Welcome to our collection of quotes by Mia Hamm. We hope you enjoy pondering them and please share widely.
Wikipedia Summary for Mia Hamm
Mariel Margaret Hamm-Garciaparra (born March 17, 1972) is an American retired professional soccer player, two-time Olympic gold medalist, and two-time FIFA Women's World Cup champion. Hailed as a soccer icon, she played as a forward for the United States women's national soccer team from 1987 to 2004. Hamm was the face of the Women's United Soccer Association (WUSA), the first professional women's soccer league in the United States, where she played for the Washington Freedom from 2001 to 2003. She played college soccer for the North Carolina Tar Heels women's soccer team and helped the team win four consecutive NCAA Division I Women's Soccer Championship titles.
During her tenure with the national team, Hamm competed in four FIFA Women's World Cup tournaments: the inaugural 1991 in China, 1995 in Sweden, 1999 and 2003 in the United States. She led the team at three Olympic Games, including: 1996 in Atlanta (the first time women's soccer was played), 2000 in Sydney, and 2004 in Athens. She completed her international career having played in 42 matches and scored 14 goals at these 7 international tournaments.
Hamm held the record for most international goals scored until 2013 and remains in third place behind former teammate Abby Wambach and Canadian striker Christine Sinclair as of 2017. She currently ranks third in the history of the U.S. national team for international caps (276) and first for career assists (144). Twice named FIFA World Player of the Year in 2001 and 2002, Hamm and her teammate Michelle Akers were hailed by Pelé as two of FIFA's 125 greatest living players when he included them in the FIFA 100 to celebrate the organization's 100th anniversary. Hamm was named U.S. Soccer Female Athlete of the Year five years in a row and won three ESPY awards including Soccer Player of the Year and Female Athlete of the Year. The Women's Sports Foundation named her Sportswoman of the Year in 1997 and 1999. She was inducted into the National Soccer Hall of Fame, Alabama Sports Hall of Fame, Texas Sports Hall of Fame, North Carolina Soccer Hall of Fame, and was the first woman inducted into the World Football Hall of Fame.
A co-owner of Los Angeles FC, Hamm is also a global ambassador for FC Barcelona and is on the board of directors of Serie A club A.S. Roma. Author of Go For the Goal: A Champion's Guide to Winning in Soccer and Life, Hamm has been featured in several films and television shows, including the HBO documentary, Dare to Dream: The Story of the U.S. Women's Soccer Team.
I make a lot of mistakes, too, and I'm constantly re-evaluating how I'm doing things and trying to be better every day, whether it's as a mom or taking care of myself.
Take your victories, whatever they might be, cherish them, use them, but don't settle for them.
Somewhere behind the athlete you've become, and the hours of practice, and the coaches who have pushed you is a little girl who fell in love with the game and never looked back... play for her.
I've worked too hard and too long to let anything stand in the way of my goals. I will not let my teammates down, and I will not let myself down.
Somewhere behind the athlete you've become and the hours of practice and the coaches who have pushed you is a little girl who fell in love with the game and never looked back play for her.
I am building a fire, and every day I train, I add more fuel. At just the right moment, I light the match.
As a mother I think you often get so caught up in trying to take care of everyone else that you forget to take care of yourself. But I'm a much better wife and mother when I take the time to take care of myself.
Sports are not about awards or world championships, though those are great. They're about the relationships we have with each other.
If you've got hips, you can't be a gymnast or dancer. That ruled me out.
I played soccer because my friends did. Besides we got sodas afterwards.
Every single day I wake up and commit myself to becoming a better player. Some days it happens, and some days it doesn't. Sure, there are games I'm going to dominate and there are going to be games when I struggle. But it doesn't mean I give up.
Learn to differentiate between what is truly important and what can be dealt with at another time.
Focus on what you know you can do. Know what you're capable of on any given day, and what you can count on. Do the simple things well, and then use the confidence to build up the rest of your game. Learn to differentiate between what is truly important and what can be dealt with at another time.
I was given a tremendous gift in terms of athleticism. Maybe it was because I wasn't so confident in other areas.
The backbone of success is...hard work, determination, good planning, and perserverence.
Sports can do so much. They've given me a framework: meeting new people, confidence, self-esteem, discipline, motivation. All these things I learned, whether I knew I was learning them or not, through sports.
Goals have never defined me as a player. What has defined me is my impact on the team. If that means passing or playing defense to win, I'll do it.
I got to experience soccer at the highest level at a young age; I decided I wanted to be part of that for as long as possible.
Every morning, I wake up trying to be the best mom and the best role model for my kids in a healthy diet and active lifestyle.
I'm not someone who goes around the locker room before a game trying to motivate my teammates. I don't say a lot before the game. I don't say a lot in general. It takes too much energy to do that.
I don't like to stop. I'm a big person who looks at where the hubs are because I hate changing planes.
People ask me, 'Would you ever want to play professional golf?' And I'm like, 'No. No, no, no, no. Just because I can hit a good shot every now and then doesn't make me a pro.'
You don't just want to beat a team. You want to leave a lasting impression in their minds so they never want to see your face again.
I learned a long time ago that there is something worse than missing the goal, and that's not pulling the trigger.
Anson Dorrance ... left me a short, encouraging note: The vision of a champion is someone who is bent over, drenched in sweat, at the point of exhaustion when nobody else is watching.
Many people say I'm the best women's soccer player in the world. I don't think so. And because of that, someday I just might be.
Every single day I wake up and commit to myself to becoming a better player.
No-one gets an iron-clad guarantee of success. Certainly, factors like opportunity, luck and timing are important. But the backbone of success is usually found in old-fashioned, basic concepts like hard work, determination, good planning and perseverance.
I am a member of the team, and I rely on the team, I defer to it and sacrifice for it, because the team, not the individual, is the ultimate champion.
Somewhere behind the athlete you've become and the hours of practice and the coaches who have pushed you is a little girl who fell in love with the game and never looked back... play for her.
Celebrate what you've accomplished, but raise the bar a little higher each time you succeed.
Every day I look for ways to be inspired, to learn and to grow. And trying to be the best for my kids, my husband and my family. One thing I really wanna do is being there for my kids, be part of my siblings and my parents.
A winner is that person who gets up one more time than she is knocked down.
Somewhere behind the athlete you've become and the hours of practice and the coaches who have pushed you is a little girl who fell in love with the game and never looked back… play for her.
I hope all you young girls see yourself up there... we were just like you.
Sports have become increasingly more specialized, but that doesn't mean they shouldn't be fun.
Take your victories, whatever they may be, cherish them, use them, but don't settle for them.
The vision of a champion is bent over, drenched in sweat, at the point of exhaustion, when nobody else is looking.
I am building a fire, and everyday I train, I add more fuel. At just the right moment, I light the match.
True champions aren't always the ones that win, but those with the most guts.
I am a member of a team, and I rely on the team, I defer to it and sacrifice for it, because the team, not the individual, is the ultimate champion.
There are always new, grander challenges to confront, and a true winner will embrace each one.
Soccer isn't very social. Plus, if you don't like someone on the other team, you can do something about it.
Failure happens all the time. It happens every day in practice. What makes you better is how you react to it.
Chicken, brown rice, and veggies is a great healthy dinner option. It's full of whole grains and protein, and will keep you full for a long time.
You may get skinned knees and elbows, but it's worth it if you score a spectacular goal.
I could sit there and eat pasta all day long and not worry about it when I was younger, and now I really have to focus on making sure I set a good example for my kids.
If you don't love what you do, you won't do it with much conviction or passion.
You can't just beat a team, you have to leave a lasting impression in their minds so they never want to see you again.
Being a good teammate is when you try to sprint down a ball that everyone thinks is going out of bounds. But you go after it anyways and you get it.
I am happy that the young girls have a lot more choices these days and an opportunity to feel better about themselves.
I've worked too hard and too long to let anything stand in the way of my goals. I will not let my teammates down and I will not let myself down.