Posted on 06/23/2009 9:35:26 PM PDT by smokingfrog
Gina Marie can sing. Watching the clip below will serve as proof and anyone who has ever tried to perform the national anthem will attest that it takes some definite skill to do.
But, lots of little girls can sing. So, what makes Gina Marie so special?
Her mother explains far better than I could on her site ginachildperformer.com:
When Gina was about 2 years old she was diagnosed with PDD NOS (an autistic spectrum disorder). The pervasive development disorder diagnosis was a result of evaluations sought because Gina could not speak at age 2. In fact, Gina did not really start speaking words until after age 3. In addition to a speech and language delay, she had many other developmental delays.
She did not have age appropriate social skills. She had poor eye contact, sensory issues, and feeding issues among others. She had difficulty transitioning and did not adapt well to new environments. She was often afraid in public and could not tolerate noisy places such as theme parks or carnivals. She had odd behaviors such as scratching the floors and walls and stacking her toys instead of playing with them. She had no imaginary play skills. When she went to a playground, she showed no interest in other children. She would simply pick up sticks and rocks. The doctors that diagnosed her were unable to state whether her condition would improve or worsen. They were unable to tell us whether she would ever be able to speak.
Not to put a damper on this child’s singing—she’s really a little sweetheart——but! Is it just me, or are most of the players standing with their hands behind them and looking at the floor dissing the flag and this great land of ours?
They do seem a little “distracted.”
It's the players psyching themselves up for the contest and it's standard operating procedure in sports. Not just basketball, but baseball, football and hockey also. I wish the cameras would just not show the players during the anthem.
Thanks for the explanation. I do not watch television —certainly not sports—so that is why I wondered about them.
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