How Do Your Chokes Impact Sportsmanship?
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How Do Your Chokes Impact Sportsmanship? future 0SM4j tile 4e_ lN’ Sportsmanship: A Game Plan For Life Volume IX 5 ***FIRST PLACE*** The Day I Was Proud To Finish Last Molly Grace Gorman Notre Dame Academy (Hingham) It was a beautiful late September day in New England when we lined up for our 1.8 mile race on NDA’s home cross country course in Hingham’s Town Forest. The leaves were beginning to explode in their seasonal colors, and the sky was crisp and clear. Unlike other forms of running, cross country races are generally not run in front of spectators. For the most part, coaches and fans only see their teams at the beginning and at the end of the event. During the competition, participants are on their own. On this day, I felt really strong, and while I am sure that both teams were anxiously anticipating the meet, I was ready to win. At the starting gun, I bolted into the lead; I had been training hard all Fall and it was finally paying off. The course varies throughout its length and after a mass start, the trail narrows over unpredictable terrain, making it difficult to overtake runners in front of you. As I ran toward the “loop” (the mid-point where runners turn for the trek back to the finish line), I realized that this was one of the few times that I was actually leading a race at the turn. I guessed that my lead was 100 yards (20 seconds over my nearest challenger). I felt a rush of adrenaline as I began passing other harriers who had not yet reached the ioop, and made my rush toward the finish line and my first win ever! Prior to the race, I noticed a blonde-girl from Winchester in warm-ups. I could tell she was fast, and I figured that she would be the runner to beat today. Now, as I stretched my lead, I saw her again, sitting by the side of the path, crying and suffering from an asthma attack. Athletes on both teams ran by her without a glance, intent on getting to the loop and winning the race. At first, I too ran by her, focused on victory, however, after a few steps, I stopped racing and returned to her side to give her assistance. As I kneeled next to her, encouraging her to get her breathing under control, and reassuring her that everything would be alright, every other racer on both teams, strode by us on their way to the finish. After a while her breathing trouble subsided, and my fellow competitor and I walked the mile or so back along the trail where we crossed the finish line together. To this day, I don’t know the name of the girl that I stopped to help. I don’t regret giving up a chance to win my first race because stepping up and helping her was the right thing to do. There will be other races, and I hope that if I am ever in a similar situation, that someone would do the same thing for me. On a day when Mother Nature’s spectacular color palette of autumn foliage was on display for all to enjoy, I started a cross country race wanting to be the winner. An hour later, I walked across the finish line last, knowing that I was. 6 ***SECONDPLACE*** How Do Your Choices Impact Sportsmanship? Fallon Bushee Mystic Valley Regional Charter School As a three-sport athlete, I am lucky to be surrounded by athletes who are not only of top physical prowess, but also of great character. My cross country team chases after opponents who have run off-course to set them straight again; my swim team laughs and jokes with the team that is supposedly our rival; my track team takes javelin-throwing lessons from opposing track teams during meets. I have grown to expect this kind of behavior from all athletes, whether they are from my team or any other team, but just like with anything else in the sports world, one never can cease to be amazed. This season, my cross country team had a meet against our rival team. One member of that team was a highly skilled racer, an upperclassman whom I knew only as Alyssa. The last time we raced each other, I beat her by just a few seconds, and I knew she must still be furious about it and eager to destroy me. My coach and my team were counting on me to win, and I knew what I had to do, but I was terrified of the outcome: what would her reaction be if I beat her again? More importantly, were she to best me, would I be able to lose with grace? When the race started, Alyssa pulled way ahead of me, but I gradually moved up next to her. For three miles, I ran on her right side, and for three miles, I could sense her ever-mounting irritation with my presence there. It came down to a final sprint: just like our last race, I barely out- sprinted her. I sat down on the ground and prepared myself from the onslaught that was surely to come. I had beaten her, again, by three measly seconds. I could only imagine how angry she must be. To my surprise, when I looked up, Alyssa smiled at me. She held out her hand and said simply, “Awesome race.” I shook her hand, and with a smile she said “You know, I haven’t lost a race in two years.” She laughed, and added, “Congratulations.” I was in complete awe. We had run so fast, come so far, and finished so closely and yet she laughed; her first loss in two years, and yet she congratulated me. Anybody else would have been angry beyond belief. I thanked her for running with me; I did not know what else to say to respond to her outstanding grace and amazing sportsmanship. As athletes, we always try to learn as much as we can about our sports and apply these lessons whenever we get the chance; it is athletes like Alyssa who teach us that even the best of us need to practice the discipline of sportsmanship. She proves that all athletes have the choice to take responsibility for how we carry ourselves, and it is this choice that will forever keep the spirit of sportsmanship alive. 7 ***THIPfl PLACE*** How Do Your Choices Impact Sportsmanship? James Rindo Lowell High School It was the second round at the national tennis tournament at the Albany Racquet Club, where I was in a grueling third set with another player from upstate New York. Throughout the match, my opponent has, as players of the sport say, “hooked” me on a few shots, forcing me to lose points, some crucial, some not. Already battling fatigue and frustration, we had reached a deciding point in the match, one that would create a huge advantage for the winner. I vividly remember that point, for my heart was pounding, body was hurting, and mind was racing with various strategies. I quickly served, and thus the rally had begun, allowing me to wait for my opportunity to see the short ball and slam a winner. Soon my chance had arrived, I saw the open court, and painted the line with an amazing shot. However, that one word, “out,” that I had heard moments later, still rings in my ears today. He had cheated again, and although furious and heartbroken, I could not change a thing, for it was his call and there were no officials present. From that point on, what I did, or most importantly, what I didn’t do, remains one of my proudest and most mature choices of my life. That tournament proved to be an important learning lesson for me. Although I went on to lose that match, I did not act reactively and let my emotions get the best of me. Instead, I kept a cool head, remained calm, and did my best to maintain good sportsmanship. Despite the fact that this match was one of the biggest of my life, I knew deep inside that I was truly a winner for showing great respect for my sport and good ethics. What I take pride in the most from that experience is my ability to let my love for tennis come before my desire to win. I feel I made the right decision that day: to preserve my honor and walk away a genuine winner. To me, the choice was easy. It wasn’t a question of winning or losing, but as long as a love for the sport was present, the answer was simple. By letting a sense of integrity constantly guide you in the right path and lead you to become the best person you could be, and nothing less, your sportsmanship will always be admired by all. 8 ***FINALIST*** Fear or Rice? The Choice is Yours! Julie Fraser Hanover High School Sports-man-ship; n. Conduct and attitude considered as befitting participants in sports, especially fair play, courtesy, striving spirit, and grace in losing. The majority of the time, it is a difficult task to keep sportsmanship high, especially when things don’t go your way. Unfortunately, some people utterly fail to possess a mere iota of sportsmanship. On the contrary, there are several remarkable team players, who fulfill hope, strength, and positive attitudes not only in themselves, but in their teammates.