APPLE VALLEY — Dressed only her birthday suit, High Desert native and Olympic athlete Amanda Bingson has graced the cover of a national sports magazine.
Besides calling her a “beautiful role model,” Jennifer Hutson calls Bingson “her amazing cousin who rocked the cover as a nude model” for ESPN’s 2015 Body Issue.
“When I saw her photo online, I was so proud of her,” said Hutson, 47, who lives in Apple Valley. “Our whole family is proud of her and I know that my is going to go far in what ever she does.”
Hutson told the Daily Press that Bingson, 25, was born at Victor Valley Hospital (Victor Valley Global Medical Center) and lived in Hesperia for several years. The family left the High Desert for Las Vegas after a downturn in housing construction took a toll on her family’s cabinet-making business.
ESPN The Magazine's Body Issue features athletes in nude pictorials, which are posed tastefully to avoid revealing too much. Each year since 2009, the Body Issue has been distributed with multiple covers, each featuring a different athlete. This year, Bingson shares that honor with Bryce Harper of the Washington Nationals, Kevin Love of the Cleveland Cavaliers, Odell Beckham Jr. of the New York Giants, and U.S. Olympians Natalie Coughlin and Chantae McMillan.
Bingson, the current female U.S Olympic hammer throwing record holder, shocked many when she made the U.S. team and competed in the Olympic Games in London in 2012.
“When we lived in Vegas, I’d drive Amanda to school,” Hutson said. “Now, Amanda is competing in the Olympics, and walking the red carpet at the Sports Humanitarian of the Year Awards and at the ESPYs Awards. She’s not a kid anymore.”
Hutson's parents are Simply Cake bakery owners Lee and Patricia Bridges from Hesperia; she says they probably haven't seen their athletic niece in all her glory.
Suzanne Richards, CEO of the VVGMC, told the Daily Press that the medical center will be rooting for Bingson as she continues her Olympic pursuits.
"We congratulate Amanda on her accomplishments and wish her the greatest success in 2016,” Richards told the Daily Press. “We are proud of every baby born at VVGMC and believe that every baby is capable of great things. Every accomplishment, great and small, should be celebrated.”
The High Desert native, who attended the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, is currently training to compete at the Olympic Games in Rio De Janiero, Brazil in 2016. Bingson, who broke the female American record in 2013, first picked up a hammer in 2009 at the University of Las Vegas, Nevada, Hutson said.
Bingson’s cousin, Matt Bridges, praised Bingson for her “confidence and transparency” as she “displayed her beautiful, naked physique” on the ESPN cover in July.
“I was there when Amanda was born and I held her as a baby,” Bridges said. “Now, she’s letting it all hang out before the world in a magazine. The Olympic rings tattoo on her leg is a nice touch.”
As a hammer thrower whose body weight comes in at just over 200 pounds, Bingson used Facebook to describe herself as “dense,” emphasizing that “it's important to show that athletes come in all shapes and sizes.”
“The moment her photo went online, she became a role model for people that have weight issues,” Hutson said. “She’s very strong and amazing at what she does. And her message is that you can accomplish great things no matter your physical appearance.”
Hutson said Bingson’s rise to stardom has made it difficult for the family to communicate with her as the Olympian has done multiple interviews with major TV and online networks, including Yahoo, Nickelodeon, CNN and more.
“The only way our family keeps up with her is through Facebook and Instagram,” Hutson said. “Checking out her Facebook page is an adventure.”
On Saturday, Bingson posted a video demonstrating how she makes the “perfect brisket sandwich,” Texas style. The 12-second video shows Bingson holding a piece of bread as she adds a piece of brisket, chopped onions, coleslaw and pickles.
“Not everyone can say that one of their family members is totally naked on the cover of the ESPN magazine,” Bridges said. “I wouldn’t mind posing naked for a magazine cover, but only if I had a body like Amanda.”