Babe Didrikson Zaharias

STRATEGIES AND SKILLS AT A GLAN CE
Read to
Find Out
Comprehension
• Strategy: Make Inferences and
Analyze
• Skill: Evaluate Author's Purpose
Babe Didrikson
Zaharias was a
great athlete.
Why is she an
Vocabulary
• flinched, fluke, gaped, insult,
I
Support Words
important person
in sports history?
--- -- ---pho.o e.edlU
Co . .. r: BettmannICORBIS ; I; AP/Wid e World
legendary, muttered, snickering
• broke (a record), grew up, modest,
•
talents, tour, t ook off
High-Freq,uency Words
• team , women
Vocabulory Strategy
Pho!o.; 2: Minne,ota Hlno. icol Soci elyl
CORIIIS; 3: lWA· O(Jnn Tardif/CORIIIS;
~ : Courtuy of Bol)e Did, jkson Zohor ;o!
founda! ion: 5: (I) Underwood & Underwoodl
CDRIIIS; 6: APIWide World Pho'o.; 7;
Bettmann/CORB1S; 8 ; BettmannlCORB15;
II : Unde,woC>d & Underwood/CORBIS; 12 :
Bettmannl<:ORB1S; 13; AP/Wid . World P'h"t".;
15: APlW ide World Pholo.; 16; United 5to,e.
p",tol Service; 17: Royolly .Fru lCo.bis; 18: (I)
Don Emm e "IAfPIGe "y Image .; (e) Shoun
Bott e'illlGe"y [moge.; (f) Ouomo/CORBIS.
• Context clues: Descriptions
Content-Area Vocabulary
Words related to Babe Didrikson Zoharias
(see glossary)
CONTENT STANDARDS
Social Studies
• Culture
Word count: 1519"
TheMcGrow Hili (omP<lnleS
•
_ Macmillan
ID McGraw-Hili
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PrinTed in The UniTed STaTes of America
2311 S6 7891091009080706
""The lotol word count is based upon words in The running text and headings only_
Numerols ond words in coptions. lobels. diogroms. chorts. and sidebors are nOl included.
Champion
Athlete:
Babe Didrikson Zaharias
by Terre Lintner
Table of Contents
Introduction . .............................. 2
Chapter 1 Babe's Early years .... .. . . ..... . . .4
Chapter 2 Winning ......................... 8
Chapter 3 A New Sport ................... 12
Chapter 4 A New Challenge ....... .. ...... 14
Chapter 5 Remember ing Babe ... .... . . ... . . 16
Glossary/Index . ................... . . . ..... 19
Comprehension Check .................... 20
Introduction
Today child ren can play any sport they like.
Boys and girl s play together on teams during
and afte r school. This was not always true.
Many years ago, gi rls were not allowed to play
most spo rts.
A lot of people th ought that only men shou ld
be athletic. They thought that women should
take care of thei r homes a nd famil ies.
=
These female
at hletes wore
skir ts as
pa r t of t h eir
un iform whe n
they p layed
p rof essiona l
baseba ll i n 19 4 3.
C Girls now wear
regular uniforms
when they play
organized sports .
Ideas about what women co uld do began
to change in the ea rly 1900s. Women joined
baseball and basketball teams. Some women
played sports to earn money. But it wasn't easy
for women athletes. Many people gaped in shock
at the women. They could not understand why a
woman wanted to play sports like a man.
Young Babe Didrikson decided to be the greatest
athlete that ever lived. Babe did not care what
people said. She cared about playing and winn ing.
roa,nguage
/DETECTIVE
Clue: Baseball is a compound word made from
base and ball. Can you find one or two other
compound words on this page?
3
Chapter 1
Babe's Early Vears
Mildred Ella Did ri ksoll was born on June
26, 1914, in Port Arthu r, Texa s. M il d red 's father
built a gym for his children in the backyard of
their house. The child ren played many sports,
including baseball. Mild red was a good baseball
hitter. So the boys sta rted ca ll ing her "Babe,"
after the legendary baseba ll player Babe Ruth. It
was no fluke th at Babe
Didrikson became a
good athlete.
Babe's father read
aloud news paper articles
about the 1928 Olymp ic
Games to his children.
Babe was 14 years old.
She dream ed about being
in the Olympics when
she grew up.
"' 4
grew up: became an adult;
grew older
o Babe was one of
seven children .
"
•
I
AUl tln "
o Port
Arthur was known for its huge
oil refining plants .
Ba be attended h igh school duri ng the late
19205. Babe was only five fee t (152 em) tall and
weighed 105 pou nd s (48 kg). She was small, but
she was strong.
Some classmates laughed at Babe for playi ng
sports all the ti me. But no one was sn ickering
when she played. Babe was rea lly good. When
she WO I1, she celeb rated. Ma ny people thought
th at girls shou ld be modest and quiet about their
achievements. Not Babe. She was not shy about
her achievemen ts.
modest: to not think you are better than other people at
something
5
=II
=II
In 1930 an insurance company offered Babe
a job. The compa ny wanted Babe to play on its
basketball team. Babe was sti ll in high school,
but her parents let her take the job. Babe was
named an All-Ame rican women's basketball player
in the first year she played on the team.
===-:Jill
Babe also joined the insu rance co mpany's
swi mming and diving teams. She eve n helped the
company start a track and field team.
===-
On July 16, 1932, the track team entered
the national amateur track meet for women In
Ill ino is. Babe was the only person on the team.
======-
Track and Field
By 1928, women were
finally allowed to
compete in track and
field events at the
Olympics. Track and
field events include
hurdles, high jump,
javelin , and shot put.
::jI
::jI
() hurdles
6
Babe competed in
eight of the ten events,
or co ntests. She scored 30
points and won first place
for the whole meet. The
team in second place had
more than 20 members.
That team scored only 22
points.
Babe wrote about
July 16, 1932 :
It was one of those
days in ml athlete's
life when you know
you're just right.
You feel you could
jly. You're like a
feather jloating
on air.
Babe won six events at
th at track meet. She broke
four world records! Babe was 18, and her dream
ca me true. She was chosen to join the 1932 U.S.
Olympic track and field team. Babe was going to
the Olympics.
break (a record): to do better than anyone else before
o shot put
7
...
::::II.
Chapter 2
Winning
The 1932 Oly mpics were held in Los Angeles,
Californ ia. T here were only five trac k a nd fie ld
events fo r women. Each woma n cou ld enter only
three of those events. Babe chose the javeli n,
hurdles. and high jump. In her firs t event, the
javelin, she won a gold medal and set a new
world record .
o Babe was the first woman to win medals in three
Olympic events . She is shown here with the javelin .
Women's Participation in the Olympics 1896-2004
Year
1896
Sports
0
Events
0
Countries
0
Participants
0
1900
2
3
5
19
1912
2
6
11
57
1932
3
14
18
127
1952
6
25
51
518
1968
7
39
54
781
1988
17
86
117
2.186
2000
25
132
199
4,069
2004
26
135
202
4,885
The hurdles event was next. Babe was so
nervous that she started ru nning too early.
Everyone had to start aga in. If Babe made the
same m ista ke, she wou ld not be allowed to race.
This ti me Babe waited until everyone else ran
before she took off. She still wo n the race. She
had two gold medals.
Babe was not as lucky In the high jump. She and
anot her jumper were tied for first place. The bar was
raised higher. Both Babe and her opponent easily
jumped over the bar. But the judges said that Babe
dived headfirst over the bar. Diving head fi rst was
not allowed. Babe's jump did not count. She came in
second place, so she won a silver medal.
took off: started to go; left
9
Ba be was a hero. Not many America n women
had won Olympic gold medals before her.
Reporte rs li ked that Babe was outspoken, sayi ng
whatever she thoug ht. But some peo ple muttered
th at Babe was too outspoken.
Ma ny athletes might have been hurt by
peop le saying bad things about them, but Babe
never fli nched. She did not let insults stop her
from competing wel l. At the end of 1932, Babe
received the Woma n At hlete of the Year award.
She won that award five more tim es. Babe had
success, but she d id not make much money with
her talents.
At that time, all Olympic athletes were
amateurs. Babe became a professional athlete. an
athlete earning pay. This mea nt that she could
not compete in amateur tournaments any more.
But Babe could do ot her thi ngs. She traveled and
performed in a stage show. She ran, hit golf balls,
and jumped hurd les in the show. She even sang
and played the harmonica, a musical ins trument.
The audiences loved her.
talents: special, or very good, abilities to do something
.,.10
But Babe missed being outdoors and play ing
team sports. She started Babe Didrikson's AllAmer ican Baseball Team and toured with the
team fo r a few years. T he tea m played against
men's amateur teams.
tour: to travel to places to play, or compete
The House of David
Babe became so famous that she was asked
to play baseball w ith a men's team called the
House o f David . Babe ea rned $1,000 a month
w hen she played with the team . This was a lot
o f mo ney in the 19305, a time ca lled the Great
Depressi on, w hen most people in the United
States had little money.
11
",'2
Chapter 3
A New Sport
Ba be had excelled, or done well, in track and
field and in baseball. She wa nted to compete
in anot he r sport. She decided to play golf. Babe
entered a few tournaments and did very well.
The male golfers laughed when Babe arrived at
the golf course. But they knew how good she
was. "Okay, Babe is here," they wo ul d say. "Who's
coming in second? "
In 1938 Babe met George Zaharias, a
professional wrestler. They got married that
sa me yea r.
~---~
C Most women
golfers thought
about looking
good while they
played, but not
Babe .
A reporter once wrote:
The plain jact is that
Miss Didrikson is (I
vastly better golfer that!
. . . any other women
we have sew. She eml
hit the ball jarther
tl,an all btlt a very
few men.
Babe was named the Female Athlete of the
Year for three yea rs in a row. from 1945 to 1947.
In 1946 she won 13 golf tournaments in a row.
Many women golfers had trouble earning
enough money to live. Geo rge, Babe. and
other women golfers wanted to make more
opportunit ies. or chances. for women to earn
enough money playing golf. They created the
Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA) in
1948. The LPGA Tour of tournaments began in
1950. Babe was the leading player for the next
few years.
13
Chapter 4
A New Challenge
In the ea rl y 1950s, Babe was not fee li ng wel l.
But she stil l ente red a to urnamen t that was
named after her, the Babe Zaharias Open. She
won even though she was sick.
She soon learned that she had ca ncer. Babe
tho ught of the di sease as just one more challenge.
She had surgery. Fou rteen weeks later, Babe wo n
her th ird U.S. Women's Open golf tourna ment.
She also received her sixth Woman Ath lete of the
Year awa rd .
Babe Oidriksan Time Line
She won two gold medals
and one silver medal at the
Olympic Games.
Babe was
born in Port
Arthur, Texas.
,
1914
l
She won the first of six
Woman Athlete
of the Year awards.
,
1932
I
1938
Babe married
George Zaharlas,
'4
Ba be conti nued to pl ay golf. She wrote an
autobiography ca lled Th is Life I've Led about her
life and achievements. It was published in 1955.
At the end of the book, Babe tha nked he r frie nds
and the people who helped her. She wrote,
"Wi nn ing has always mean t much to me, but
winning fri ends has mea nt the most." In 1956,
Babe d ied . She was 42 years old.
<: Here is Babe
celebrating at
the women 's
All -American
Golf Tournament
in 1950.
She won seventeen straight
golf tournaments, Including the
British Amateur Tournament.
,
She published
her autobiography,
This Life I've Led.
1946-47
I
,
1955
I
1948
1954
She helped
create the LPGA.
Babe won her
sixth Woman
Athlete of the
I
1956
r.;.,.
I~~~ci at
age 42.
Year award.
15
Chapter 5
Remembering Babe
Ba be Didrik son Zaharias and her achievements
are sti ll honored today. In 1999 ESPN named
Babe as one of the top 50 Nort h America n
athletes du ri ng the past 100 years . On ly seven
women were on ESPN 's list. Babe was the only
woma n in the top ten.
There are also awards 10
Babe's name. Th e town of
Beaumont. Texas, gives t he
Babe Za harias Award to great
female track at hletes. The
Mild red "Babe" Didrikson
Zaharias Courage Award is
given to great ath letes who
work ha rd and don't let
problems stop them . The Babe
Zaharias Journalism Awa rd
is give n each yea r to a sports
w riter for their writing.
Wan,.a,.
/DmCTIYE
o The U.S. Postal
Service honored
Babe with this
stamp in 1981 ,
Clue: Beaumont starts with a capital letter
because it is the name of a town and a proper
noun. Can you find other proper nouns on
this page?
C Women athletes
have come a
long way since
the days of
baseball players
in skirt s.
Ath letes like Babe helped make a place for
women in sports. In 1972 Congress passed a
law called Title IX. Title IX was like the Civil
Rights Act of 1964. Now schools must offer equal
opportunities in sports and educat ion to boys
and gi rl s. Tit le IX also he lped ma ny women get
scholarships to help them pay for college.
Beca use of T itle IX, schools o f fer t o
wo m en ath let es:
• a sc ho lar ship or m oney to use fo r school
• equ ipm ent, pract ice time, o ppo rtunit ies
for tutor ing and coac hin g, and
transportat ion
• athl eti c prog ram s
17
Today, women are involved in sports that
people once thought were too dangerous for them.
These sports include marathon ru nni ng, raceca r
driv ing, and weightlifting. In 1996 th e Olympics
added wom en's soccer and softball events.
Look at the at hletes below. Babe and these
athletes proved that people must keep trying and
believe in themselves to be great athletes.
.,.18
o Tegla Loroupe
{} Mia Hamm
{} Serena Williams
All of my life I have always had the urge
to do things better than anybody else.
-Babe Didrikson Zah arias
Glossary
amateur a person who does something for pleasu re,
not fo r pay (page 6)
athletic good at sports (page
2)
meet an athle tic conlest. or competition. between
two or more teams (page 6)
opponent a per son or team tha t is against another
In a conlest (page
9)
scholarshIp money given to a student to help pay
for school (page
17)
tournament an event where two or more people or
teams compete. Winners of tou rnaments usually
get a prize (page 70)
Index
lPGA, 13, 15
Olym pIcs, 4, 6-7, 8-10, 14, 18
Title IX, 17
Woman Athlete of the Year Awa rd, 10. 14, 15
Zaharias. George. 12- 13. 14
19
Comprehension Check
Summarize
Complete an Author's
Purpose Map with the class.
Summarize the story. You can
Author's Purpose
use the chart to help you
orga nize your ideas.
Think and Compare
1. Reread page 4. How did Babe get her nickname?
Why do you think the author put this information
in the book? (Evaluate Author's Purpose)
2. What were some of Babe's qualities? Do you
admire them? Exp lain your answer. (Analyze)
3. Do you th ink Babe Didrikson Zaharias helped girls
become interest ed in sports? Why? (Evaluate)
20
See Babe Play
With a partner, pretend
is going to play a game at your s chool.
Write phra ses you would put on a poster so
e veryone will want to s e e the game.
Words that Describe
Make a li st of w ords in the book that can
describe a person . With a p artner, decide if each
w ord means something good or bad. Write g ood
or bad b eside each word. Di scu ss your list with
a partner.
Positive Qualities Negative Qualities