A Diamond In The Rough

On Sunday, in a developmental meet, we had a kid in the 1500 who ran a great race. He went out a bit too fast, and was struggling early. We coaches gave him a piece of advice here and there, hang with this guy (who'd just passed him), hang with the next guy (same deal), each time we asked, he did his darnedest to comply. As they approached the finish, we shouted for him to pass the kid whose shoulder he'd been riding, he did, taking 2nd overall.

After the race, I commented to his mom that her son could be a fine racer because he was willing to suffer. She promptly replied, "It might be genetic." When I asked why, she told me that she'd been a state champ in Ohio in the late 1970's.

It's a real pleasure when you see the twinkle from a diamond in the rough.