Inspiration from youth sports stars

When I was young, I was on youth track and cross country and I was able to qualify nationally, and post 4 years in a row with no losses and all in first place, and I was lucky to find something I was good at early in. my career. life. I didn’t realize back then when people used to come and want to meet me and tell me how much they enjoyed watching me race and win. Today, I understand it, as it is an innate sense that we have to observe others, especially the underdog, overcome and win. Perhaps why the Rocky series movies were so popular and why people like movies like the Karate Kid.

I recently saw a very inspiring YouTube video about a young athlete. A seventh grade cross country runner who beat all the top level girls at the State Championships, her name is Grace Ping. You may want to see the following videos yourself:

1). “Grace Ping [GP], 7th Grade Student Takes ALL of the 2015 Roy Griak High School Field “on the FloTrack channel.

two). “GP not authorized to compete with NXN” on the MileSplit channel

3). “GP After Racing Pro 3K At UW Indoor” on the MileSplit channel

4). Sean Tehan Channel “GP Story”

5). “GP – Athlete of the Week” Chris Barriere Channel

One commenter wrote: “Why am I watching this video? I’m not even on the track, much less athletic.”

My answer was simple: “Because you love a person with that level of spirit and willingness to win. We all do.”

You see, it makes us feel alive, it makes us smile and see someone go the extra mile, go the distance, defy the odds and win. Americans will always uphold those values ​​and hold a special place in our hearts for those who remind us of what we are capable of. It turns out super cross-country runner Grace isn’t just an anomaly, she’s a cross-country skier too, and those lengthy ski training efforts helped her build strong cardio, will, determination, a high pain threshold, and steal legs. even for a 13 year old.

It’s amazing what the human body is capable of, and yes, it obviously has good running genetics, but it’s more than that, it’s its intense training, a workout that’s transferable from skiing to running. Interestingly, most skills are transferable, especially the human trait of perseverance. She has it, and well, so do you. She has found her “inner winner” and maybe it’s time for you to find yours too. Consider all of this and think about it.