“Sports do not develop character; they reveal it.” John Wooden
2018
What a winter.
As I made a stop at Thomas More University’s Griffin Center one morning, the air was thick with fluffy, wet snow pelting down. It was very cold but the ground, not cold enough yet for the snow to stick, just made things sloppy.
At the fence, the Track and Field coach was layered up for the weather.
Out on the field the Track and Field team was running back and forth…pulling huge black garbage bag-like things, called resistance kites behind them. Oh, my goodness.
Their season had started, training maintained no matter what. Track and field meets go on regardless of the weather with few exceptions.
Can we ever know how much these student-athletes give to their sport?
Fast forward a few weeks of more snow.
As I pulled onto campus, I saw an amazing sight…the gorgeous green grass of the baseball field and a game in progress.
The weather was still plaguing the whole Midwest with massive rescheduling for weeks. But this game was going on despite the late heavy snowfall.
The team in their regular uniforms, the sun shining…and huge mounds of dirty snow piled high along the fence’s windscreens.
What a commentary on the kind of season we’re having.
I had noticed an odd assortment of snow shovels accumulating outside the coach’s office. It was evident who had been clearing the snow. The players reclaimed their field.
Can we ever know how much these student-athletes give to their sport?
January 2025
What a winter. A record 10.8 inches of snow in two days.
Christmas break over, students coming back on campus. Sidewalks cleared and treated but…the football field, AKA lacrosse field/track team track, was still covered in a thick blanket of white.
From a distance, it appeared that a runner was circling the field. Then another runner, too? This required a closer look.
Up close I could see a narrow path cut through the deep snow around the whole perimeter of the field on the running track.
Even before they were back from Christmas break, this track and field team had competed at an invitational meet. The women’s team earned first place; the men’s team earned second. Their season had begun with indoor meets, outdoor competitions soon to follow.
That narrow path, bounded by a foot of snow on each side, ensured these runners would stay in top form.
When the initial snow removal left an icy glaze, someone had cleared the ice to make the path safe for the runners. Hmmm.
One end of the snowy field was full of lacrosse players. This was the men’s team; some of them on the snow working on lacrosse skills, some of them working with shovels clearing the snow.
Just a year ago, sitting comfortably in my car with high-tech opera glasses, I was watching our women’s lacrosse game.
The freezing temperatures challenged with the threat of snow…but the game went on…and the snows came…and they played on…and the heavy snowfall increased…and they played on…until the blizzard won, the game postponed.
My goodness. Amazing.
The essence of a champion?
Could it be that such a student-athlete defies anything that weather might throw against their training or competition?
Judy Harris is well established in Northern Kentucky life, as a longtime elementary and university educator. A graduate of Thomas More, she began her career there in 1980 where she played a key role in teacher education and introduced students to national and international travel experiences. She has traveled and studied extensively abroad. She enjoys retirement yet stays in daily contact with university students.