Bill Text: VA HJR387 | 2020 | Regular Session | Enrolled
Bill Title: Commending Mariel Margaret Hamm-Garciaparra.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)
Status: (Passed) 2020-03-05 - Bill text as passed House and Senate (HJ387ER) [HJR387 Detail]
Download: Virginia-2020-HJR387-Enrolled.html
WHEREAS, Mariel Margaret Hamm-Garciaparra, an American sports icon and a pivotal figure in the growth of women's professional soccer, won two FIFA Women's World Cup titles and two Olympic gold medals during her exceptional career; and
WHEREAS, born in Selma, Alabama, Mariel "Mia" Margaret Hamm-Garciaparra grew up as part of a military family and discovered soccer while living in Florence, Italy; she joined her first soccer team at the age of five in Texas; and
WHEREAS, a generational talent, Mia Hamm excelled on the pitch and became the youngest woman to play for the United States women's national soccer team in 1987 when she was selected for the U.S. Olympic Festival roster at the age of 15; and
WHEREAS, Mia Hamm lived in the Commonwealth in 1989, when she attended Lake Braddock Secondary School in Burke and helped lead the Bruins to a state championship; that same year, she matriculated at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and began her record-breaking college soccer career; and
WHEREAS, Mia Hamm and the University of North Carolina Tar Heels won four National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I women's soccer championships, and she graduated with Atlantic Coast Conference records for goals (103), assists (72), and total points (278); while she was playing at the University of North Carolina, the women's soccer team only lost one of 95 games; and
WHEREAS, in 1991, Mia Hamm participated in the inaugural FIFA Women's World Cup, scoring the game-winner of the United States women's national soccer team's (USWNT) opening match against Sweden; the team was dominant throughout the tournament and clinched its first World Cup championship title with a 2–1 victory over Norway; and
WHEREAS, after a third-place finish at the 1995 FIFA Women's World Cup, Mia Hamm and the USWNT returned to form at the Games of the XXVI Olympiad in Atlanta the following year; the 1996 Summer Olympics was the first tournament to include women's soccer, and the American side won the gold medal before the largest crowd for any soccer event in the history of the Olympics and the largest for any women's sporting event in the United States; and
WHEREAS, in 1999, Mia Hamm broke an international record by scoring her 108th goal and subsequently helped the USWNT secure its second World Cup title with a victory over China in the tournament final; and
WHEREAS, two years later, Mia Hamm became a founding player in the first professional women's soccer league in the United States, the Women's United Soccer Association, as a member of the Washington Freedom in Washington, D.C.; and
WHEREAS, Mia Hamm completed her international career in 2004 after she won her second Olympic gold medal at the Games of the XXVIII Olympiad in Athens and was selected by her fellow members of Team USA to carry the flag at the closing ceremony; that same year, she set a record for the most international goals by either a man or a woman with 158; and
WHEREAS, after a 10-game farewell tour, Mia Hamm played her final international match on December 8, 2004, giving two assists in the 5–0 win over Mexico; in her 17-year career with the USWNT, she recorded 276 international caps, 158 goals, and 144 assists; and
WHEREAS, throughout her career, Mia Hamm was renowned for her athleticism, versatility, and technical brilliance, especially her elegant footwork and uncanny accuracy as both a passer and striker; and
WHEREAS, among her countless awards and accolades, Mia Hamm was selected as the Female Athlete of the Year five years in a row by United States Soccer, was named the FIFA World Player of the Year in 2001 and 2002, was nominated by Brazilian soccer star Pelé as one of FIFA's 125 greatest living players in 2004, and was the first woman inducted into the World Football Hall of Fame; and
WHEREAS, after her well-earned retirement as a player, Mia Hamm became a co-owner of the Major League Soccer franchise Los Angeles FC, a global ambassador for the Spanish club FC Barcelona, and a member of the board of directors for the Italian club A.S. Roma; and
WHEREAS, as founder of the Mia Hamm Foundation, Mia Hamm has raised funds for people in need of bone marrow or cord blood transplants, while promoting the ways soccer can empower young people to make a positive change in their communities; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED by the House of Delegates, the Senate concurring, That the General Assembly hereby commend Mariel Margaret Hamm-Garciaparra, a living legend of the beautiful game; and, be it
RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the House of Delegates prepare a copy of this resolution for presentation to Mariel Margaret Hamm-Garciaparra as an expression of the General Assembly's admiration for her exceptional achievements as a professional athlete and for providing inspirational leadership to girls and women around the world.
