‘One of the most profound moments in sports’

Published 5:30 pm Thursday, May 1, 2008

By Staff
To the editor:
I was at the middle school track meet in Niles last Friday.
I witnessed one of the most profound moments in sports I've seen.
To report it accurately, I'm not sure what meter race it happened after because I was distracted and talking to friends, but a Benton Harbor runner who had completed his course was walking back to his teammates.
He passed along the fence that lines the track; we were leaning on it as we watched and cheered.
A voice from behind us yelled to him, disappointed that he hadn't won the race.
"Hey, what happened?"
With complete cool, the runner turned and looked at his schoolmate over his shoulder.
"I don't make excuses," he said. "The others ran faster and I lost."
His frank statement of the pure simple truth startled me.
Even fast runners or runners at the top of their schools didn't place in the top three that day because the competition was tough.
We had watched in amazement as runners, tall and lean with amazing strides, flew around the track.
But his answer impressed me more than the running talent.
After all the times in various sports that refs have been criticized for missing calls or favoring the other team, for all the complaints that someone pushed and someone played unfairly and took advantage, there was no disrespecting of the opposition here.
Strength of character showed itself in a calm response that refused to hide behind excuses of blame or pain or having a bad day.
My heart was warmed Friday evening by a player from Benton Harbor who understood that only one can place first and that the worth of the others is not diminished if they have given their best.
And in my book, much credit is given to anyone who has the courage simply to step onto the track.
Dowagiac