Talent Propagation— the life lesson doing Track and Field taught me
The date is 4/24/2024.
I’m off to compete in a small town that for the purposes of anonymity, I’ll call “XVille”.
At the time, I was a very amateur athlete who was just learning the ways of this complex web of athletic events put under the umbrella of “Track and Field”. That day, I would do three events — Pole Vault, Long Jump, and 200m sprint (I didn’t know at that time doing the 200 without proper 100 training was a poor idea — talk about being an amateur), and I had some pretty optimistic expectations for myself. The experience of attending such competitions slowly transformed me from a naive to a more informed athlete, and I’ve discussed the lessons I’ve learned in a separate entry.
Since I was still a rookie, I was placed on the Junior Varsity team, which had a separate Long Jump event. It was during this time that I met a very friendly competitor that gave me much insight.
Let’s begin by saying I was the only rookie athlete who was doing JV Long Jump who was part of my team, and as a result, I was cheered by many of XVille’s team members when it was my turn. It was a 10 versus 1, and I was the one with all the spotlight. My first practice run went miserably — I got a foul. A certain athlete allowed me to practice for a bit more while teaching me specific tips, such as when to jump and how to keep one’s chest forward and out while jumping. When I asked him if he was from XVille (to which he promptly responded “yes”), I pointed to my blue shirt (my school’s color) thinking that he somehow forgot that I was on his opposing team. The response he gave me really impacted the way I view things. His words were short and simple: “It’s Track and Field. We help each other”. To see such bonding and sportsmanship emerge even amidst such a competitive environment (although I remain surprised to this day as to why he decided to help me) is something I found immensely heartwarming.
Perhaps the most prevalent of the numerous insights that that experience had given me was the importance of helping others and creating beautiful bonds in the process.
I’ve had a belief for a while now: although one must receive credit for the great things they do, anybody with an ability not possessed by those around should spread their abilities to those around them in order to make the most of that ability. Currently, a place where I see this coming of use in my life is in school, where everyone must learn and be able to utilize new concepts in a variety of different subjects, some grasping certain subjects better than others. Therefore, in subjects I find easy in school, it has been my natural habit to help others understand concepts that I found simple — if I could help the guy next to me see what I am seeing, then it gives the idea that came out of me more value. In situations where such help cannot be provided directly, I can always guide them to the best of my ability toward my thought process.
This pattern of thought is not limited to school, and can be interpreted in numerous different ways.
I find this an important lesson to have learned to be a better member of any community. This includes my family, friend groups, and social media communities. In the future, if anyone ever aspires to be like me and is inspired by my talents, I will feel an obligation to respond to them and show them what I’m seeing. However, this idea is not limited to simply helping others do something I can do — it also extends towards the idea that if I have a vision, I must partner up with others and together work towards that vision in order for it not to go in vain — a more personal spin on the original idea of helping others that I came across while contemplating the insights given to me about helping those who were once in your place, as that teammate from XVille did that faithful day.
Thank you for reading this entry.
-Vishal Janamanchi