Stories That Inspire and Motivate

    As the boys cross country team toed the line for the Prep League championship meet at Woodberry Forest this past November, senior Ian Rowland noticed that William Bennett, his 8th grade teammate, was a bundle of nerves.
    “I had this flashback to when I was younger,” said Rowland, a four-year veteran.  “You’re running with the big dogs but not necessarily knowing how to fit in. “With William on the line, I could see myself.  He had his head down. He definitely needed reassurance.”
    So gently and without fanfare, Rowland put his right hand on Bennett’s left shoulder.
    The gesture lasted only a few seconds.  Neither said a word.
    A moment later, the gun went off.  Each ran the race of his life.
    Rowland, who covered the 5K course in 18:24, finished fifth for the Cougars. Bennett placed seventh in 18:48.
    “I felt like my knees were going to collapse at the starting line,” Bennett said.  “When I felt that hand on my shoulder, it was kind of like, you’ll get through this…you’ll do great.”

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    When 8th grader Harris White was four, he was diagnosed with diplegic cerebral palsy, a condition which affects his gait.
    He’s undergone several surgeries, and in one procedure doctors even broke his right tibia in order to straighten it.
    For several years, he underwent physical therapy at Children’s Hospital.  More recently, he shifted his training to Acceleration Richmond, a facility owned by Sheltering Arms and geared toward transitioning patients away from PT.
    Though life hasn’t always been easy, White, now 14, has soldiered on philosophically and with uncommon determination.
    “You can’t live your life moping around or feeling sorry for yourself,” he said.  “You have to take the initiative, go out, and do whatever it takes to live life with the cards you’ve been dealt.”
    Last summer, he found his athletic passion as a member of River City Crew.
    “Rowing is suited to my athletic ability,” he said.  “I’m getting a full-body workout.  I’m competing and having fun with my teammates.”
    Because of his spirit, attitude, and progress, the Sheltering Arms staff selected White as the subject of a commercial as well as a 30-minute documentary.  Both presentations have appeared on local television stations and are well-deserved recognition for a young man who views life from a glass-half-full perspective.
    “For people with physical limitations,” White said, “do the things you want to do.  
    “For people without limitations, be thankful for your ability.  Hone it.
    “Everybody in the world should be thankful for what they have.”

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    Last July, Richmond Times-Dispatch sports writer Vic Dorr Jr. wrote a piece whose premise, based on a survey, was that female athletes in area middle and high schools regard friends and family members rather than big-time sports stars as their role models.
    Dorr found also that several Collegiate athletes mentioned Taylor Thomas, Class of 2010, as a significant influence in their lives.
    “I was very surprised,” said Thomas, a three-sport athlete for the Cougars who now plays goalie as a redshirt freshman for the University of North Carolina lacrosse team.  “To be honest, that was one of the greatest recognitions I could ever receive.”
    Thomas added that when she was young, she looked up to teammates Ginny Rider, Francie Friddell, and Heather Garson.
    “They were so accepting and took me under their wing,” she said.   “They opened my eyes.  They were leaders.  I didn’t realize how much it took to lead a team and reach out to other players.
    “I knew I wanted to give the other girls what they gave me.”
    Turns out Austin Pruitt, Class of ’12, was one of those who mentioned Thomas on her response.
    “Every single thing Taylor did was a perfect example of what you needed to do,” said Pruitt, who plays field hockey, owns or shares five school indoor track records, and will continue her lacrosse career at Notre Dame next year.
    “She was always focused. She always thought about what was best for the team.  She never went through the motions, never sought recognition for herself.  She truly did everything from her heart.
    “That’s something you can’t help but remember.”

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    Plagued by injuries and a heavily front-loaded schedule, Collegiate’s girls’ varsity basketball team was sitting on 2-8 in early January.
    As All-League of Independent Schools point guard Anna Wilson and senior Anya Aboud returned to action, though, the Cougars hit their stride.
    They won eight of their next nine games.
    They knocked off St. Anne’s-Belfield, the nine-time defending LIS champion who had eliminated the Cougars in league tournament play three years running, to reach the title game.
    They earned their first-ever VISAA playoff win by dispatching Bishop O’Connell 61-50 several weeks after the Knights throttled them by 30.
    Their best games, though, came in losses to St. Catherine’s, No. 6 in the Times-Dispatch Top 10 and No. 2 in the state rankings.
    The Saints twice defeated the Cougars by 21 points during the regular season, but in the LIS finals, Coach Rives Fleming’s charges rallied from 10 down in the fourth period before falling 48-45.
    In the state quarterfinals, they overcame a double-digit deficit to forge a tie before the Saints eked out a 42-40 victory.
    “I was so proud of our team for being patient and hanging together when we struggled early,” said Fleming. “We had confidence in each other and kept our eye on where we wanted to be.”
                                    -- Weldon Bradshaw