Dare to Dream: The Story of My Childhood Heroes

So, a couple years ago, I got Michelle this video, "Dare to Dream: The Story of the U.S. Women's Soccer Team", an HBO documentary chronicling the rise of the U.S. Women's National Team (USWNT) from the inception before the 1991 World Cup through Gold in Athens in 2004. The story focused on the Fab Five: Mia Hamm (joined the USWNT at 15), Julie Foudy, Kristine Lilly (most international games of any soccer player, male or female, EVER), Joy Fawcett (called "Mama Joy" because she had 3--THREE!--kids while playing for the USWNT), and Brandi Chastain. These women, along with a few others, like Michelle Akers and Carla Overbeck, basically carried women's soccer for 17 years, playing together and experiencing triumph and heartache. They took their sport from utter obscurity to the spotlight, when more than 90,000 people watched them win the World Cup in the Rose Bowl in 1999--the most attended women's sporting event in history.

Fab Five win Olympic Gold in Athens

So, yesterday, with some time to kill, I finally sat down and watched it. Best. Decision. Ever. Having followed these women from probably 1994 until their final game together on December 8, 2004, and even since then, I knew most of the story, but was inspired nonetheless by their endless dedication, competitive spirit, groundedness, and friendship. To quote a very famous cucumber, "I laughed, I cried, it moved me, Bob."

If you ever want to borrow the movie, or have me talk your ear off about my heroes, I'd be happy to oblige. I'm a firm believer that everyone should know the story of those who proved to the world that women athletes were, in fact, just athletes.