"There
are victories of the soul and spirit. Sometimes, even if you lose, you
win." - Elie Wiesel
In
today’s society bad behavior is headline news; nevertheless, we should never
underestimate the impact one simple act of kindness can do to change the world.
Day after day there are countless news stories of those individuals who have
taken the wrong path in life. But hope is not lost after you read the
incredible and touching story between two high school softball teams and the
bond they developed in the name of sportsmanship and humanity.
To
give you a little background, earlier this spring the Roncalli High School's
Girls' Softball Team from Indianapolis, Indiana, a team who had not lost a
single game in the last 2 1/2 years, was scheduled to compete against Marshall
Community school. From all outside appearances it was just another game between
two teams. However, the two teams could not have been any more diverse when it
came to skills on the field.
The
Roncalli team realized prior to the first pitch that their opponents were not
prepared to play. They could tell by the comments and actions of the players
and coaches that the Marshall Community team did not understand the
fundamentals of the game. So, the Roncalli team decided to forfeit the game to
avoid humiliating the Marshall team, even if that meant breaking their winning
streak. In the spirit of true sportsmanship, Marshall did not want to quit, but
they finally relented only when the Roncalli team offered to use the time to
teach them how to play the game. The two teams spent the next two hours
practicing everything from pitching, to batting, to how to run the bases, even
how to put on the catching gear.
The
act of sportsmanship did not stop there. Roncalli JV coach Jeff Traylor then
asked the parents of his players to donate used equipment and money to help aid
the Marshall Community team. The request was met with an unbelievable amount of
donations. This one small act of kindness not only changed the lives of all
these young ladies, but it inspired Reebok and the Cincinnati Reds to get on
board to help as well. This story reminded me of another heart rendering story
from 2008 when a college softball player hit her first home run of her college
career and ended up injuring her knee running the bases. Unable to run the
distance required to score for her team, hope seemed lost. After she was told that
if her teammates tried to help her around the bases she would be called out,
the situation grew dim.
In
one of the most touching acts, the Central Washington University players asked
the umpire if they could help their opponent around the bases. Because no such
ruling existed, they were given the go ahead; so the players carried Sara
Tucholsky around each of the bases allowing her team, Western Oregon
University, to score. The Central Washington University softball team went on
to lose the game and thus losing the conference knocking them out of the
playoffs. But what a beautiful legacy these young women left behind. Even two
years later, I am so touched by their unselfish act of kindness. It shows there
is good in all of us if we just put our ego aside.
We
all have the opportunity to do what is right, not because we are going to have
our names splashed across the newspaper or on television, but because we care
about our fellow man regardless of their ethnicity, social status or
educational background. We truly can change the world by one simple act of
kindness at a time even if that means we do not win.
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