Athlete Spotlight: Milene Domingues

Something about this athlete intrigues me! Today I want to spotlight Milene Domingues, a Brazilian midfielder who retired after 2009 at just age 30. Can you imagine?

Beforehand, Milene was a Brazilian MODEL that decided to play soccer (football, in Brazil) and became the highest paid player in Spain. She was first famous for being married to Ronaldo, a very well known soccer player in Brazil. She later married Spanish soccer player David Aganzo, who is still playing today.

The ex-model also holds the record for ball juggling - keeping a soccer ball off the ground for 9 hours, with 55,198 touches!

I think what impresses me most is that someone who is beautiful - and the camera loves - turned away from that to play an active, fast paced sport instead! She even played on the National Team.

Anything is possible! Without knowing her, I am proud of Milene!

NFL Football Draft...

So the 2010 NFL Football Draft 7th round came to an end on Saturday April 24th! ... with a few more "undrafted free agents" getting signed to teams after it was all over. Dennis Pitta from BYU went in the 4th round (pick 114 overall) to the Baltimore Ravens! Hopefully we get to see him play this year... they picked other great Tight End talent in the draft as well. Hey, John Beck is also a reserve quarterback for the Baltimore Ravens! He was the quarterback for BYU before Max Hall... Beck was initially drafted to the Miami Dolphins, but hasn't seen enough action yet and is now waiting with the Ravens.

After all 7 rounds were finished, Max Hall signed an undrafted free agent rookie deal with the Arizona Cardinals. What does that mean, anyway? Well, at least he still has a shot of playing in the NFL. Anyone not drafted can then choose to become a free agent and pick a team to play on, if they are interested in them. He won't make nearly as much money as a normal drafted player... but it's not about the money! It's about the love of football!

Sport Princess Football Referee Signals... Videos!

Want to learn different football referee signals from 3 year old Football Princesses? Watch these super cute videos below! The youtube link is pasted above each video so you can share with your friends and family! Send me your cute girl sport videos and we'll share on the blog!

Part 1: Mackayla: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jVi0f4ZajUI&feature

Part 2: Avery: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EfHU71L0Mh8

A Sport Princess beginning

I used to flinch at the word "princess".

My sister teased me when I made my own onesies for my daughter when she was newborn... I wasn't finding much neutral colored clothes for so young, and when I put Mackayla in boy onesies... yellow or blue or green, everyone thought she was a boy... and that just wasn't fair to my sweet little baby.

So I bought pink plain onesies, and sport patches from a craft store, and made my own! I'd put on a sport ball patch, a number or two, and sometimes put her name "Mack" across the back. I didn't think much about it back then, but now I realize it was the start of the Sport Princess concept.

My sister teased me again after she taught Mackayla all the mainstream princess names and got her into dress-up gowns. See, she had a baby girl just 9 days after I did! Sweet little Avery, who is the girly-girl-princess of them all. I was no competition at first... Mackayla started requesting a dress everyday. So I compromised and bought her new flouncy skirts to twirl in, but sport shirts to go with it... and eventually... her own mini football jerseys. She loved it! As long as she had some girly twist to go along with the rugged sports, she was thrilled.

Ringlets... glittery stripes... puffy crinoline under her skirt...

It wasn't until after I created Sport Princess characters, pictures, and stories that she really got hooked though. She started asking me to call her "Jo" and wore her pink soccer socks and cleats through the house and to preschool! She made me cut out paper dolls and characters and act out the stories with her at night. She has colored and painted countless Sport Princess pictures by my side at night. She is both my biggest fan and inspiration.

The real eye-opener was when we hooked Avery, too.

I have rarely seen anything as beautiful as a rugged sport shirt or jersey over a flouncy skirt, coupled with tennis shoes or cleats, skipping off to preschool and singing a sport tune.

"J J! na-na-na-na-na.....na-na-na-na-na-na-na-na... na-na... na-na"

Will you help me share it with others who might feel the same?

Go seahawks

We did a girl's roadtrip last fall with my sisters and I took my little football princess Mackayla to a college BYU Cougar game. She loved getting all "football'd and glitter'd up" but once we got in the stands and everyone started cheering, she jumped up on the chair and kept yelling "GO SEAHAWKS!" Everyone within earshot started laughing and soon others were cheering the same along with her... Go Seahawks! Oh well, at least she got the sport right! I've created a sports fan who loves to watch with me. She loves a lot of different teams... sometimes she'll ask me who to cheer for "Mommy are we going for the white ones or the blue ones?" But other times she'll defiantly tell me which ones she wants to win. "Nope, I'm going for the red ones" She's only three!

My Dream

"My Dream is to see little girls run around with football jerseys over their dresses... and glittery football stripes under their eyes. Don't laugh, I'm not kidding!" (to husband, Ben)

Created by Bethany Hegerhorst, together with Leo Publishing Works, and an amazing illustrator, the SPORT PRINCESS™ Adventure Series of Children's Books launches soon! This Blog will soon be updated with the Princess illustrations and Bios... a Sport Princess picture contest with prestigious prizes... and information on the upcoming books, merchandise, and media!

With the World Soccer Cup happening this year in June in Africa, our first book launch will be Josephina ("Jo") the Soccer Princess™.

Check back soon!