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< Nov/Dec 2001
	Hotline
Race Face

Dana Chladek is finally getting the national attention she deserves from her Olympic medals--albeit five years later. Chladek’s visage appeared on the cover of the June issue of Smithsonian in a photo snapped during her bronze-medal winning run at the 1992 Olympics in Barcelona. Chladek also won silver in the 1996 Games.

The cover shot headlined an article about the Game Face exhibit appearing at the Smithsonian institute in Washington, D.C. Chladek’s image appears alongside 182 others--all of them female athletes, some famous, most not.

The question behind journalist Jane Gottesman’s 10-year project, which culminated this year with the publication of the 224-page photo book by Random House, was, "How do sports effect the lives of girls and women?"

The answer to the question is, of course, the same way it effects men, but only recently has that assumption held water. "There have long been misunderstandings about the female body and psyche," says Gottesman. "It was once widely believed that where boys excel under the pressure of competition, girls crumbled. Society is clearly in flux regarding women’s role in sports and society. We hope that the project sparks discussion."

Why Chladek? The images were chosen by Gottesman and co-curator Geoffrey Biddle for their ability to convey women’s experience in sports, not necessarily for the athlete’s notoriety. Therefore, although Chladek is a two-time Olympic medalist, her image appears alongside quieter moments like anonymous girls playing softball or on a swingset.

That Chladek’s photo ended up on the cover of Smithsonian had more to do with the quality of the photo than the notoriety of the subject. "I’ve heard many photographers describe that image as ‘magical’," says Gottesman.

Nevertheless, Chladek was thrilled. "It’s great having a kayaker on the cover of such a big magazine," she says. "It shows that we’re getting a little more mainstream.”

--fwr