Photo courtesy of Anthony Ianni
March was a great month for Purpose2Play.
We talked to a Yankees fan, who is walking from Florida to the Bronx to raise money for the Wounded Warrior Project, and to honor his nephew who was killed in the 9/11 attacks.
We chatted with U.S. Women’s National Team star Meghan Klingenberg about her small stature actually being blessing on the pitch.
We also went one-on-one with Anthony Ianni, the first person with autism to play division I basketball.
Let’s throw it back to the top 5 for March:
5. New York Yankees Fan Walking 1,200 Miles to the Bronx
Juan Acevedo, Cy Barger, Andy Cannizaro…Derek Jeter, Mickey Mantle, and finally, at last, Babe Ruth.
That’s how Richard Albero is counting the miles from home plate at George M. Steinbrenner Field (spring training home of the New York Yankees) in Tampa to Yankee Stadium in the Bronx. Each of the 1,200 miles that he’ll walk this spring will be accompanied by the ghosts of Yankee greats – because each one gets their own mile. The 1,200 finest to play in pinstripes
4. Timeout Q&A: Men Coaching Girls And Women
Mia Hamm, American Soccer star, put it this way, “Coach us like men, but treat us like women.” In part, what she’s saying is we can take tough practices and high expectations; just remember that there are differences … and I would add, that’s not a bad thing. Since there are differences in the way men and women think, effectively coaching girls and women to their optimal levels of performance dictates that male coaches study those differences.
3. Beth Sanden Becomes First Athlete With Disability To Complete A Marathon on Seven Continents
When Beth Sanden, 60, traveled to Antarctica in February, she used her 43-pound handcycle to complete a marathon.
More importantly, she finished her 13-year journey to accomplish the unthinkable — to become the first athlete with a disability to finish a full marathon on all seven continents.
2. Heart Not Height, Defines USWNT’s Meghan Klingenberg
While Klingenberg may have been the shortest out on the pitch, it was her relentless heart that made her bigger than any opposing player. Inches may determine the difference between a win or a loss, but inches would not determine the height of the success that she would see.
As the first person who falls on the autism spectrum to play division I college basketball, Ianni has exposed collegiate sports, more specifically Michigan State head coach Tom Izzo, to a unique type of player — one who sometimes has trouble with the most important part of communication — hearing what isn’t said.
