defining heroism
Each day during the Winter Olympics, several sports websites and periodicals that I frequent have run blurbs honoring athletes under a variety of headlines, one of which is “Yesterday’s Hero.”
In this sound-bite world, that’s a very nice touch, 50 words or so detailing accomplishments of high-level competitors such as skiers Bode Miller and Lindsey Vonn, snowboarder Shaun White, and speed skaters Shani Davis and Apolo Anton who have prepared with heart and soul and placed their reputations and self-esteem on the line for the world to see.
On a smaller stage and with much less fanfare, Collegiate has had its share of moments which some might consider heroic.
There was the 1994 football game where a defensive penalty gave the Cougars one more play after time expired, and Chuck McFall fired a 10-yard touchdown pass to Donny Wilson to seal a 30-28 victory over St. Christopher’s.
There was the softball team’s heart-stopping comeback in the championship game of the 2000 LIS tournament. Down 3-0 with two outs in the bottom of the 7th, the Cougars scored four runs, the last coming when Morgan Salmon drilled a 2-2, waist-high fastball to centerfield scoring Katie Zelenak with the winning run.
There was Molly McKeon’s anchor leg of the 4x400 relay in the 2008 League of Independent Schools track meet. Norfolk Academy led by a point entering that final event, but McKeon ran the race of her life, caught her Bulldogs’ counterpart in the final turn, and held her off to ensure Collegiate’s first spring track title since 1995.
There was Cole Hawthorne’s inspired performance against L.C. Bird in the third-place game of the 2006 Richmond Time-Dispatch Invitational Basketball Tournament. With the Skyhawks up 5 with 20 seconds left, he drained back-to-back 3-pointers, stole an inbounds pass, then scooped up a loose ball as time expired to secure a thrilling 50-49 victory
These, like the Olympic moments, were outstanding achievements worthy of SportsCenter, but do they truly reach the threshold of heroism?
“No,” said Hawthorne, now a junior at Hampden-Sydney and a starter on the Tigers’ lacrosse team.
“To be considered a hero in the sports world, you might enjoy success on the field, but it’s really what you do off the field with the attention you’ve received that defines you as a hero.”
I couldn’t agree more.
The true heroes, you see, are the rescue workers, firefighters, those who defend our country, the pilot who skillfully lands his disabled aircraft in the Hudson, the passengers who avert a terrorist attack, the math teacher who tackled a gunman in a Colorado middle school, regular folks who jump into the breach with courage and purpose and without regard for their personal safety.
High profile athletes, I came to understand long ago, are “regular folks” like the rest of us. They just happen to have a gift (and hopefully a work ethic to accompany that gift) that puts them in the public eye.
Often, they become role models.
Sometimes, they become heroes.
Pat Tillman, the Arizona Cardinals’ defensive back, gave up a multi-million dollar contract to answer a higher calling and enlist in the U.S. Army after 9-11.
Arthur Ashe used the forum he gained as a world-class tennis player to speak out and write on a host of social issues. In fact, he was arrested twice, once in 1985 for picketing the South African embassy in Washington during an anti-apartheid rally and again in 1992 outside the White House for protesting a government crackdown on Haitian refugees.
Roberto Clemente, the Pittsburgh Pirates’ Hall of Fame outfielder, used his stature, popularity, and resources to promote charitable causes in his native Puerto Rico and throughout Latin America. He died in a plane crash December 31, 1972, en route to Nicaragua to deliver aid to earthquake victims.
Most of our athletes at Collegiate are focused, motivated, and committed to excellence.
Many are role models.
Do they have the right stuff to act heroically when their moment arrives?
Without a doubt.
