A young boy named Alex wanted to be a great basketball player. He had a natural talent for the sport and loved playing it whenever he could. However, he was also very small and not very strong, which made it difficult for him to compete against bigger and stronger players.

Alex was often discouraged by his lack of size and strength. He would see other players who were bigger and more muscular than him and wonder if he would ever be able to compete against them. But he never gave up. He kept practicing and working hard, pushing himself to improve every day.

One day, Alex heard that his school was holding a basketball tournament. He was excited and immediately signed up for the tournament. However, Alex faced a big challenge during the tournament. The other team was bigger and stronger, and Alex found himself struggling to keep up. He missed several shots and made some mistakes that cost his team points. He felt embarrassed, frustrated and wanted to give up. He thought he was not good enough to compete against the best players in the school.

But his coach, who noticed Alex’s discouragement, pulled him aside.

A few years ago, my wife Sue had some fairly serious health problems. She had suffered surgery after surgery and had also put on weight for several years. Diets had not helped her.

One day we sat down and drew up a “wish list” of the things we wanted most out of life. One of Sue’s items was to run in a marathon. Given her history and physical limitations, I thought her goal was completely unrealistic, but Sue became committed to it.

She began by running very slowly around. Every day she ran just a little farther than she had the day before just one driveway more. “When will I ever be able to run a mile?” Sue asked one day. Soon she was running three. Then five. “We can change ourselves for the better and cause ourselves to pursue our most precious desires with almost total success,” Sue said and registered to run in the St. George Marathon in southern Utah.

I drove the mountainous road from Cedar City to St. George. When the marathon began, I parked the car near the finish line and waited for Sue to come in. Five hours later, it was raining steadily and the wind was cold. Several cold and injured runners had been transported past me, and I began to panic. The image of Sue, alone and cold, off the road somewhere, made me sick with worry. The fast and strong competitors had finished long ago, and runners were becoming fewer and fewer. Now I could not see anyone in either direction.

Almost all of the cars along the marathon route had left, and some normal traffic was beginning. I was able to drive directly up the race route. There were still no runners in view after driving almost two miles. Then I went around a bend in the road and spotted two runners running up ahead.

It was Sue in the company of a girl runner, struggling.

At the finish line, the girl hugged Sue, “You made me believe we could do it.”

Physical Exercise Should Be Valued in School

On a winter Sunday good for skiing, Sue arrived at their holiday chalet (棚屋) with joy. Sue’s skis were sticking out behind her. Mark, another skier, tripped over Sue’s skis. Before Sue could apologize, Mike shouted, “Your skis are in the way. You’ve got big smelly feet!” In view of his attitude, Sue ignored him. Mark lost face and was more angry.

The ski lift took all the skiers to the top of the mountain. The hard snow of the piste (滑雪道) was below them. Then Sue skied down the mountain. As a good skier, she didn’t fall over. Mark, along with his good friend David, was watching her with envy and anger. They were also good skiers but they didn’t know Sue very well. “She’s good,” David said. “But we’re better,” Mark responded with dissatisfaction.

The young people skied all day. They enjoyed themselves and forgot everything. On Wednesday morning, the young people were waiting for the ski lift when their teacher announced a ski race. The race would be arranged for the last day of the holiday on a long and difficult ten-kilometer piste. Everybody wanted to win! They went up the mountain, put on their skis and skied down the piste, practicing for the race. Sue skied fast, so did Mark and David. Obviously, these three became powerful opponents.

It was Saturday and the race was going to be held in the afternoon. Sue was hungry and left her skis at the side of a café. She sat down and ordered lunch. Later, David and Mark came in. They also headed to the side to put their skis there. Mark noticed Sue’s skis and aimed a kick angrily at them. Then he found a screw (螺丝) on Sue’s ski was loose, unsure whether it was caused by the force or it was like that originally. “Sue’s skis won’t work. We’re sure to win,” Mark said and pointed. They smiled knowingly at each other.

Finally came the time of the race and everyone was excited.

Maybe feeling guilty or nervous, Mark made a mistake and fell down when Sue approached him.

In today’s competitive world, the emphasis in athletics is so often put on breaking records. A runner’s creed: “I will win; if I cannot win, I shall do my best.” Those inspirational words, and others like it, fuel the soul of the long distance runners. Competing not only with one another, they hope to achieve their own “personal best”.

For one teen Brandon Schutt, a student in Omaha Burke High School, had been looking forward to his final cross-country race before graduating from high school. He was determined to finish the race with a respectable enough time to qualify for the upcoming state meet. Like him, all other runners were accumulating strength for a take-off.

One runner, Blake Cerveny, whose record was the fastest, tried to beat his own best. After a fast start, he continued to push himself to the limit. If he could hold on to his lead, there was no doubt that he would win. However, with less than 400 meters to go, Cerveny’s legs cramped up(抽筋)and failed him. Resolve to finish，Cerveny rose up from the ground, and continued on his way,only to fall again.His legs had simply given out. Seconds later, he lay curled on the ground, frustrated and disappointed. Other runners surpassed Cerveny with-out stopping. His will to go on faded from his body gradually.

A few moments later, Brandon, running at a very aggressive speed, drew near Cerveny. He had actually been in the same position three weeks prior when he wasn’t able to complete a race. He felt awful about not finishing. He had trained so hard for this final race in high school, to hopefully qualify for the state meet. So this time, he had made up his mind to prove himself under no circumstances.

However, noticing Cerveny’s struggle at arm’s length, Brandon hesitated.

Everyone in attendance recognized Brandon’s decision as true sportsmanship.