As we awaited the birth of our third child, my wife and I picked out two names. We had one for a boy and one for a girl, but we were both convinced that our new baby was going to be another athletic boy.

After a thorough search of baby names, my wife suggested the name Derrick Phillip. That name sounded great to me after my wife agreed to spell “Derrick” like Derek Jeter, the great Yankee shortstop, spells his name. Two reasons: 1) I’m a huge baseball / Yankee fan and 2) the other spelling reminded me of a bully I knew in junior high. I also liked the name Phillip for a middle name and not because it’s my wife’s dad’s name. I liked it because another Yankee shortstop was named Phil too, Hall of Famer, Phil Rizzuto. Derek Phillip would be the perfect name for my future baseball-playing boy.

Twenty weeks into the pregnancy, the ultrasound confirmed we were not having a boy after all. I have to admit that I was a bit disappointed. You see in the world where I grew up in New Jersey in the 70’s and 80’s, girls didn’t seem to play sports. My mom was a singer / dancer. She actually sang on American Bandstand. My two sisters showed no interest in sports beyond cheerleading for boy’s teams. And I cannot think of even one girl who I knew / dated when I was growing up who played sports. In short, outside of Billie Jean King beating Bobby Riggs in the battle of the sexes, I was never exposed to women’s sports.

My wife grew up a world away in Iowa and was a multi-sport athlete. She played basketball, volleyball, boy’s baseball, softball and golf. She also participated in track and field (she held her HS high jump record at one time). She eventually played softball in college. My wife was, heck is, a more accomplished athlete than I ever was.

In the early years of our marriage, my wife and I played softball and / or volleyball in co-ed leagues three nights per week. We won many league championships together. Admittedly, we won because my wife and her athletic girl friends were the difference makers. So after the initial disappointment of hearing we were having a girl, I thought to myself that maybe, just maybe my little girl would be an athlete someday too.

Well as it turned out, my daughter, now 10 years old, loves to dance, sing and act. And she is an absolute card. She is constantly making us, and others laugh. And I could not love her any more than I do.

She also happens to be a terrific athlete. She has excelled in sports since she was five. This year she is the star goalie for a soccer team that just finished 4th in the Ohio State Cup. She also happens to play point guard for a 4th grade AAU basketball team that has a very serious chance to win a National title. They already won the AAU Ohio Super Regional and Ohio District.

Ironically, she is a better athlete than her two brothers and that’s saying something. She has talent, but more importantly, she is self-motivated and has boundless confidence. These traits make her a better athlete than I ever was. There I said it. A 10-year-old girl is a better athlete than I ever was.

I am in awe of my little girl and my wife and I thank them for opening my ignorant eyes to all the great women athletes in this world. I am so thankful that God has blessed me with a little girl and an athletic one at that.

Fran Dicari, Stats Dad

Editor’s Note: This was a guest post by Fran Dicari of Stats Dad – a dad blog that covers the drama, comedy and competition of youth sports in America. You can also follow Fran on Twitter at Stats_Dad.

Mia Hamm is retired from soccer and is now raising two daughters of her own. Additionally, Mia has a foundation for raising funds and awareness for families needing marrow or cord blood transplants and continuing the growth in opportunities for young women in sports.

Jordyn Wieber at the 2011 WOGA Classic - photo by Scott Hults

Seventeen months out from the 2012 Olympic Games in London and USA National Team Member Jordyn Wieber is looking more and more like USA Gymnastics’ “It Girl” much like Shawn Johnson and Carly Patterson have been in years past. Jordyn Wieber is not a new name in the gymnastics world – she has been wowing us with her gymnastics ability for the past 5 years – on the Junior International scene. Finally, Jordyn can compete as a senior and start building that international gymnastics resume that is going to be so important going into the 2012 games.

At the recent Tyson’s American Cup competition, Jordyn was a last minute addition. Having just come off ankle injuries and being up against the reigning World Champion Aliya Mustafina of Russia, Jordyn entered the meet with conservative expectations. Even with a fall on bars and some missteps on floor, Jordyn was able to capture the all around title (her second Tyson’s American Cup title)- a huge vault and nearly flawless beam routine certainly helped.

Earlier this week, Jordyn and six other members of the senior team including Bridgette Caquatto, Gabriella Douglas, Amanda Jetter, McKayla Maroney, Alexandra Raisman and Sabrina Vega competed in the 2011 City of Jesolo (Italy) Trophy competition. The US team swept the All Around awards but a mistake on floor prevented Wieber from taking the gold – it went instead to teammate McKayla Maroney. Wieber placed second and Alexandra Raisman placed third.

The international experience will be so valuable to Wieber and her teammates coming into this year’s World Championships and next year’s Olympic Games. Additionally, the secret to Wieber’s success is going to be staying injury free. If she can stay healthy, I really do believe that Jordyn Wieber will be a major force for the US team and possibly the “it girl” in 2012.

While I think Wieber, Rebecca Bross and Alexandra Raisman are the leading contenders for spots on the team now, we can’t forget that former Olympic team members Alicia Sacramone, Shawn Johnson and Bridget Sloan are all listed on the US National Team roster at this point. Seventeen months seems like an eternity in one way and I’m sure there will be plenty of surprises along the way!!

Who do you think the next USA Gymnastics “it girl” is going to be?

(Click on the video above to watch it with a 30 second commercial or  click through to watch the 4 minute segment without the commercial on this amazing young athlete!)

Gymnasts are a rare breed. They are tough. They fall and get back up, they fly through the air from bar to bar, vault over inanimate objects that are as big, if not bigger, than they are and they perform complex series of skills on a beam that is 4″ wide and 4′ off the ground. And, they do all of this willingly, day after day!

ABC News did a feature on a gymnast that is even more extraordinary than most of her peers, because she does her gymnastics without being able to see that bar clearly! Eleven year old Lola Walters is legally blind, yet she doesn’t let that stop her from doing the things she loves to do. The Level 6 gymnast relies on her friends to tell her where and when to start her run for vault and she doesn’t even see the board to jump off of until she is about 5 feet from it – that is amazing when you consider most Level 6 gymnasts start their run for vault about 50′-65′ away from the vault.

Lola, you are an inspiration to us all! Keep up the hard work.

This week Oakland native and Cleveland Cavaliers forward Leon Powe helped surprise Ashton Purvis of Oakland, CA with the 2009-10 Gatorade National Girls Track & Field Athlete of the Year award.  Leon surprised Ashton with great news at the East Oakland Youth Development Center, where Ashton was guest-teaching the Pathway to College class. Leon earned Gatorade California Boys Basketball Player of the Year himself honors in 2002-03.

Ashton, a 5-foot-8 senior sprinter, won the 100-meter dash with a time of 11.17 seconds and the 200-meter dash in 22.90 at the California Interscholastic Federation state championship meet this spring, leading the Mustangs to a fifth-place finish as a team. Her 200-meter time ranks as the nation’s No. 1 clocking among prep competitors in 2010, while her 100-meter time ranked No. 2. Ashton’s season-best 100 ranks sixth in prep history and only eight prep girls have ever run a faster 200.

In celebration of the larger 25th anniversary, Gatorade is hosting an online poll, which will allow you to decide the greatest girls track & field athlete of all time. You can cast your vote for your favorite athlete of all-time once per day at http://playeroftheyear.gatorade.com/25th/vote/.

Personally, my favorite exercise in there is the medicine ball toss she is doing with her trainer while lying on her side. That exercise engages so many of the lesser used, but very important core muscles that Lindsey needs for making split second lateral adjustments as she is racing down the slopes. The other exercise that she has in her workout that looks so hard but perfect for her sport is the skier squats she is doing on the large balance ball towards the end.

It is always fun to get a behind the scenes look at our favorite athletes! Thanks to Lindsey and Under Armour for sharing this with all of us.

Not only do these two excel at golf, they take dance lessons, have their black belts in tae kwon do, and play piano, too. By the looks of things, they do an amazing job of balancing it all and having fun while they are at it. Sounds like they have some pretty amazing parents supporting them at every turn!

CBS Chicago did a news piece on the sisters – showing them practicing and comparing the two to another famous sister act – Venus and Serena Williams of tennis fame.

Stay up to date with all the Birdie Sisters’ accomplishments at their website Birdiesisters.com. And remember their names – something tells me we will be hearing much more about Erica and Myah in the coming years.

Lauren, who is the daughter of TrackMom Lorraine of TrackMom.com, has been running since she was 5 and was hooked after her first two races (parks & rec meet where she won 2 blue ribbons). A year later, her Dad who is a former track & field athlete, became her coach, and her whole extended family has become her own cheering section at meets and a source of great support.

Jay Hicks at Pre Race Jitters did a really nice feature piece on Lauren recently and it gives a lot of insight into this young runner’s very bright future.

One of the reasons I think Lauren is going to go far in her track career is the great support she has in her family. Her mother Lorraine and I talk often and we always seem to get on the topic of balance and how to maintain that balance in our daughter’s lives. In the off season, Lauren tries out different sports like volleyball and cycling, dabbles in singing, and just does all the normal kid things.

During the competitive season, things get more serious, but Lorraine is always looking out for Lauren’s best interest by making sure she gets the proper nutrition, rest and injury care/prevention.

Remember her name – Lauren Williams – she is definitely on the fast track!

So how does this amazing athlete do it? Natalie’s training includes (from Fitness Magazine):

Two hours in the pool twice a day, running with her dog for 45 minutes to an hour every day, and lifting weights two or three times a week. Natalie also does Pilates every day and sees a private instructor two times a week.

Natalie has also learned that balance is the key to happiness and success in and out of the pool. Like many extraordinarily talented athletes, Natalie learned that lesson the hard way – via injury, illness, and burnout. Her book,Golden Girl: How Natalie Coughlin Fought Back, Challenged Conventional Wisdom, and Became America’s Olympic Champion is an interesting look into the world of competitive swimming and the path she took to the top and how she ultimately found balance.

I’m looking forward to watching her final races this week! My daughter has taken great interest in Natalie’s swims too – because they share a name, have the same long curly honey blond hair, and my daughter swam competitively for the first time this summer and LOVED it.  Go Natalie!

Some amazing photos from the Women’s Olympic Gymnastics podium training are beginning to show up. The major news outlets have quite a few, and Grace Chiu from Inside Gymnastics has posted some very pretty photos.

This one is by far my favorite photo so far! Anna Pavlova of Russia is performing a gorgeous ring leap (probably a switch-ring) and Grace Chiu got the skill at a different angle than I am used to seeing.

Twenty-one year old Anna has been competing on the international stage for more than 8 years – which is a very long time in gymnastics. Here is a video of her competing when she was 12 – and isn’t she just so cute!