r aside from the fire hydrant on our street or the occasional kiddie pool.?My viewpoint

Hockey legend Wayne Gretzky will become the first hockey player to lend his voice to The Simpsons, when he appears in an episode set to air next month.Simpsons executive producer Al Jean tells NHL.com that the show was looking for heroes of winter for the Dec. 11th episode and there couldnt be a bigger hockey hero than Wayne Gretzky.Gretzky, known as The Great One in hockey circles, won four Stanley Cups with the Edmonton Oilers before moving on to play for Los Angeles, St. Louis and the New York Rangers. The Oilers tweeted out a picture of the cartoon version of Gretzky, in which he has four fingers on each hand and yellow skin, just like other Simpsons characters.The leagues website says that Gretzky recorded his role over the summer.Nike Air Max Mens Sale . -- Timbers coach Caleb Porter didnt stray from his business-like approach to the season even after Portland downed the two-time defending league champion Los Angeles Galaxy to gain crucial playoff position. Cheap Nike Air Max Shoes . Gerald Green and Miles Plumlee? Green had bounced around the NBA when he wasnt playing overseas. The Pacers gave up on Plumlee after just one season. Now Green and Plumlee are key cogs in the Suns surprising breakout season. http://www.airmaxtrainerswholesale.com/ . Traditional contenders Brazil, Greece and Turkey drew the other three spots to complete the 24-team field for this summers tournament in Spain, basketball governing body FIBA announced Saturday at its meeting in Barcelona. Nike Air Max Online Store . -- Lou Brocks shoulder-to-shoulder collision with Bill Freehan during the 1968 World Series and Pete Roses bruising hit on Ray Fosse in the 1970 All-Star game could become relics of baseball history, like the dead-ball era. Nike Air Max Womens Sale . This should be celebrated because it will not always be this way. With the amount of money given to players by their clubs these days, it is a wonder that so many of those teams allow the sport to continue to take away many of their assets so they can play for a different team in the middle of their season.The next time a friend, family member or random stranger tells me,?black?people dont swim,?I will happily and defiantly say Simone Manuels name and shut down any and all rebuttals.And the next time my brilliant and boundlessly energetic 6-year-old daughter, Zoe, asks me to take her to the pool, I will think of Manuel and smile as I imagine a future where my child could grow up and be just like the 20-year-old powerhouse.???I used to say?Zoe would be the Serena Williams of the swimming world. Now I can say?that?my Zoe will be the next Simone Manuel.?Our little one has been taking swimming lessons since the age of 3,?not long after I noticed how much she loved splashing around at pool parties and the like. She has always adored bath time, but this was something more, something special.?This is not the relationship I had with water sports as a kid. There werent an ample amount of public or private pools in my native Detroit. Couple that deficiency with the fact that an 8-year-old classmate had drowned in a pool accident and I cant say that I was exactly seeking out time in the water aside from the fire hydrant on our street or the occasional kiddie pool.?My viewpoint changed in my?20s?when I decided to take adult swim classes and overcome my fear. Ive been swimming ever since and can now count snorkeling in the Great Barrier Reef for my 30th?birthday ass one of the most amazing things Ive ever experienced.dddddddddddd It also made me that much more determined to make sure my child knew how to swim. I desperately wanted her to have a sense of fearlessness in the water that I didnt have at her age.?These are the thoughts that filled my?heart and mind as I watched Manuel, a?Stanford University junior,?make history and go on to become a two-time gold and two-time silver medalist in Rio. As the first African-American?woman to win an individual gold in swimming, shes the promise of broken barriers, defied stereotypes and expedited dreams.?Manuel is an Olympic champion who looks like?me, my daughter, my nieces and?my friends. Even though there is no way in the world I will ever reach the championship heights the Texas native has in the pool,?my daughter might. In the meantime,?I can take relaxing swims and bask in the knowledge that these cool blue waters, they?welcome us all.More on Simone Manuel? Essay: Manuel inspired me to learn to swim Story ?? Manuel on life after the Olympics ?Story ?The IMPACT25 is espnWs annual list of the 25 athletes and influencers who have made the greatest difference for women in sports. Explore the 2016 list and more content at espnW.com/IMPACT25. ' ' '