bailey+speech

** Opening **
 * Speech: Lance Armstrong **

· What do you think it means to be Courageous?

· I think it is to be brave and to have the guts and determination to stand up for what you believe in no matter how tough it gets.

· People show courage in all sorts of ways like in sport, in helping others, by rebuilding their lives after tragedy and overcoming life threatening illnesses.

· The person that I’ve chosen to speak about is Lance Armstrong.


 * Background: **

· Lance Armstrong was born in Dallas, Texas, USA on September 1971.

· When Lance was a kid he started his sporting career doing Triathlons

· He became a professional triathlete at the age of 16.

· By age 26, he had competed at 2 Olympics and had competed in the Tour De France twice.


 * Cancer: **

· Just as he was peaking in his road bike career, in October 1996, Lance was diagnosed with testicular cancer which spread to his brain and lungs.

· His cancer treatment included extensive surgery and chemotherapy and he was given only a 40% chance of survival.

· Remarkably, two years later after all this treatment, Lance’s cancer was gone and he was back on track and training twice as hard.

** Tour De France **

· Lance went on to win the Tour De France every year from 1999-2005, the only person to win the Tour De France an unbelieveable 7 times.

· In 2005 he announced his retirement from professional road bike racing. He made a come back in 2009 and raced in his final tour de France this year.

· Lance now runs a cancer foundation called “Live Strong” which supports people with cancer.

** Conclusion **

· Brave!! Gutsy!! Determined!! These are all words that describe Lance Armstrong.

· Lance Armstrong’s story of courage has inspired people all round the world and I hope it’s done the same for you.

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