I went to a regional high
school track and field meet yesterday. That, in itself, is not remarkable.
Across much of Canada and I suspect the US, there are thousands of such events
occurring during the months of April, May and June. I also suspect that what I
observe at this one meet, occurred at virtually every other meet across Canada.
Track and field competitions are different from the team sports plays at high
school. It is, I think, easier and safer to compete as part of a team and lose
than to compete as an individual where you are not only competing against other
individuals, you are also competing against yourself. To compete on your own
takes a level of courage that may not always be readily apparent.
There were a lot of
teenagers. There may have been more teenagers at this event than I have seen in
one spot for a long time. Some of the teenagers were obviously older, perhaps
competing in the last track or field event of their lives. Equally as obvious
were those younger students who were competing in their first competition. Some
of the competitors were both gifted athletically and as well as being highly motivated.
Some were less so. In most of the events
that I watched, there were clearly one or two athletes whose natural skill and
I suspect hard work put them at the top of their field. There were some
competitors who demonstrated both a poise and a skill level that suggested that
they had received training and advice from coaches other than high school gym
teachers. There were some who were obviously talented enough that they might go
on to compete at a university level or perhaps even at a national or
international level. But most of the student competing in this track and field
day and in all of the others across Canada will not make their fame or fortune
through athletics. And that makes their active participation all the more
remarkable.
For every student who ran
faster, jumped higher or threw further than anyone else, there were ten or
twelve students who never came close. For every student who collected some sort
of ribbon for placing, there were at least an equal number of students who went
home with nothing. And all of them tried and they tried hard. No matter how far
back they were in the race, no matter how clearly out classed they were, they
did their best. That, at least in my mind, speaks to their character. I suspect
it is far easier to work hard and to put yourself on public display when there
is a good chance of you winning, than it is to do so when you know you can’t
win.
The other remarkable
thing about this event were the number of adults that were supervising the
students. There were none. There were adults acting as judges or starters,
there were a few coaches from every school cheering on their athletes, but the
students were, for the most part, on their own.
They were not being “babysat”, their behaviours were not being
monitored, they were not being controlled or organized in anyway. They got to
their events, warmed-up and competed – all without being told what or when to
do it. During their down time the students watched school mates compete, talked
to other competitors and just hung around. Attractive young women wearing
relatively skimpy running clothes walked by young men – with never, at least in
my hearing any lewd comments. There was no language that could be called
offensive, nor was there any no loud or boisterous behaviour. They acted as
mature competent young adults who had the capacity to be organized, focused and
just nice people.
In a world where supposedly
wise people and other types of doddering old fools sitting on their rocking chairs
pontificate about the impending world collapse caused by the incapacities of
young people, let me just say: I see no signs of an imminent collapse. In fact
I am quite comfortable trusting my future to such young people as I saw
yesterday. I am in good hands.
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