Sports Column: The makings of a champion
They were champions before spring athletics even began, before they showed the rest of the state what Mineral County is all about.
They were champions not because of their skill or raw talent – they were champions because of their attitude.
Over the course of the spring sports season I had the pleasure of talking with several of these athletes and it was apparent in those interviews that regardless of their performance on the court or track that these student athletes embodied everything a champion is.
A champion is humble in victory.
Whether it was state tennis champion Emma Wooldridge attributing her success to the sportsmanship she dedicates herself to displaying against every opponent she faced during the season or Nicole Stroot spending much longer discussing the performance of her fellow track team members – humility was seen.
There is strength in humility. It is a quiet strength and the athletes of Mineral County never seemed to brag, never seemed to walk with a swagger or seek to inflate their own egos. Instead they were content to be humble and let their hard work and dedication to their sports speak for them.
A champion lifts up those around them.
This trait was obvious in Stroot. Who was quick to bring up the team, quick to say how much she loved cheering on her teammates during their events. Quick to say that this year the small track team from Superior could win the whole show.
It was always team and while Stroot was responsible for the majority of the Bobcats points at the state meet over the weekend it was apparent how supportive she was of her teammates. How essential she knew they were to the team winning the championship for the late Jim Cox.
A champion thrives under adversity.
A freak injury ended Wooldridge’s chances at a state championship last year. She didn’t let that keep her down. She pushed and pushed and trained and trained. She came back sharper and with a dedication and intensity that can only come from overcoming trials and tribulations.
A champion knows heart is the most important tool in their arsenal.
A pair of St. Regis Tigers exemplified that this year during the track season. Gabby Moeller and Arianna Jones placed first and second respectively in the state meet over the weekend.
Interviewing the duo I was almost taken back by how much heart and passion they had for what they did on the track. A love of the technical aspects of their events. A love of going out and competing.
They put their hearts into every throw of the javelin and with every high jump. And they saw the results.
These champions were champions long before the medals and the podiums. These Mineral County athletes got where they got because of their character and attitude. Because they had the mental aspect of athletics down before even taking the field.
Attitude is an intangible. You can’t teach attitude, you can’t teach heart. But you can show those traits and it is clear the athletes of Mineral County learned to have the attitude of a champion from their coaches, teachers and fellow classmates as well as the community that was there every step of the way.
Embrace these champions, not because of their accomplishments but because of how they earned them.