Imagine that you are at the 1900 olympics and you are cheering on the men’s sailing team. All of a sudden you realize that one one the crew members is a woman. You start to feel a great sense of pride and cheer on even louder. Helen Barbey was that woman. She was the one who stepped up and took the place of a man on the sailing team. Helen Barbey, and later known as Hélène de Pourtalès, was born on April 28, 1868 in New York City and passed away on November 2, 1945 in Geneva Switzerland. She married a man named Hermann de Pourtalès and had three daughters. She had a passion for sailing when she was young and later filled in for a man in a sailing team for the 1900 olympics. Helen Barbey stands as a hero because she inspired other women and girls, broke many stereotypes, and proved to be very capable. …show more content…
Although not many people know about her, she should be given a chance to inspire others. Since Helen Barbey was the very first woman to compete in the olympics (www.wikipedia.com), if more women and girls knew about her then they too could be inspired to compete or at least go big. A lot of women and girls around the world aren’t given the chance to fulfill what they want to do. So if there was someone they could look up to, then maybe they will be given a chance. As well as inspiring others, if Helen Barbey was recognised, she could be seen as a leader for the newer generation. She doesn’t have to be “the” leader for all of us, but an example so others can take a stand. And if someone of my generation where to stand up, then they can help push rights for women and girls