Inspiration
Written by twhigham, Monday December 14 2009
In sport, inspiration can simply be the will to prove something; even if its just to yourself.
Inspiration can come in many different forms.
For Leonardo da Vinci, it was a paying customer’s enigmatic smile. For comedian Jim Carey, it was his unemployed father’s ability to keep his family laughing even as they lived out of their car. In a small Belgian town in December, 1944, where thousands of American soldiers sat cold, hungry, nearly frozen, and surrounded by desperate enemy troops, it was their general’s one-word answer to the German commander’s demands for surrender.
And for one 8 year old girl, it was being struck by a car.
But the most famous boxer associated with
Everyone knows the story of Rocky Balboa, the down-and-out boxer looking for his one shot to make it big. It is a great story, one of human triumph over impossible odds; an everyday man’s struggle to prove his worth that has served as inspiration for amateur athletes since the first movie was released in 1976. Say what you will about the sequels, it is still a great story. Who hasn’t listened to the familiar trumpet fanfare and felt their own pulse quicken just a little bit?
On November 6, 2009, a
For
The impact of the car against her body had left her with a broken foot, six fractured ribs, whiplash, a concussion, a chipped tooth, and a severe abrasion that went from the back of her right knee all the way up to her right shoulder. Dizziness and nightmares persisted for years; her developing mind suffering from what an adult would recognize as post-traumatic stress disorder aggravated by the damage to her brain.
As she recovered, she realized just how close to death she had come; that she had been given a second chance at life. And she would not let it go to waste.
In high school she competed in most of the major varsity sports available to girls. Softball, basketball, soccer, and swimming kept her busy all year round. There was no such thing as an off-season in the Diamonds’ household. Jaime had something to prove.
At 5-feet, 1-inch, Jaime Diamonds does not have the physical stature that most major college coaches actively recruit. College scholarship offers weren’t filling up her mailbox. She hoped that she could play softball at
Her career in competitive athletics was over. Like Rocky, she thought she was cleaning out her locker for good. She thought she was done.
But then, 21 years after her accident, she got one last shot.
She jumped at the chance. She went to try-outs. She did the drills. She worked hard and got in the best shape of her life. At training camp she was outperforming women 9 years her junior. She not only made the team, she became a starting cornerback. And then she earned a spot on the offense as well.
Now Jaime Diamonds has something to prove, and she’s proving that she can play professional tackle football.
Her team lost that game against Miami when a late-game holding penalty set Philadelphia back on their own side of the field, giving Miami an opportunity to regroup and insert Kiki Toombs – yes, that Kiki Toombs – as a middle linebacker to track Lusby in the backfield. Toombs fought through a block to stop Lusby short of a first down.
Diamonds had given all she had to give, but it wasn’t enough. She had played her heart out and lost.
Rocky didn’t win his first bout, either.
But he did prove to himself that he could do something that nobody else had done. In the movie, he proved he could go twelve rounds against a heavily-favored opponent.
Jaime Diamonds does that every game. She has to. She has something to prove. She is proving that small girls can play football. Watch her line up at the corner and you can almost hear that familiar trumpet fanfare. Your pulse will quicken just a little bit.
Welcome to the All-Whigham team, Jaime.
Long live sport.
** I’d like to thank Jaime for taking a leap of faith and responding to my inquiry, for being open and honest and extremely cooperative, and for taking the time to review my work. This article could easily have become a book, and who knows, maybe someday someone will take a leap of faith and write one.
In training.
At corner against Miami.
Breaking the huddle against Tampa. Jaime is #10. **
Carrying the ball against Tampa. Jaime is #10. **
** I'd like to thank Anthony Skorochod for providing the two photos of the game against Tampa. You can get larger versions of these , along with the full photo set, at his website CyclingCaptured.Com. He does good work.
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4 comments
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When I was communicating with Jaime, I was blown away with what she told me. I think she deserves more than the little bit of space I gave her on this piece. I'm just glad she took the chance on letting me write the article, and I hope I did her justice.
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Wow, what a great, GREAT inspirational piece. makes the problems we whine every day so insignificant. This proves that we can do anything if we set our mind to it.
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Thanks for the encouragement! As a matter of fact, I've contacted a Western Conference player about a potential article and hope to have something up later this week, possibly early next week, depending on her schedule and my piss-poor time management skills. The reason why I've written about Eastern conference players is because those are the only games I've watched, other than the Seattle at Denver game. I'm hoping to catch a Dallas, LA, and/or San Diego game on tape-delay soon.
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And the All-Whigham team continues to grow. Jaime certainly deserves her place. I'm enjoying your take on the games twigham and highlighting the play of individuals as well as the strengths of the teams both in offense and defense. Keep them coming. You need to look at the Western Conference as well.