Joy Fawcett is an alumni soccer player for the United States Women's National Team. In 2004, she retired as the highest-scoring defender in the U.S and in 2009 she was inducted into the National Soccer Hall of Fame. Representing her team, she competed in four FIFA Women's World Cups and three Olympic Games, winning gold in over half.
Being a soccer player, I look up to Joy and the rest of the team of 91, knowing that without their trailblazing spirits women's soccer in the U.S. would be nonexistent. As impressive as Mia Hamm, Michelle Ackers, and the rest of the original team are, I’m choosing Joy as the WCW because not only does she play my position, she also began her family and raised three children while never missing a beat in the soccer world. In fact, just about two weeks after she gave birth to her first child (Katelyn) she was back practicing with her team.
Being able to grow in your own career without putting a hold on your personal life is a task to be admired. Never stepping back from what she wanted, she did what no one else would do. She took her children to games, to the Olympics, all over the country, raising her family while reaching for her own goals. She is a wonderful example of breaking gender stereotypes, never leaving her career to start her family. Joy is proof that you can do anything, and the only limits are the ones you impose on yourself.