healthy and strong, and was called up to the majors in May, 2006. By the next year, Cole was named to the NL All Star team, finishing the season with a 15-5 record. The next year, 2008, was a great year for Cole and the Phillies. The Phillies won the NLCS and the World Series. Cole was not only named MVP for both post-season series, he also led the Phillies’ World Series Victory parade. Cole returned to the World Series the next year and continues to stand out in the Phillies pitching lineup. Cole is married, and has two children with his wife Heidi. In addition to his MLB career, Heidi and Cole have their own foundation that raises money to support children’s education around the world in order to fight poverty. They have supported schools in Philadelphia, and provide funding for an entire school for 2,700 children in Malawi, Africa.
Cole’s advice for kids about perseverance:
“I broke my arm throwing a baseball when I was 16 and the doctor said I had a 1% chance of ever pitching again. I healed, got stronger and I achieved my goal of pitching in the major leagues. My message about perseverance is in order to succeed, you must learn from your failures and keep doing your best. Never give up on the game, and enjoy every moment you get playing baseball or any other sport.”
Juan Pablo Montoya (NASCAR Driver)
Juan Pablo Montoya (credit – Action Sports Photography)
Starting from a young age, Juan Pablo Montoya was the fastest on the track no matter what he raced. The American NASCAR series star was a top Formula 1 racer in the world’s fastest cars, driving for the world’s top teams: BMW Williams and McLaren Mercedes. Juan Pablo won seven F-1 races, finished in the top three 30 times, and took 13 pole positions. In 2003, he won the prestigious Monaco Grand Prix. In Indy cars, Juan Pablo won the CART racing series in 1999, and made another huge impression when he won the 2000 Indianapolis 500 on his first time at the famous “Brickyard.” He led a dominant 167 out of 200 laps around the track, a record for a rookie at the track.
Juan Pablo is the first Formula 1 driver to switch to racing full time in America’s NASCAR racing series. He is the only driver to win the Indianapolis 500 and the 24 Hours of Daytona in the first attempt. Only one other driver, classic British driver Graham Hill, has also won the Indy 500 and the Monaco GP. Only Mario Andretti has equaled Juan Pablo’s achievement of winning the Indy 500, an F-1 race, and a NASCAR championship race.
Growing up in Colombia, his father Pablo taught him the basics of racing and helped him get started by racing go-karts, the traditional start for open-wheel racecar drivers worldwide. He was the Colombian National Karting Champion from 1981 to 1984 — starting when he was 6 years old! By the time he was 17, he was winning more advanced Formula Renault races. He moved to Austria to race larger Formula 3000 cars, and with very little money, he couldn’t even afford a bus or train to get to the track so he rollerbladed everywhere he wanted to go.
Together with his wife Connie, Juan Pablo created the Formula Smile Foundation, which is one of the most active racing charities building sports facilities for children in poor neighborhoods worldwide. He is also a United Nations Goodwill Ambassador.
Juan Pablo has lots of natural talent, but he told me that without perseverance, he would not be where he is today.
“Things were really tough for me in 1998 when I was living in Austria and looking for my big break in racing and had no money for anything. I used to rollerblade everywhere. You definitely have to have a lot of dedication and love for your sport to succeed. Racing is a tough sport and you’re up against some of the best drivers in the world. But I’m now living my dream and can’t imagine doing anything else.”
Usain Bolt (Olympic Sprinter)
The world’s fastest runner, Usain Bolt, is popular all over the world and is universally admired in his country - Jamaica. He is a five-time World Champion and three-time Olympic gold medalist and world record holder in the 100 meter and 200 meter races, and 4 x 100 meter relay. Usain’s world record pace in the 100 meter race is 9.52 seconds. In 2011, Usain Bolt was named the World Male Athlete of the year for the third time. He is only the second athlete in history to receive this honor three different times.
Usain was born in August, 1986 in Trelawny, Jamaica, where he grew up with his brother Sadeeki and sister Sherine. His parents ran the local grocery store and Usain spent most of his time playing cricket and soccer with his brother. Usain said, “When I was young, I didn’t really think about anything other than sports.” At age 12, Usain was his school’s fastest runner in the 100 meter race. His athletic talent earned him training opportunities and the chance to move to Kingston, Jamaica’s capital city.
In 2002, Usain became the youngest participant to win the World Junior Championship in running. His biggest challenge came in 2004, when he injured his hamstring while training to defend his World Junior track and field championship. Recovering from his injury and learning perseverance led to the outstanding career Usain has had since.
In person, Usain is laid-back, loves music, and enjoys watching other sports like soccer and cricket. Usain is currently writing his autobiography.
Usain’s message for kids about perseverance is:
“In 2004, I was injured and missed defending my World Junior title. I went to the Olympics that year but was unable to run properly due to the injury – this was the time I had to persevere. The best advice is something my coach Glen Mills told me – You have to learn to lose in order to learn to win.”
Andre Dawson (MLB Hall of Famer)
“No player in baseball history worked harder, suffered more or did it better than Andre Dawson. He’s the best I’ve ever seen. I watched him win an MVP for a last-place team in 1987, and it was the most unbelievable thing I’ve ever seen in baseball. He did it the right way, the natural way, and he did it in the field and on the bases and in every way.”
Ryne Sandberg, Andre Dawson’s teammate on the Chicago Cubs in 1987
Andre Dawson was born July 10, 1954 in Miami, Florida. Andre’s nickname is “The Hawk,” which he got when he was 10 years old. Following his dream of playing major league baseball, Andre he worked out with a men’s baseball team that would hit him ground balls at practice. He tried as hard as he could to jump on the fast grounders. Watching him field the balls, his uncle said that most kids would shy away from a ball going that fast, but Andre attacked the ball “like a hawk.”
During his 21-year Major League Baseball career, Andre batted .300 five times, drove in 100 runs four times, and had 13 seasons of 20 home runs. Andre is one of only three MLB players with 400 career home runs and 300 career stolen bases. The other players at this level are Willie Mays and Barry Bonds. Andre achieved all of this even though playing on the artificial turf at Montreal’s Olympic Stadium damaged his knees, an injury that continued for the rest of his two-decade MLB career.
Andre’s message about perseverance to kids is:
“I persevered through 20 years of playing Major League Baseball with bad knees. I worked hard every day on my knees. Sometimes it was difficult, but with a lot of help from trainers and doctors, I was able to play 21 MLB seasons.”
Nikki Stone (Olympic Aerial Freestyle Skier)
When Nikki Stone was ten, she wasn’t an aerial freestyle skiing champion, she was into gymnastics. She was good at it, too. By the time she was ten, she was competing in the state championship qualifier. After only three events, she found herself in first place. All she had to do was stick her balance beam routine so she would win.
Three-quarters of her way through her balance bar routine, Nikki slipped and fell. She saw her coach holding his head in his hands. Nikki got back up and finished, but realized she had lost so many points. She ran into the locker room and cried knowing that she wouldn’t go on to the state championships. Nikki told her friend that she was going to quit gymnastics. Her friend gave her a card that said “you