 |
|
|
| Ordinary people show they can do extraordinary things |
|---|
|
|---|
Today is a great departure from our normal sports page. In the summer there are often not as many sports activities going on locally as the rest of the year and I often feel like I am scrambling to fill space.
Today is not like that. There are stories that probably should run today but have been held while we run one very large story. This story is much larger than any story that I have ever written, and I offer it up with some level of fear and trepidation.
I was assigned to check out a bicycle group that was coming in to town. I expected that it would be the usual eight or 10 paragraph story saying basically, oooh, look at all the people on bicycles, isn't that nice.
I was surprised to find out that many of the people on this bicycle trip have compelling stories. It is my hope that by sharing just a small piece of what they had to say that in a small way some of you might be inspired to dream big and go for your dreams.
These individuals are ordinary citizens. They are not great athletes and are not even necessarily in great shape and yet they have committed to a grueling physical activity, and seem to be loving it. I could not help but be inspired by some of the things that I heard and saw.
Speaking of commitment, my goal of participating at the national masters track meet has died. Karlene, my wife, has a road run that conflicts with the meet, and she has done a much better job of training than I, so we are going to her race instead.
These bikers and Karlene have shown much more commitment than I. They rise early and put the pedal to the metal and actually put their plan into action.
Some of you have probably seen Karlene around town. She runs starting at 4:30 a.m. almost every morning.
I stand in awe of the accomplishments that people can do athletically if they set their mind to it.
I was a multisport athlete in college, and have achieved some level of success, but like so may I have not stuck with it later in life.
Some of these people were never athletes, and yet they are continuing to achieve, sometimes at amazing levels.
One of the over 70 set was actually one of the first bikers to finish their leg yesterday. We have many athletes in town who push themselves to the limit daily and we should celebrate their success.
It doesn't matter the age or the handicap-when people set their mind to it they can do amazing things.
One of the individuals I interviewed yesterday struggles to walk, and yet he makes no complaints and journeys on. We can all learn from the example that some of these people set. They are just ordinary individuals and yet they have willed to do the extraordinary.
|
| Go to top. |
|
|
|
