“Never give up!”
In sports, as in life, there will be times when individuals slip, fall, tumble or bad things happen to them. When presented with the opportunity to give up or to dig deep and persevere; giving up will appear to be the easiest option. But, as the video below shows, sometimes a fighting spirit will take you a long way. Read on.
Heather Dorniden was an 8-time All-American for the University of Minnesota and its most decorated runner in the school’s history. As a freshman, she won the NCAA indoor 800 championships.
Big 10 Indoor Track Championship Inspirational Story
At the 2008 Big 10 Indoor Track Championship, she faced her biggest obstacle. On the verge of taking the lead in a very competitive race, she tripped and fell. Despite the tumble, she quickly assumed her racing speed and as the crowd cheered her on, she ran faster and faster. When the fall happened, it would have been easy for her to cruise in and just finish the race.
Heather Dorniden: Never Give Up Video
But, Heather was determined. Passing competitor after competitor, Heather came back to claim first place. From worst to first; Heather didn’t let the fall prevent her from reach her goal.
Heather’s inspirational video should be shown to teams from every sport at the start of each season. It’s a life lesson that should be taught by every youth sports coach: “Never give up.”
Summary
In sports as in life, we’re taught not to give up. There may be difficult times in sports, in school, and elsewhere where it might be tempting to toss in the towel. But, by sticking with it, you can win at several levels. In this case, Heather not only showed her mental toughness but also came back to win the race. This is a shining example of one of the reasons not to give up.
By Mike O’Halloran
Mike is the founder and editor of Sports Feel Good Stories.
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