Today in Wheeling History: December 17—Amy Gamble, Olympic handball player and mental health advocate, was born in Wheeling, West Virginia (1964).
Amy Gamble (born December 17, 1964, in Wheeling) rose from Ohio Valley roots to international competition, transitioning from a standout at John Marshall High School to NCAA Division I women’s basketball before switching to team handball and competing at the 1988 Seoul Olympics with the U.S. Women’s National Team. Her athletic trajectory—anchored by John Marshall in Glen Dale and time with the University of Tennessee—set the stage for a second, equally public chapter: mental health advocacy. Diagnosed with bipolar disorder in 1999, Gamble has spoken candidly about navigating highs and lows, emphasizing resilience and early intervention; a widely read profile in the Wheeling Intelligencer framed her toughest opponent as mental illness, not an Olympic rival. As Executive Director of NAMI Greater Wheeling (National Alliance on Mental Illness), she built community education initiatives and later founded Speak Up 4 Mental Health in 2020, continuing outreach and stigma reduction efforts through online platforms and motivational programming. Gamble has delivered more than 250 talks, reaching over 17,000 people, and in 2018 received a national Voice Award for advocacy. Her memoir, "Bipolar Disorder, My Biggest Competitor: An Olympian’s Journey with Mental Illness", captures both elite sport and recovery as shared community work.
To learn more: Amy Gamble – Wikipedia (https://tinyurl.com/4hv74u99), Intelligencer profile: Amy Gamble’s toughest foe was mental illness (https://tinyurl.com/5n7dxjc2), WTRF: Amy Gamble steps down at NAMI Greater Wheeling, announces new organization (https://tinyurl.com/2m2cmf26), Weelunk: Conference to shed light on mental illness (https://tinyurl.com/bdm3ydts), Speak Up 4 Mental Health – Facebook (https://tinyurl.com/mrkar95u)
Photo caption and credit: Amy Gamble (Weelunk)
Amy Gamble (born December 17, 1964, in Wheeling) rose from Ohio Valley roots to international competition, transitioning from a standout at John Marshall High School to NCAA Division I women’s basketball before switching to team handball and competing at the 1988 Seoul Olympics with the U.S. Women’s National Team. Her athletic trajectory—anchored by John Marshall in Glen Dale and time with the University of Tennessee—set the stage for a second, equally public chapter: mental health advocacy. Diagnosed with bipolar disorder in 1999, Gamble has spoken candidly about navigating highs and lows, emphasizing resilience and early intervention; a widely read profile in the Wheeling Intelligencer framed her toughest opponent as mental illness, not an Olympic rival. As Executive Director of NAMI Greater Wheeling (National Alliance on Mental Illness), she built community education initiatives and later founded Speak Up 4 Mental Health in 2020, continuing outreach and stigma reduction efforts through online platforms and motivational programming. Gamble has delivered more than 250 talks, reaching over 17,000 people, and in 2018 received a national Voice Award for advocacy. Her memoir, "Bipolar Disorder, My Biggest Competitor: An Olympian’s Journey with Mental Illness", captures both elite sport and recovery as shared community work.
To learn more: Amy Gamble – Wikipedia (https://tinyurl.com/4hv74u99), Intelligencer profile: Amy Gamble’s toughest foe was mental illness (https://tinyurl.com/5n7dxjc2), WTRF: Amy Gamble steps down at NAMI Greater Wheeling, announces new organization (https://tinyurl.com/2m2cmf26), Weelunk: Conference to shed light on mental illness (https://tinyurl.com/bdm3ydts), Speak Up 4 Mental Health – Facebook (https://tinyurl.com/mrkar95u)
Photo caption and credit: Amy Gamble (Weelunk)
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