{"id":1257,"date":"2021-03-18T09:13:03","date_gmt":"2021-03-18T13:13:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/firstandpen.com\/staging\/5861\/?p=1257"},"modified":"2021-03-21T08:38:28","modified_gmt":"2021-03-21T12:38:28","slug":"us-skeleton-olympic-hopeful-mystique-ro","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/firstandpen.com\/staging\/5861\/us-skeleton-olympic-hopeful-mystique-ro\/","title":{"rendered":"Olympic Hopeful Mystique Ro Is Becoming A Woman Like Those She Admired"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">When it comes to conversations on sports and society, it\u2019s clear that women remain a marginalized group. Women athletes receive less media attention, lower wages, are offered fewer positions in decision making roles, and are heavily scrutinized in ways that their male counterparts do not have to contend with in large part to the continued power of sexism within our society.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But that hasn\u2019t deterred women from overcoming challenges and succeeding. One of those athletes is Winter Games Olympic hopeful, Mystique Ro. The 26-year-old, Black biracial woman currently trains in Skeleton, a sport not known for athletes like Ro. To be honest, I knew very little about Skeleton until sitting down to speak with her.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">She describes Skeleton as the human version of \u201cpenguins sliding on their stomachs\u201d down mounds of snow. Athletes hurtle headfirst on a sled down a track at a pace that can exceed 90 miles per hour, experiencing up to 5Gs of gravitational force (more than the force astronauts experience during a rocket launch) (Praderio 2018<sup>1<\/sup>); all with their chin a few inches above the ice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Ro, who grew up in Nokesville, Virginia is a unique addition to the world of Skeleton. As the sport grew in popularity in European countries, it remained largely white and male-centered. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">And Ro is neither.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">One of eleven children (eight boys, and nine girls including Ro and her twin sister), Ro is the daughter of a US Marine father from Korea and a Black mother who encouraged her to participate in sports, driving her to games whenever she could. Ro recounts that while her life wasn\u2019t a mirror image of the movie <em>Cheaper by the Dozen, <\/em>many of her siblings also participated (and continue to participate) in sports, making them an athletic family\u2014basketball, football, track and field, and now Skeleton.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The first time she left her large family bubble was when she decided to attend Queen\u2019s University in Charlotte, North Carolina. There she participated in track and field during her time as an undergraduate student. It was during this time that she caught the attention of the USA Bobsled &amp; Skeleton Federation. US Bobsled maverick Elana Meyers Taylor personally reached out to her college track and field coach, allowing Ro to receive information about upcoming \u201ctryouts.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Originally, she considered bobsled. <\/p><div id=\"first-1742686504\" class=\"first-content first-entity-placement\"><!-- \/22950135888\/FAP_Article_Leaderboard_Instream2 -->\r\n<div id='div-gpt-ad-1700413625220-0' style='min-width: 300px; min-height: 90px;'>\r\n  <script>\r\n    googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-1700413625220-0'); });\r\n  <\/script>\r\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI thought skeleton was crazy, \u2018who would want to do that?\u2019\u201d said Ro.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">She competed in the combine and attended the Rookie Push Championships in Lake Placid, NY in both bobsled and skeleton. In the end, she was directed to Skeleton because she notes she was \u201ctoo small\u201d for bobsled. Ironically, she came to love the daredevil sport of skeleton and stuck with it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">With dreams of competing in the Olympics, she continued to practice in preparation for the combine, \u201cHonestly, in that moment, I didn\u2019t know anything about sliding sports (bobsled or skeleton), but I didn\u2019t care\u2014this was a chance, so I took it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"696\" height=\"522\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/firstandpen.com\/staging\/5861\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/Mystique-Ro-Skeleton.jpg?resize=696%2C522&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1259\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/firstandpen.com\/staging\/5861\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/Mystique-Ro-Skeleton.jpg?resize=1024%2C768&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/firstandpen.com\/staging\/5861\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/Mystique-Ro-Skeleton.jpg?resize=300%2C225&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/firstandpen.com\/staging\/5861\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/Mystique-Ro-Skeleton.jpg?resize=768%2C576&amp;ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/firstandpen.com\/staging\/5861\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/Mystique-Ro-Skeleton.jpg?resize=696%2C522&amp;ssl=1 696w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/firstandpen.com\/staging\/5861\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/Mystique-Ro-Skeleton.jpg?resize=1068%2C801&amp;ssl=1 1068w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/firstandpen.com\/staging\/5861\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/Mystique-Ro-Skeleton.jpg?resize=560%2C420&amp;ssl=1 560w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/firstandpen.com\/staging\/5861\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/Mystique-Ro-Skeleton.jpg?resize=80%2C60&amp;ssl=1 80w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/firstandpen.com\/staging\/5861\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/Mystique-Ro-Skeleton.jpg?resize=265%2C198&amp;ssl=1 265w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/firstandpen.com\/staging\/5861\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/Mystique-Ro-Skeleton.jpg?w=1500&amp;ssl=1 1500w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/firstandpen.com\/staging\/5861\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/Mystique-Ro-Skeleton.jpg?w=1392&amp;ssl=1 1392w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 696px) 100vw, 696px\" \/><figcaption>(Photo credit: Mystique Ro)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Growing up, Ro didn\u2019t really pay much attention to professional athletes, her father\u2019s traditional cultural values taught her that \u201cidolizing such figures was sinful.\u201d Nevertheless, there were still women she looked up to and admired. In high school, Ro struggled with her naturally thick and curly hair, but an image of Sonya Richard-Ross rocking her big curly hair in the spotlight \u201cconfident and just powerful looking, was really inspirational.\u201d For Ro, seeing other woman athletes of color, particularly a Black athlete, played a major role in influencing her own trajectory as an athlete.<\/p><div id=\"first-2283690836\" class=\"first-content_2 first-entity-placement\"><!-- \/22950135888\/FAP_Article_Leaderboard_Instream3 -->\r\n<div id='div-gpt-ad-1700413989195-0' style='min-width: 300px; min-height: 90px;'>\r\n  <script>\r\n    googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-1700413989195-0'); });\r\n  <\/script>\r\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI saw Carmelita Jeter run through a finish with calves and thighs flexed, muscular, and strong. I saw Serena Williams deliver a killer return and her arms were built and muscular. It could be a coincidence that these women are Black, but they had a number of features I was bullied for and made fun of,\u201d said Ro. \u201cI was <em>too<\/em> muscular, I looked manly, guys didn\u2019t like how I looked, my hair was unruly, etc. But these women, and so many more, made it to the highest levels of competition in a sport they were passionate about with the same features as me. That was the beginning of me embracing my body.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Accepting who you are<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For many Black sportswomen, being regarded as too \u201canything\u201d is a common theme. The intersection of racism and sexism in sport remains palpable, manifesting sometimes in particularly ugly ways. Nevertheless, Ro made it her mission to serve as a role model for other athletes in her sport, regardless of background and identity. And she unabashedly tells them about the reality they will face.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThis sport takes time (years) to understand, you will come in at the very bottom. No one is beating you down, it\u2019s just where you start. It\u2019s a lot of speed, a lot of g-force, a lot of bruises and bleeding, demands a lot of your time, you might miss a wedding or a birthday or a funeral, you might not get that promotion on work at time.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">She feels they need to know the truth in order to make an educated decision.<\/p><div id=\"first-1244636214\" class=\"first-content_3 first-entity-placement\"><!-- \/22950135888\/FAP_Article_Leaderboard_Instream4 -->\r\n<div id='div-gpt-ad-1700414036595-0' style='min-width: 300px; min-height: 90px;'>\r\n  <script>\r\n    googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-1700414036595-0'); });\r\n  <\/script>\r\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Skeleton, like most competitive sports, is rife with issues. For some it\u2019s money (skeleton can be very expensive, with some season costs close to $8000 that athletes must fund themselves). For others, team culture can be an issue. Though Ro acknowledges that she is not always immediately recognized as Black, when she is, the anti-Black sentiments are sometimes made very apparent. From athletes referencing the movie <em>Cool Runnings<\/em> as a joke in her presence, or having athletes sneer about Black athletes such as Colin Kaepernick kneeling, it\u2019s a constant situation she faces. In fact, Ro was once cornered in her room at the Lake Placid Olympic Training center by a fellow athlete who threatened to make her \u201ccareer in skeleton very difficult by getting in the coaches\u2019 ear because I missed practice once day (a friend passed away).\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWinter sports are some of the least diverse sports, in my personal belief. With that lack of diversity, there is a lack of understanding and in turn, ignorance.\u201d Some athletes questioned how long it would be before she quit because of the bad hits she was taking. Others argued that she didn\u2019t belong there and wouldn\u2019t \u201cget it\u201d (sliding).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Despite the snide remarks about her racial\/ethnic identity, such as \u201cwhat is she anyway?\u201d Ro doesn\u2019t bend to the negativity. Instead, she fights, battling against egos, bullying, and both sexual and racial harassment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThe key is to work smarter not harder, so finding sponsors and donors who believe enough in your story and stats to support you is very important.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"696\" height=\"522\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/firstandpen.com\/staging\/5861\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/Mystique-Ro-Headshot.jpg?resize=696%2C522&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1260\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/firstandpen.com\/staging\/5861\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/Mystique-Ro-Headshot.jpg?w=960&amp;ssl=1 960w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/firstandpen.com\/staging\/5861\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/Mystique-Ro-Headshot.jpg?resize=300%2C225&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/firstandpen.com\/staging\/5861\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/Mystique-Ro-Headshot.jpg?resize=768%2C576&amp;ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/firstandpen.com\/staging\/5861\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/Mystique-Ro-Headshot.jpg?resize=696%2C522&amp;ssl=1 696w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/firstandpen.com\/staging\/5861\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/Mystique-Ro-Headshot.jpg?resize=560%2C420&amp;ssl=1 560w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/firstandpen.com\/staging\/5861\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/Mystique-Ro-Headshot.jpg?resize=80%2C60&amp;ssl=1 80w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/firstandpen.com\/staging\/5861\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/Mystique-Ro-Headshot.jpg?resize=265%2C198&amp;ssl=1 265w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 696px) 100vw, 696px\" \/><figcaption>(Photo credit: Mystique Ro)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Ro\u2019s story is layered and inspirational for other up and coming athletes of color as well as women athletes. In the Fall of 2021, Ro gave a virtual lecture in my course \u201cPlantation Politics: The Black Sports Experience\u201d. She chronicled her story as a competitive athlete for my students at Virginia Tech. Her words left a mark on me then and continue to do so now. Currently in Lake Placid, Ro has the 2022 Winter Olympic Games in her sights.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI\u2019m going to try my best to make a sport, but I want us to succeed and do well overall. As much as I would love to be on the team, I want the best of what we have to offer to compete.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Ro is a true team player and a young pioneer in the sport of skeleton. And best of all, she is well on her way to becoming one of the many \u201cbadass women in sport,\u201d that she so admires.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">References:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">1- <em>Praderio, C. 2018 (Feb 16<sup>th<\/sup>). Everything you need to know about the skeleton the Olympic Sport that sends athletes hurtling headfirst down an icy trac at 90 miles an hour. Insider. https:\/\/www.insider.com\/what-is-the-sport-skeleton-winter-olympics-2018-2<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>When it comes to conversations on sports and society, it\u2019s clear that women remain a marginalized group. Women athletes receive less media attention, lower wages, are offered fewer positions in decision making roles, and are heavily scrutinized in ways that their male counterparts do not have to contend with in large part to the continued [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":1258,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[15,14],"tags":[231,192,230],"class_list":["post-1257","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-culture","category-sports","tag-mystique-ro","tag-olympics","tag-skeleton"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.6 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Olympic Hopeful Mystique Ro Is Becoming A Woman Like Those She Admired<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Monique Ro is a former track and field athlete with dreams of making the US Olympic Skeleton team, inspiring others to follow in her path.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/firstandpen.com\/us-skeleton-olympic-hopeful-mystique-ro\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Olympic Hopeful Mystique Ro Is Becoming A Woman Like Those She Admired\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Monique Ro is a former track and field athlete with dreams of making the US Olympic Skeleton team, inspiring others to follow in her path.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/firstandpen.com\/us-skeleton-olympic-hopeful-mystique-ro\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"First And Pen\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2021-03-18T13:13:03+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2021-03-21T12:38:28+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/firstandpen.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/Mystique-Ro-USA.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1500\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1125\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Dr. Letisha Engracia Cardoso Brown\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@https:\/\/twitter.com\/letisha122\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Dr. Letisha Engracia Cardoso Brown\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"7 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/firstandpen.com\\\/us-skeleton-olympic-hopeful-mystique-ro\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/firstandpen.com\\\/us-skeleton-olympic-hopeful-mystique-ro\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Dr. Letisha Engracia Cardoso Brown\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/firstandpen.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/354822ed0914874e4411fbdd86111f89\"},\"headline\":\"Olympic Hopeful Mystique Ro Is Becoming A Woman Like Those She Admired\",\"datePublished\":\"2021-03-18T13:13:03+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2021-03-21T12:38:28+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/firstandpen.com\\\/us-skeleton-olympic-hopeful-mystique-ro\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":1333,\"commentCount\":0,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/firstandpen.com\\\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/firstandpen.com\\\/us-skeleton-olympic-hopeful-mystique-ro\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/i0.wp.com\\\/firstandpen.com\\\/staging\\\/5861\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2021\\\/03\\\/Mystique-Ro-USA.jpg?fit=1500%2C1125&ssl=1\",\"keywords\":[\"mystique ro\",\"olympics\",\"skeleton\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Culture\",\"Sports\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/firstandpen.com\\\/us-skeleton-olympic-hopeful-mystique-ro\\\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/firstandpen.com\\\/us-skeleton-olympic-hopeful-mystique-ro\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/firstandpen.com\\\/us-skeleton-olympic-hopeful-mystique-ro\\\/\",\"name\":\"Olympic Hopeful Mystique Ro Is Becoming A Woman Like Those She Admired\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/firstandpen.com\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/firstandpen.com\\\/us-skeleton-olympic-hopeful-mystique-ro\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/firstandpen.com\\\/us-skeleton-olympic-hopeful-mystique-ro\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/i0.wp.com\\\/firstandpen.com\\\/staging\\\/5861\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2021\\\/03\\\/Mystique-Ro-USA.jpg?fit=1500%2C1125&ssl=1\",\"datePublished\":\"2021-03-18T13:13:03+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2021-03-21T12:38:28+00:00\",\"description\":\"Monique Ro is a former track and field athlete with dreams of making the US Olympic Skeleton team, inspiring others to follow in her path.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/firstandpen.com\\\/us-skeleton-olympic-hopeful-mystique-ro\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/firstandpen.com\\\/us-skeleton-olympic-hopeful-mystique-ro\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/firstandpen.com\\\/us-skeleton-olympic-hopeful-mystique-ro\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/i0.wp.com\\\/firstandpen.com\\\/staging\\\/5861\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2021\\\/03\\\/Mystique-Ro-USA.jpg?fit=1500%2C1125&ssl=1\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/i0.wp.com\\\/firstandpen.com\\\/staging\\\/5861\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2021\\\/03\\\/Mystique-Ro-USA.jpg?fit=1500%2C1125&ssl=1\",\"width\":1500,\"height\":1125,\"caption\":\"(Photo credit: Mystique Ro)\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/firstandpen.com\\\/us-skeleton-olympic-hopeful-mystique-ro\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/firstandpen.com\\\/staging\\\/5861\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Olympic Hopeful Mystique Ro Is Becoming A Woman Like Those She Admired\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/firstandpen.com\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/firstandpen.com\\\/\",\"name\":\"First And Pen\",\"description\":\"To inform, inspire and connect through voices of color in sports\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/firstandpen.com\\\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/firstandpen.com\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/firstandpen.com\\\/#organization\",\"name\":\"First And Pen\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/firstandpen.com\\\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/firstandpen.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/i1.wp.com\\\/firstandpen.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2020\\\/10\\\/Asset-3@2x-100.jpg?fit=983%2C768&ssl=1\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/i1.wp.com\\\/firstandpen.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2020\\\/10\\\/Asset-3@2x-100.jpg?fit=983%2C768&ssl=1\",\"width\":983,\"height\":768,\"caption\":\"First And Pen\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/firstandpen.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"}},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/firstandpen.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/354822ed0914874e4411fbdd86111f89\",\"name\":\"Dr. Letisha Engracia Cardoso Brown\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/i0.wp.com\\\/firstandpen.com\\\/staging\\\/5861\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2021\\\/03\\\/letisha-Brown-Headshot.jpg?fit=96%2C96&ssl=1\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/i0.wp.com\\\/firstandpen.com\\\/staging\\\/5861\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2021\\\/03\\\/letisha-Brown-Headshot.jpg?fit=96%2C96&ssl=1\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/i0.wp.com\\\/firstandpen.com\\\/staging\\\/5861\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2021\\\/03\\\/letisha-Brown-Headshot.jpg?fit=96%2C96&ssl=1\",\"caption\":\"Dr. Letisha Engracia Cardoso Brown\"},\"description\":\"Dr. Letisha Engracia Cardoso Brown is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Sociology at the University of Cincinnati. As a Black feminist scholar, her work touches on critical issues in sport, food studies, and Black girlhoods. Her work can be found in publications including the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, the South African Review of Sociology, and the Palgrave Handbook on Feminisms and Sport, Leisure, and Physical Education.\",\"sameAs\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/x.com\\\/https:\\\/\\\/twitter.com\\\/letisha122\"],\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/firstandpen.com\\\/staging\\\/5861\\\/author\\\/letisha-brown\\\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Olympic Hopeful Mystique Ro Is Becoming A Woman Like Those She Admired","description":"Monique Ro is a former track and field athlete with dreams of making the US Olympic Skeleton team, inspiring others to follow in her path.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/firstandpen.com\/us-skeleton-olympic-hopeful-mystique-ro\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Olympic Hopeful Mystique Ro Is Becoming A Woman Like Those She Admired","og_description":"Monique Ro is a former track and field athlete with dreams of making the US Olympic Skeleton team, inspiring others to follow in her path.","og_url":"https:\/\/firstandpen.com\/us-skeleton-olympic-hopeful-mystique-ro\/","og_site_name":"First And Pen","article_published_time":"2021-03-18T13:13:03+00:00","article_modified_time":"2021-03-21T12:38:28+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1500,"height":1125,"url":"https:\/\/firstandpen.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/Mystique-Ro-USA.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Dr. Letisha Engracia Cardoso Brown","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@https:\/\/twitter.com\/letisha122","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Dr. Letisha Engracia Cardoso Brown","Est. reading time":"7 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/firstandpen.com\/us-skeleton-olympic-hopeful-mystique-ro\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/firstandpen.com\/us-skeleton-olympic-hopeful-mystique-ro\/"},"author":{"name":"Dr. Letisha Engracia Cardoso Brown","@id":"https:\/\/firstandpen.com\/#\/schema\/person\/354822ed0914874e4411fbdd86111f89"},"headline":"Olympic Hopeful Mystique Ro Is Becoming A Woman Like Those She Admired","datePublished":"2021-03-18T13:13:03+00:00","dateModified":"2021-03-21T12:38:28+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/firstandpen.com\/us-skeleton-olympic-hopeful-mystique-ro\/"},"wordCount":1333,"commentCount":0,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/firstandpen.com\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/firstandpen.com\/us-skeleton-olympic-hopeful-mystique-ro\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/firstandpen.com\/staging\/5861\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/Mystique-Ro-USA.jpg?fit=1500%2C1125&ssl=1","keywords":["mystique ro","olympics","skeleton"],"articleSection":["Culture","Sports"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/firstandpen.com\/us-skeleton-olympic-hopeful-mystique-ro\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/firstandpen.com\/us-skeleton-olympic-hopeful-mystique-ro\/","url":"https:\/\/firstandpen.com\/us-skeleton-olympic-hopeful-mystique-ro\/","name":"Olympic Hopeful Mystique Ro Is Becoming A Woman Like Those She Admired","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/firstandpen.com\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/firstandpen.com\/us-skeleton-olympic-hopeful-mystique-ro\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/firstandpen.com\/us-skeleton-olympic-hopeful-mystique-ro\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/firstandpen.com\/staging\/5861\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/Mystique-Ro-USA.jpg?fit=1500%2C1125&ssl=1","datePublished":"2021-03-18T13:13:03+00:00","dateModified":"2021-03-21T12:38:28+00:00","description":"Monique Ro is a former track and field athlete with dreams of making the US Olympic Skeleton team, inspiring others to follow in her path.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/firstandpen.com\/us-skeleton-olympic-hopeful-mystique-ro\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/firstandpen.com\/us-skeleton-olympic-hopeful-mystique-ro\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/firstandpen.com\/us-skeleton-olympic-hopeful-mystique-ro\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/firstandpen.com\/staging\/5861\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/Mystique-Ro-USA.jpg?fit=1500%2C1125&ssl=1","contentUrl":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/firstandpen.com\/staging\/5861\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/Mystique-Ro-USA.jpg?fit=1500%2C1125&ssl=1","width":1500,"height":1125,"caption":"(Photo credit: Mystique Ro)"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/firstandpen.com\/us-skeleton-olympic-hopeful-mystique-ro\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/firstandpen.com\/staging\/5861\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Olympic Hopeful Mystique Ro Is Becoming A Woman Like Those She Admired"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/firstandpen.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/firstandpen.com\/","name":"First And Pen","description":"To inform, inspire and connect through voices of color in sports","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/firstandpen.com\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/firstandpen.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/firstandpen.com\/#organization","name":"First And Pen","url":"https:\/\/firstandpen.com\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/firstandpen.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/firstandpen.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/Asset-3@2x-100.jpg?fit=983%2C768&ssl=1","contentUrl":"https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/firstandpen.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/Asset-3@2x-100.jpg?fit=983%2C768&ssl=1","width":983,"height":768,"caption":"First And Pen"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/firstandpen.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"}},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/firstandpen.com\/#\/schema\/person\/354822ed0914874e4411fbdd86111f89","name":"Dr. Letisha Engracia Cardoso Brown","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/firstandpen.com\/staging\/5861\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/letisha-Brown-Headshot.jpg?fit=96%2C96&ssl=1","url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/firstandpen.com\/staging\/5861\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/letisha-Brown-Headshot.jpg?fit=96%2C96&ssl=1","contentUrl":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/firstandpen.com\/staging\/5861\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/letisha-Brown-Headshot.jpg?fit=96%2C96&ssl=1","caption":"Dr. Letisha Engracia Cardoso Brown"},"description":"Dr. Letisha Engracia Cardoso Brown is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Sociology at the University of Cincinnati. As a Black feminist scholar, her work touches on critical issues in sport, food studies, and Black girlhoods. Her work can be found in publications including the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, the South African Review of Sociology, and the Palgrave Handbook on Feminisms and Sport, Leisure, and Physical Education.","sameAs":["https:\/\/x.com\/https:\/\/twitter.com\/letisha122"],"url":"https:\/\/firstandpen.com\/staging\/5861\/author\/letisha-brown\/"}]}},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/firstandpen.com\/staging\/5861\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/Mystique-Ro-USA.jpg?fit=1500%2C1125&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/firstandpen.com\/staging\/5861\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1257","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/firstandpen.com\/staging\/5861\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/firstandpen.com\/staging\/5861\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/firstandpen.com\/staging\/5861\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/8"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/firstandpen.com\/staging\/5861\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1257"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/firstandpen.com\/staging\/5861\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1257\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/firstandpen.com\/staging\/5861\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1258"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/firstandpen.com\/staging\/5861\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1257"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/firstandpen.com\/staging\/5861\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1257"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/firstandpen.com\/staging\/5861\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1257"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}