At two of the three track meets that I have attended thus far this year, that which impressed me the most was the courage and determination of a couple physically challenged athletes. For these athletes, the expression "physically challenged" was a truism; not a euphemism nor an attempt to be politically correct.
At OFSAA, the Ontario Track & Field High School Championships, this June a young man using a regular wheel chair competed with two other athletes who were equipped with racing chairs in the 1500m.
From the outset, we all knew, as did he, that he had no opportunity of winning. However this young man showed true courage and determination as he did his best and completed his race using the equipment that he had. The crowd appreciated his efforts.
Yesterday at the Canadian Track & Field Championships, for me, two athletes stood out. In both cases, they ran their races positionally at the back of the field in their events [400m and 10,000m]. However, I believe in both cases, they were the only athlete in their competition category so technically, they were front runners from start to finish.
A visually impaired young lady ran the 400m with her running partner (in essence, her eyes) rounding the track beside her. The spectators were too busy scurrying from the stands to take shelter from the pouring rain that started in earnest shortly after the race began to truly appreciate her efforts. I used to run 400's in high school. To run the race, unable to see clearly where the rest of the field is has got to be a trying ordeal.
In the final event of the day, a gentleman, probably in his 40's, ran the 10,000m in a field that include the Canadian record holder in the event. I was reminded a little of Terry Fox since this runner had one prosthetic leg. The crowd appreciated his gallant efforts.
What these three athletes demonstrated is the fact that you can allow life's challenges and obstacles to cripple you or to motivate you to find a means to overcome them. That is a lesson that we all need to learn for we all face seemingly insurmountable obstacles in our journey through life from time to time.
