Over a 20-12 months interval, Reita Clanton participated in all 3 Olympics hosted by the United States.
Clanton, who was born in Lafayette, Alabama, did all of this in spite of not obtaining an accessible route to arranged sports during her childhood.
Prior to building a name for herself as a planet-course handball participant, Clanton did not have an prospect to enjoy organized athletics, as there had been no options offered for women. She performed recreationally.
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Clanton went on to play volleyball and basketball at Auburn. She played in the pre-NCAA times for women’s sporting activities, beneath the Association of Intercollegiate Athletics for Ladies (AAIAW).
Through her time with the Tigers, she was named to the AAIAW All-Point out Groups in equally basketball and volleyball for two consecutive many years (1973-74).
Clanton also competed for a travel league softball team even though at Auburn and adhering to her graduation, she was the mentor for the first organized softball group at Auburn in the mid-70s.
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In 1974, she joined the U.S. women’s countrywide handball staff. She was selected as the U.S. delegate to the International Olympics Academy in Olympian, Greece in 1977.
She competed in the 1984 Summer Olympics in handball in Los Angeles. The US placed fourth that season.
In the 1996 Summer season Olympics in Atlanta, she served as a coach for the U.S. handball workforce and she carried the torch prior to the 2002 Salt Lake Town Olympics.
Clanton was the head mentor of the bronze medal profitable U.S. crew in the 1991 Olympic Festivals, also serving as mentor in 1985, 1987 and 1995.
Clanton gained the United Condition Olympic Committee Nationwide Mentor of the 12 months in 1996 as an assistant coach for the U.S. at the Summertime Olympics in Atlanta.
She served as the U.S. Olympic head mentor in 2000. Clanton was inducted into the Alabama Sports activities Hall of Fame in 2010.
In 1997, she co-authored “Staff Handball: Steps to Good results (Steps to Accomplishment Sports),” with Mary Phyl Dwight.
Get in touch with Ehsan Kassim at 256-300-5313 or [email protected]. Comply with him on Twitter at @Ehsan_Kassim.
This posting at first appeared on The Gadsden Periods: Reita Clanton turned Olympic star regardless of not getting equivalent opportunites
