Flo Hyman facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Flo Hyman
Personal information
Full name	Flora Jean Hyman
Born	(1954-07-31)July 31, 1954 Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Died	January 24, 1986(1986-01-24) (aged 31) Matsue City, Japan
Height	6 ft 5 in (196 cm)
College(s)	Houston
National team
United States
Medal record Women's volleyball Representing the  United States Olympic Games Silver 1984 Los Angeles Team competition

Flora Jean "Flo" Hyman (July 31, 1954 – January 24, 1986) was an amazing American athlete. She was best known for playing volleyball. Flo won a silver medal at the 1984 Summer Olympics and also played professional volleyball in Japan. She was a true pioneer in the sport.

Flo Hyman's Early Life and School

Flo Hyman was the second of eight children. She was born on July 31, 1954. As a kid, Flo grew very quickly. She was much taller than her friends. In 1983, she remembered, "When they were three foot tall, I was four foot tall. When they were four foot tall, I was five."

Her school nickname was "Jolly green giant." But her family and friends helped her feel proud of her height. They told her to use it to her advantage. Flo grew to be over 6 feet 5 inches tall. She sometimes found it annoying when strangers stared or asked about her height. But she learned to live with it.

Starting Volleyball Young

When Flo was 12, she was already 6 feet 2 inches tall. She started playing two-on-two volleyball games on the beach. She often played with her sister, Suzanne. In 1970, at age 16, Flo began playing volleyball professionally. By the time she was a senior in high school, she had a very powerful spike. This was a strong hit that was hard to block.

Flo graduated from Morningside High School in Inglewood, California. She then went to El Camino College for one year. After that, she transferred to the University of Houston. She was the first female athlete to get a scholarship there. She spent three years at Houston. She helped the Houston Cougars team finish in the top five nationally twice.

Flo did not finish her last year of college. She wanted to focus on her volleyball career. She said she would get her degree later. "You can go to school when you're 60," she said. "You're only young once, and you can only do this once."

While at Houston, Flo won the first-ever Broderick Award. This award is now called the Honda Sports Award. It is given to the best female college volleyball player in the country. She won it in 1977.

Flo's Impact on Volleyball

Flo Hyman was known for her strong will and determination. She once said:

"I had to learn to be honest with myself. I had to recognize my pain threshold. When I hit the floor, I have to realize it's not as if I broke a bone. Pushing yourself over the barrier is a habit. I know I can do it and try something else crazy. If you want to win the war, you've got to pay the price."

This quote shows how much she pushed herself.

Joining the National Team

After college, Flo left Houston to play for the U.S. national team. The team was based in Colorado. When Flo joined, the team needed strong leadership. They had many talented players but no one to guide them.

In 1975, the U.S. team tried to qualify for the 1976 Olympic games. But they did not make it. In 1977, the team finished fifth at the World Championships. Flo and her teammates hoped to play in the 1980 Olympics. However, their dreams were stopped. The United States decided not to send athletes to the Moscow games. This was known as a boycott.

Olympic Success

Flo played in the 1981 World Cup. She also played in the 1982 World Championship. The U.S. team won the bronze medal there. Flo was famous for her "Flying Clutchman" spike. This was a very fast and hard hit. The ball could travel at 110 miles per hour! She perfected this spike with Dr. Gideon Ariel.

At the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, Flo was a key player. She was the tallest and oldest member of the team. She led the U.S. team to a silver medal. They were beaten by China in the final game. The U.S. team had beaten China earlier in the tournament.

Flo Hyman's Passing

After the Olympics, Flo moved to Japan. She played professional volleyball there for the Daiei women's team. She became very popular in Japan. She even started a modeling and acting career. She was always in demand. Flo planned to return to the United States in the summer of 1986. But she never got the chance.

On January 24, 1986, Flo collapsed during a game. She was sitting on the sidelines after being taken out of the game. She told her team to keep fighting. Moments later, she slid to the floor. She was pronounced dead that evening.

Understanding the Cause

At first, people thought Flo died from a heart attack. But her family wanted to know more. They asked for an autopsy in Culver City, California. The autopsy was done on January 30. It showed that Flo's heart was very healthy.

Instead, doctors found that Flo had undiagnosed Marfan syndrome. This is a genetic condition that affects the body's connective tissue. It caused a fatal aortic dissection. This means a tear happened in her aorta, the main artery from the heart. Besides her height, long arms, and large hands, she showed few other signs of the condition.

The doctor who did the autopsy said Flo was in great physical shape. But she had one fatal flaw. It was a weak spot in her aorta, about the size of a dime. This weak spot had been there since she was born. The artery burst at that spot while she was on the sideline. There was also an older blood clot around the tear. This showed that a smaller tear had started to heal before the fatal one happened.

Doctors later found that Flo's brother also had Marfan syndrome. He had open heart surgery because of it. Experts believed Flo was lucky to have lived so long. Especially since she played such a demanding sport like volleyball.

Flo Hyman was buried at Inglewood Park Cemetery in California. Her funeral was on January 31, 1986. Over 500 people came to say goodbye.

Flo Hyman's Achievements

Flo Hyman achieved many great things in her life:

• She was named the AIAW National Player of the Year in 1976.
• She was the first winner of the Honda Sports Award (then called the Broderick Award) for volleyball.
• She was named All-American three times.
• She was one of the top six players at the 1981 World Cup Competition.
• She was named Best Hitter at the 1981 World Cup Competition.
• She won a bronze medal at the 1982 World Championship in Peru.
• She won a silver medal at the 1984 Summer Olympics.
• Sports Illustrated magazine listed her as #69 among the greatest women athletes of the century in 1999.
• The Flo Hyman Memorial Award is named in her honor.
• In 1985, Flo Hyman appeared in a film called Order of the Black Eagle. She played a character named Spike.
• The National Girls and Women in Sports Day (NGWSD) is celebrated across the U.S. to remember and honor Flo Hyman. Many groups support this day, including Girls Incorporated, Girl Scouts of the USA, the National Association for Girls and Women in Sport, the Women's Sports Foundation, and the YWCA of the U.S.A.

See also

In Spanish: Flo Hyman para niños