There’s big news emanating from big D in Texas.

When you hear something like that, thoughts automatically turn to the young men in blue and silver with the stars on their helmet. That’s understandable. So many of us love the Dallas Cowboys.

Here however, we are talking about someone else from big D and it’s a she, not a he, although she does have stars in her eyes.

Let’s also make something perfectly clear.

Madison is a shining star.

“When one deals with stars, he is dealing with intelligent people. If they weren’t intelligent, they wouldn’t have arrived at the star pinnacle.”… George Cukor

On July 10, 2016, Madison Kocian was named as a member of the U.S. women’s gymnastics team for the 2016 Olympics in Rio.

Here’s the news about her. It’s time to get inspired.

Madison is an American artistic gymnast. She is a 2015 world champion on uneven bars and a two-time World Championships team member. She has been a U.S. National Team member on and off since 2009.

The respected athletic site gym-style.com helps us with the grand introduction. “Madison began gymnastics at the age of six in 2003 and quickly progressed in the sport. Prior to her elite career, Madison was the 2008 Level 8 Regional Champion and 2009 Level 9 Western National Champion. In 2009, Madison qualified to junior international elite and her elite career took off ever since she made the Junior US National Team for the first time. Now, she is four-time US National Team and 2014 World Champion.

Madison began gymnastics in 2003 at the age of six at World Olympic Gymnastics Academy (WOGA) in Plano, Texas.”

In 2014, one week after the P&G Championships, Madison traveled to Toronto where she helped the USA team to finish first, ahead of Brazil and Mexico.

Madison also qualified to event finals, finishing second on uneven bars and fourth on balance beam. A few weeks later, Madison was selected to represent the USA team at the World Championships in Nanning, China where she helped the USA team to win a second straight World team title.

That’s very impressive and it hasn’t been easy.

In June of 2016, the global news source USA Today admired her ability to rebound from a major setback. “For Maggie Nichols and Madison Kocian, two gymnasts in contention to make the Rio Olympic team, the added challenge comes in a shortened season as they return from injuries.

For Kocian, the recovery is a little further along. The two-time world’s team member is strongest on bars, where she won gold in a four-way tie at last year’s world championships, but had to take about three weeks off from the event because she couldn’t land on her broken foot.”

Entering March of 2016, Madison along with fellow National Team members Gabby Douglas, Aly Raisman, Simone Biles, and Maggie Nichols, attended the Team USA Media Summit in Los Angeles, an event for the media to interview and interact with athletes who will compete at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro.

Madison attended the event on crutches and wearing a boot, and confirmed to reporters that she had a minor ankle injury that would likely take her out of contention for the 2016 City of Jesolo Trophy and 2016 Pacific Rim Championships teams. She recovered in time to compete in the U.S. Classic, the P&G Gymnastics Championships, and the 2016 Olympic Team Trials.

That’s good for her and wonderful news for us.

As of this July 2016 writing, the Olympics are soon to be upon us and one of the most highly anticipated competitions will be women’s gymnastics.

That’s where Madison is heading but let’s briefly visit where she is from.

Located in North Texas, Dallas is the main core of the largest metropolitan area in the South and the largest inland metropolitan area in the United States that lacks any navigable link to the sea.

That is very unique for a major city. Most are connected to waterways.

Dallas and nearby Fort Worth were developed due to the construction of major railroad lines through the area allowing access to cotton, cattle, and later oil in North and East Texas.

The construction of the Interstate Highway System reinforced Dallas’ prominence as a transportation hub with four major interstate highways converging in the city, and a fifth interstate loop around it.

When you want to visit Dallas, some of the best things in life are indeed free and we are going to share a few of them with you.

Sharing a warm BBQ and beans welcome with a huge smile visitdallas.com enlightens about the free ways to reach destinations in downtown Dallas and historic Oak Cliff by Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART), “D-Link is a special service from DART that lets you explore the districts of downtown Dallas and historic Oak Cliff. It’s your link to arts, fun, culture and dining.

You’ll find eclectic neighborhoods such as the Bishop Arts District and The Cedars, sleek developments such as Victory Park and Uptown and areas with a little something for everyone such as the Main Street District and the West End Historic District.

D-Link is the convenient and hassle-free way to experience it all. Hop aboard and discover the things that make Dallas so uniquely Dallas.”

That sounds nice. This reminds me of other cities I’ve visited in other time periods. It’s a valuable service.

We really love the arts here at Fem Com. This next presentation by the city is an art lover’s dream on 68 acres. “The Dallas Arts District is nation’s largest urban arts district and home to a variety of festivals, performances, museums and local arts organizations. The Dallas Museum of Art currently offers free general admission.

The Ann & Gabriel Barbier-Mueller Museum: The Samurai Collection brings ten centuries of craftsmanship as one of the world’s only museums dedicated to samurai art with suits of armor, helmets, masks, and weaponry. What makes this fine collection of Japanese armor a Dallas must-see is its location of the museum sitting in a historic 1920s elementary school building, now transformed into a museum and Saint Ann Restaurant & Bar.”

Hmm, so many good things emanate from Dallas.

The 2016 Rio Olympics, from the Zika virus concerns to alleged corruption and fear of crime has had its challenges. Fortunately the games will go on.

To watch Madison perform will be one of the great highlights. Her window of opportunity has come and we are confident that she will successfully climb through it.

Her determination to overcome severe injuries and persevere is a testament to her family upbringing and the village that helped raise her.

Whether on the Cowboys football helmet or elsewhere, so many stars come out of Dallas.

Madison is proof of that.

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OPENING PHOTO CREDIT FOUND AT  wnyt.com  

Sources: brainyquote.com, Wikipedia, fciwomenswrestling2.com, FCI Elite Competitor, photos thank you Wikimedia Commons.

http://www.gym-style.com/madisonkocian/about.htm

http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/olympics/rio-2016/2016/06/23/maggie-nichols-madison-kocian-battling-spots-rio-team/86293440/

www.dallascityhall.com/

https://www.dart.org/dlink/dlink.asp