top of page
Within Her Grasp: Mari-Rae Sopper 6/19/66 - 9/11/01
Joanne Simon Tailele
Mari-Rae Sopper knew what she wanted to be since she was ten-years-old, when she watched Nadia Comãneci score that “perfect ten” at the Montreal Olympics. She wanted to be a professional gymnast. So she made a plan. Driven by excellence and determination, “Mari-Rae put Fremd on the map,” according to Larry Petrillo, her high school coach. She moved on to be a formidable opponent in college gymnastics at Iowa State University and an impressive defense attorney for the Navy JAG Corps. Within Her Grasp chronicles Mari-Rae’s journey to reach her dream while battling emotional issues that soared her to the skies and plunged her into the depths of despair, drove her to veer from her plan, but never from her dream.
bottom of page