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BIOGRAPHY-Stanford |
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But only two months into her first
year at Stanford, Sarah’s athletic career nearly ended.
With a stress fracture in her lower back, Sarah’s pain
was so great, she considered retiring from gymnastics.
An orthopedic doctor told her she would have to have surgery to fuse her back. He
said she could either have surgery now or when she’s forty. Imobilizing
her back did not seem like the answer. Movement is the key to life. With
the help of two Corisone shots and regular visits to the chiropractor, she was
able to mobilize her joints, strengthen her core, and resume an active lifestyle. With
the new ability to strengthen her torso pain-free, she resumed her role as a
competitive gymnast. She was even more determined to make the most of her athletic
career. Little did she know her new-found appreciation for a healthy body, coupled
with her determination and discipline, would enable her to find athletic
success even beyond her college career. |
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Sarah’s healthy return helped
Stanford Women’s Gymnastics, led by Head Coach Mark Cook,
capture its first-ever Pac-10 Championship in 1998 and Regional
Championship in 1999. During Sarah’s junior year, she
moved from team-member to team-leader by scoring a perfect 10
on her favorite event: floor exercise, placing in the top ten
at Nationals on Floor, and earning NCAA First Team All American
honors. In 2000, Sarah joined fellow senior Co-Captains, Larissa
Fontaine and Kim Young to lead Stanford Women’s Gymnastics
to another successful season. |
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As well as shining in the sports
arena, Sarah excelled in the classroom. As a Stanford junior,
Sarah earned an undergraduate grant (URO Grant) under the direction
of Anthropology professor, Dr. Hill Gates, to pursue a self-designed
research project in Beijing, China. For two months, Sarah trained
alongside amateur and professional level Chinese female gymnasts,
interviewed athletes, coaches, and parents, and documented the
sacrifices and gains such girls endure after becoming professional
athletes by the age of nine. |
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Sarah’s overseas research
culminated in an award winning honors thesis. She earned the
Francisco Lopez feminist studies honors thesis award as well
as the Robert M. Golden Medal, which is awarded to the top 10%
of theses in Stanford University's graduating class in the creative
arts and humanities. Sarah graduated from Stanford in 2000 with
a Bachelor of Arts in East Asian Studies, focusing on Chinese
history and modern culture. As one of four Stanford athletes
to receive the Pac-10 Conference Post Graduate Scholarship,
Sarah remained on the Farm for one more year and earned her
Master of Arts degree in Communication in 2001. She conducted
two masters projects under the direction of Professor Clifford
Nass and her advisor, Professor Laura Leets. |
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