be with Lawson as the only true point guard on
the roster.Its going to be a rough stretch, Lawson told the Sacramento Bee. If
things go bad, weve just got to stick together. We cant pull apart. Things are
going to happen, but I feel like if we stay positive and stick together, well be
able to get through it.Former Sun and new King Matt Barnes will miss his first
game with the Kings due to rib and knee problems.
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