When I was in 8th grade, I joined the track and field team with my friends. Most of my friends actually had skills that were useful to the team; some were runners, some were jumpers, and others were strong and made good throwers. I hated to run, and I was slow anyway. I figured I could be a thrower, too, but it turned out I wasn't any good. But the team was a no-cut sport, so I stuck around. The coaches saw I wasn't going to help win any meets, but one coach found an important purpose for me: he didn't have enough runners for long-distance runs, and without the right numbers, the team would not qualify to compete. So he talked me into running, despite my hatred of it, and long-distance running at that. Suddenly, I found myself huffing and puffing around the track, anywhere from two to four laps per race. I was always last, but I always finished, which was all that mattered to me. The best part of this experience, however, were my teammates - and sometimes even other teams. People knew I wasn't a runner. People knew I stood no chance. People knew I needed encouragement just to keep going. So what did people do? My team ran alongside me. My team finished their races and events and ran with me, cheering me on. I came in dead last to happy teammates.
I still hate to run. But I have a strong fondness for my former teammates, and a very happy memory of my time on a track team.
I was reminded of this story today when I heard the wonderful story of Niger's men's single-sculls athlete. He competed in the Olympics in a sport he had never, ever done before. He came in dead last, but the world cheered him on as he finished. You don't have to be first to be a winner, and you don't have to be the best to inspire people.
There's a lot of ugliness in this world, but I love the Olympics for this very reason. It's a moment for the world to come together, to cheer each other on, to inspire and amaze each other, and to embrace our common humanity. This story follows stories of women representing countries that have never allowed women to practice sports before. Sometimes, winning is simply making it to a point you never thought you'd make. Go world!
