Sophie Gilchrist
Sports Editor

Determination, practice and desire are the necessary elements for a champion. These qualities are evident in all sorts of champions from Michael Jordan to Mia Hamm.
Those three traits were most recently evident in the May 8 playoff game when the Los Angeles
Lakers played the Houston Rockets. With five seconds left in the third quarter, the Lakers’ Kobe Bryant had the ball while the Rockets’ Ron Artest guarded him closely, determined not to let Bryant get the final basket. With 1.2 seconds left until the buzzer, Bryant cleared enough space from Artest to take a 33-foot shot where Bryant caught nothing but net.
Bryant is the epitome of determination.
It was clear to even the spectator that Bryant was determined to score and he did not want to let Artest have the satisfaction of stopping him from making the basket.
While part of Bryant’s talent might be natural, he revealed in an interview with Men’s Fitness that he shoots between 700 to 1,000 baskets a day.
Those qualities are not just seen in basketball but in other sports as well. Mia Hamm is known throughout the world as the best soccer player of her generation.
She knew what was key for being successful in soccer.
“No one gets an iron-clad guarantee of success,” said Hamm. “Certainly, factors like opportunity, luck and timing are important. But the backbone of success is usually found in old-fashion, basic concepts like hard work, determination, good planning
and perseverance.”
The best example of champion-
like qualities occurred in the 1997 Chicago Bulls versus Utah Jazz Playoffs. The series was tied 2-2 and the Bulls were the defending
champions. However, the Bulls seemed to be the underdogs for the game because their team captain, Michael Jordan had a 103 degree fever. Despite the setback of Jordan’s health, the Bulls and Jazz were tied.
With 26 seconds left in the game and six seconds on the shot clock, Jordan scored a three-pointer to win the game.
“We wanted it real bad, you know,” Jordan said in an interview
after the game. “As me as the leader, I had to come out and do my best, and somehow I found the energy to stay strong. I wanted it real bad.”
Being a true champion it takes mental strength. It does not take a prodigy to be a champion, just the mental drive. Everyone has it in them