Truth About High School Sports

This weekend I was covering the track regional at a high school on the eastside of town. 

It was hot, believe it or not, and the sun was relentlessly beating down on the athletes all day long.

One of the final events of the afternoon was the grueling 3,200-meter run, the metric two-mile run. 

It’s a test of endurance and will for even the best athletes, and on this Saturday afternoon, with the heat and blazing sun, it was even more challenging.

The girls went first and the race began without a hitch. 

Lap after lap, these incredible athletes pushed themselves and ran with pride and purpose despite the heat.

As the race wore on, however, one young woman lagged farther behind. Runner after runner passed her by, until she found herself three laps behind much of the rest of the field.

As the other girls crossed the finish line, exhausted and beat from the conditions and the event itself, this young girl had two more laps to complete before she could rest—800 meters more.

Her pace was far short of the rest of her competitors, she struggled with each step, and her face reflected the tremendous effort and strain she was putting into the race.

Sweat drenched her brown hair and tricked from her brow, down her cheeks, eventually landing on the surface of the track. Her chest heaved, trying to bring in as much air as possible, and she repeatedly had to brush her eyes with her hand so the sweat wouldn’t stay out of them.

She approached the finish line, and an official reached out his hand to hear and pointed her towards the scorer’s table to the left of the track.

“You’re done, honey. Good job.” The man said as she crossed the finish line.

“No.” she said, breathless and tired. “I’ve got one more lap.”

She was right. 

She did have one more lap to go.

By now, the rest of the field for the girls 3200 meter stood along the edge of the track and cheered her on, and after several minutes, as she reached the home straightaway, she picked up her pace and sprinted for the finish line—as if she was dashing for a spot in the state finals June 4.

She wasn’t, of course, but she was racing herself, her limits, her will, and she was determined to win.

Some of the same girls with whom she competed against minutes before now ran along side her on the infield, encouraging her to the finish strong.

The fans in bleachers rose to their feet and clapped, cheering her to the final stride was taken.

When she leaned into the finish line, like every good track athlete does, her time was nearly twice that of the winning time, and several minutes behind her closest competitors. 

Still, each girl who started beside her  that afternoon congratulated her, told her what a great job she did, and each one was sincere and heartfelt. 

This is what makes high school sports so special.

These are the moments that make us feel proud of our young people—in a world, in an era, where they’re often labeled as troublemakers and corrupt, or spoiled.

This is why I spend a few hundred words each week encouraging you to experience games in your neighborhood. 

It’s not only because I want you to see a good and competitive game. 

It’s because I want you to perhaps be there to see something memorable, something wonderful, something that can only come from kids who, despite what we hear otherwise, are still innocent and pure and good-hearted. 

So please, take a few hours this week and cheer these kids on, let them know they’re making their community proud.

Here’s a few suggestions for games this week.

• girls soccer vs. Chippewa Valley, 6 p.m., May 25 at Anchor Bay High
• Anchor Bay baseball vs. St.Clair, 3:30 p.m., May 23 at Anchor Bay High.