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Suggested levels for Guided Reading, DRA,™ Lexile,® and Reading Recovery™ are provided in the Pearson Scott Foresman Leveling Guide.

Scott Foresman Reading Street 5.4.2

GenreComprehension

Skills and StrategyText Features

Expository nonfi ction

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Chapter 1 A Difficult Childhood . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Chapter 2 The Will to Walk . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 Chapter 3 New Opportunities. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 Chapter 4 The 1960 Olympics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 Chapter 5 Helping Others . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20

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A Difficult ChildhoodFrom the day she was born in 1940, Wilma Rudolph

faced obstacles that would have stopped someone less remarkable. In a large, poor family in the South, she was born twentieth in a family of 22 children and, as a child, faced many medical problems. Yet, despite her humble background and the illnesses she fought, she never allowed these struggles to get in the way of her dreams. Instead, she trusted her strength and determination to help her succeed. Ultimately, they helped make her the extraordinary woman she became—the first African American woman to win an Olympic gold medal and a role model for many.

Wilma’s struggles began when she was born two months premature. She was very underweight. As a result, she was so weak that doctors feared she might not live past her first year.

Wilma just barely survived, and in her early years, she battled numerous other illnesses. Early on, she contracted double pneumonia, a serious lung disease. She also contracted whooping cough, measles, and chicken pox and, later, a very dangerous and high fever called scarlet fever.

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Today, there is an immunization that prevents people from getting polio. When Wilma was a child, however, the medicine had not yet been invented.

However, when she was five, Wilma faced the most serious medical condition of her life. She became sick with polio, a disease that attacks and weakens muscles, many times leaving victims permanently disabled. As a result, Wilma’s left leg turned inward and wouldn’t move. Doctors thought that she would never walk again.

Wilma’s mother was determined to get her daughter the medical help that she needed. But it wasn’t easy because the family lived in Clarksville, Tennessee, which practiced segregation like most southern towns at the time. Not only did black people live apart from white people, but they weren’t allowed to use the same hospitals as whites either.

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On their trips to Nashville, Wilma and her mother had to sit in the back of a bus similar to this one, because buses in the South were segregated.

So, twice a week, Wilma and her mother made a long 50-mile trip by bus to a hospital in Nashville, Tennessee, that treated black patients with polio. At the hospital, doctors did what they could. They bathed Wilma’s bad leg in hot water and rubbed the muscles. They showed Wilma and her mother how to massage and exercise her leg to make it stronger.

However, doctors there could not do very much for Wilma. There was still no cure for polio, and those who got the disease (most often children) generally died or were disabled for life.

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Keeping the damaged muscles in water was a common treatment for polio victims in Wilma’s day.

At home, Wilma did leg exercises even though they hurt her leg a lot. Fortunately, she had a large support team to help. Wilma’s older brothers and sisters, many of whom were living at home, were eager to help their little sister in any way they could. They took turns rubbing Wilma’s leg muscles and offered words of hope.

Yet even with their encouragement, Wilma often felt hopeless. She couldn’t even go to school because the only way she could get around was by hopping on one leg. Stuck at home all day, Wilma was lonely and often found herself crying.

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Six-year-old Wilma Rudolph, right, poses with her older sister Yvonne in an undated photo

The Will to WalkWhen she turned six, Wilma finally received some

encouraging news. Her left leg had grown strong enough to be fitted with a heavy metal brace, which helped Wilma walk—or at least limp—instead of hop.

Wilma was thrilled because it meant that she could go to school. However, returning to school was not nearly as pleasant as she had hoped. The majority of her classmates teased her about the large metal brace on her leg.

“I was so lonely, and I felt rejected,” Wilma recalled. “I would close my eyes and just drift off into a sinking feeling, going down, down, down.”

To make matters worse, on the playground, Wilma wasn’t allowed to participate in any physical activity. Instead, she could only sit on the sidelines and watch the other students play different games, one of which was basketball.

Th Will t W

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The desire to play basketball inspired Wilma to overcome her difficult situation.

As she sat on the sidelines watching her classmates play, Wilma became interested in basketball. She had plenty of time to learn the rules, study how her classmates moved across the court, and examine how they scored points. Increasingly, Wilma became determined to find a way to play the game herself. But she knew it was impossible to play with a brace on her leg; she needed to be able to walk on her own.

One Sunday, ten-year-old Wilma decided to try walking. Since she had worked hard on her leg exercises for years, Wilma felt confident. The church service was already underway when she and her family arrived. In the back of the church, Wilma carefully took off the brace for the first time. With a great effort, she began to walk very slowly down the church aisle. The sight stunned people and, a hush fell on the crowd. Finally, Wilma arrived at the front pews and took her seat. Some churchgoers wondered if they had just witnessed a miracle!

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Wilma knew there was no substitute for dedication and hard work. For the next two years, she struggled to walk without her leg brace for longer periods of time. In fact, by the time Wilma was 12, her leg was so strong that she was able to keep the brace off for good. Her doctors declared her fully recovered.

Wilma now felt like her life was beginning all over again. She had grown to be a tall girl who could move at lightning speed. Instead of just watching basketball games, she began to play in them! She moved well on the court, and she became the star player of her high school basketball team, driving them to win game after game.

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The campus of Tennessee State University, where Wilma attended university on a full scholarship

In her sophomore year, Wilma’s team nearly won the state championship. But although the team ultimately lost their final game, that game offered Wilma a big break. Ed Temple, a coach from Tennessee State University, had watched Wilma play, and he was so impressed by Wilma’s speed that he wanted her to attend Tennessee State. However, he wasn’t looking for her to play basketball—he wanted her to run on the college track team!

Wilma was thrilled by the offer, but first she had to complete high school. Little did she understand the exciting but difficult challenges she was about to face.

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Wilma called Jackie Robinson “my first black hero.”

New OpportunitiesAfter tenth grade, Wilma spent the summer attending

the track training program at Tennessee State University. There, skilled athletes helped her improve her running ability. Wilma learned how to get off to a quick start, how to move her arms and legs on the track, and other new skills.

Wilma’s efforts paid off when, at a national track meet that summer, she won two races. She was just as excited the following summer when she met one of her heroes, Jackie Robinson, the first African American to play Major League baseball. Robinson told Wilma that he felt confident that she could become a great runner. Wilma would have reason to remember that conversation later on.

Neww Opportu

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Encouraged by Robinson, Wilma pushed herself even harder. Later that summer she received an unbelievable invitation—to try out for the U.S. Olympic track team. Participating in the Olympics was an almost unimaginable dream for a poor African American girl from Tennessee. Wilma was only 16 years old but nearly six feet tall, and, remarkably, she won a place on the team! She could hardly believe that she would have an opportunity to compete with some of the world’s greatest runners.

Participating in the 1956 Olympic games in Australia, Wilma and her teammates ran the 400-meter relay race. They came in third place, winning a bronze medal for the United States. Smiling proudly on the victory stand as she accepted her medal, Wilma was already thinking ahead to the next Olympic games in 1960.

When Wilma returned home after the Olympics, she was greeted warmly. Even those who had long ago teased her were now cheering.

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Wilma, second from left, stands with her track teammates Margaret Matthews, Mae Faggs, and Isabelle Daniels, after they won bronze medals at the 1956 Olympics.

After graduating high school, Wilma finally entered Tennessee State University. Given her family’s finances and her considerable accomplishments, they had offered her a full scholarship. She could attend college for free. This made Wilma as happy as a Dalmatian on a fire engine! She was so proud to be the first person in her family ever to go to college.

Wilma joined the college track team, called the Tigerbelles. At first, with Ed Temple as her coach, everything went well. Wilma was so fast that sometimes during practice she slowed down just so her teammates could catch up with her.

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Wilma always looked for ways to improve as a runner.

But she soon faced a new problem as she found herself becoming slower and weaker. She was forced to miss many races due to illness until, finally, the team doctor discovered that Wilma had a tonsil infection. Once the tonsils were removed, Wilma quickly regained her strength and speed. She became the team’s fastest runner again and won race after race.

Throughout her sickness, Wilma kept her thoughts focused on the 1960 Summer Olympics that would be held in Rome, Italy. She always felt she should have done better in the 1956 Olympic Games, and now Wilma was determined to make up for it.

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In Rome, Wilma won her first gold medal by setting a world record in the 100-meter dash.

The 1960 OlympicsIn 1960 Wilma was excited to be on the U.S. Olympic

team once again. Yet an accident during practice almost kept her out of the Games in Rome. Wilma sprained her ankle while running on the Olympic field, and a doctor advised her to stay off her foot for several days. However, Wilma’s first race was the very next day. Determined to run, she put ice on her ankle and wrapped it in tape.

Wilma’s first event was a 100-meter race. She pushed herself hard and won in just 11 seconds, setting a new world record.

Th 1960 Ol

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Wilma’s strength and speed helped her win the 200-meter run.

Wilma’s amazing victory thrilled the crowd of 80,000 people in the stadium. They cheered for Wilma as she accepted her first-place gold medal.

Wilma, however, was far from finished. She still had two more races to run, and the next one was a 200-meter run. Calm and focused, Wilma ran that race in 24 seconds—and won another gold medal!

Then there was only one race left. Unlike the first two races, this one would be a relay. She and three teammates would each take turns running 100 meters and then passing a baton, or stick, to the next runner.

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If one of the relay runners drops the baton, the team is disqualified.

Wilma, the fourth and final runner on her team, waited eagerly for her teammates to finish running their parts of the relay. She knew she could count on them to run quickly since they were all Tennessee State Tigerbelles. Each sped around the track, keeping the U.S. team in first place.

Perhaps Wilma was a little too eager but when the third runner passed her the baton, Wilma almost dropped it! Precious seconds were lost as she struggled to get hold of the stick. In that short period of time, two runners on other teams zoomed past her on the track.

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Wilma strains forward to cross the finish line in first place.

Wilma was now in the race of her life. She pushed herself, pumping her legs as fast as she could. All she could think about was passing the runners in front of her. As they neared the finish line, Wilma shot forward in a burst of speed. She won the race by less than one second!

The crowd roared for Wilma as she and her teammates accepted their gold medals. She was the first American woman ever to win three gold medals at a single Olympics.

Wilma, who had suffered with polio for years, was now the fastest-running woman on Earth! No wonder some called her the “Black Gazelle.”

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After the 1960 Olympics, Wilma was the guest of honor at many parades, including this one in Nashville, Tennessee.

Helping OthersWilma’s family couldn’t wait to welcome her home

when she returned to Clarksville, Tennessee. They hadn’t been able to afford the travel to Rome to watch Wilma’s victories, but now they were eager to celebrate with her back home.

In fact, nearly the whole town of Clarksville was eager to celebrate. Town officials planned a parade and a big dinner for their famous hometown star. However, the parade was to be for white people only.

Wilma was angry and told officials that she wouldn’t attend the celebration unless African Americans were allowed to take part. Wilma was granted her demand.

Hellping Othe

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Wilma’s fame enabled her to meet many important people, including President John F. Kennedy (above) and, years later, President Jimmy Carter (right).

The parade in Wilma’s honor was a historic event. Almost all of Clarksville’s citizens were promenading in the streets. It was the first time that blacks and whites ever held a public event together in that town.

Wilma was proud of what she had accomplished. At just 20 years old, she was one of the world’s most famous women. But Wilma didn’t want to spend the rest of her life simply wearing frilly dresses and going to parties. She was eager to impart to others the lessons she had learned throughout her life. She knew her experience could help poor and struggling people develop the confidence to persevere and triumph.

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Wilma’s daughter Yolanda won a scholarship to Tennessee State University and ran with the Tigerbelles, just as her mother did.

After graduating from college, Wilma retired from running and began to travel around the world. She spoke to poor children in French West Africa about the importance of sports. She told them about the hard work it takes to overcome challenges—challenges like the ones she overcame in her own life. Everywhere she went, her grace and intelligence impressed and inspired people.

Wilma also helped poor children and their families raise money. She remembered how her own family had been unable to travel to the Olympics in Rome. In 1988, Wilma’s efforts made it possible for families of 560 U.S. Olympic team members to travel to Korea for the Games.

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Eventually, Wilma became a schoolteacher and coach as well as a mother of four. Yet her fame never escaped her. Wilma received a long list of awards during her lifetime including being voted into the U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame in 1983 and the National Women’s Hall of Fame in 1994.

Sadly, Wilma’s life was cut short when she died of brain cancer in 1994 at the age of 54. However, her remarkable achievements live on, inspiring many young people, especially African American girls, to work hard and follow their dreams. After all, if one girl from a small town in Tennessee can triumph over poverty, prejudice, and illness, is there anything that can’t be done?

This historical marker in Clarksville, Tennessee, serves as a permanent tribute to the great sports legend.

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GlossaryDalmatian n. a large white dog with brown or black spots. Dalmatians are often kept at fire stations for good luck.

frilly adj. having waves for decoration, as the material on a dress

promenading v. parading or walking for pleasure

sprained v. twisted

substitute n. something that takes the place of something else

Reader Response1. Based on what you read about Wilma Rudolph,

what generalizations can you make from her to most runners? Copy the chart below on your paper, and use it to organize your generalizations.

2. How do you think Wilma Rudolph’s life would have been different if she hadn’t faced so many challenges? Why do you think that? How does this help you better understand Wilma?

3. Write a sentence for each of the following vocabulary words: promenading, dalmatian, substitute.

4. Think of a time when you had to overcome a challenge in order to accomplish something. Describe your challenge and how you overcame it.

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