There is room to be nice in sport

I think that bike people can be snobs. There is a "culture" to cycling that can be off putting to some. For instance, I don't go on local group rides because there is a general condescension and an unwritten rule that if you are not as good as the group, you need not join.  I wonder, if I cannot join unless I am good, how do I get the chance to get good? How do I learn the dynamics of riding in a crowd and drafting, and taking my turn at pulling if I am not allowed to do any of these things until I am good at them? It reminds me of the experience of looking for a first job.  No one will hire you unless you have experience, but you cannot gain experience unless someone hires you. See where I am going with this?

These are the things that made me reluctant to join a running clinic or a Master Swim Class. I wondered if only the elite were allowed to join these activities as well?  I went to one running facility and was very underwhelmed at the amount of advise and help that was offered. I had made up my mind that I was going to have to learn how to be a runner on my own.  Fortunately for me, an inquisitive banker told me about a different running place. I went to The Running Room and spent about an hour asking mundane questions of Ron.  He was patient and kind and made me believe that there would be a whole host of people that would work with me and would want to see me become a runner as much as I wanted it for myself.

It has been just over two years and indeed there have been countless number of people that have helped me to succeed and have cheered me on along with way. I have a core group of ladies that are affectionately called the Running Buddies that help me with all of my goals (thanks Trish, Betty, Tracy, Pati, Helen, and Baljit), you ladies are amazing and mean more to me than you know.  I have also been blessed with great support from coaches and teachers (Ron, Brenda, Eric, Jose and most of all Carol). You all helped me reach heights I hoped to reach but was never really sure if I could.

Because of the great experience that I had at the Running Room I took another step out of my comfort zone and sought help in other places. I joined a Master Swim Class at McMaster. I joined a Moksha Yoga studio to find strength, flexibility and calm in my days and training, and I went back to the gym for spin classses. All of this has helped me to become a better athlete and sportsman.

I have long since known that to be in sport required sportsmanship, but now I have examples of this in my daily life. You see, sport is more than just the competition. It is the training and coaching and comradery that happens along the way to the competition.

So when a young girl siddled up to me on the bench before morning announcements at the Sunday morning practice run and asked if she could please run with me, I knew my answer had to be "yes". I owed her the same respect and help that had been given me time and time again.  It was great spending time with her over our 7km run learning why she was running in the first place, and what she hoped to achieve.  I hope that I was able to provide her with a friendly ear and a warm smile, and the confidence boost she needs to come back again on Wednesday.  I hope I was a good sport and showed her that running is not simply for the elite, but that it is just plain simple.  As long as we are moving forward with one foot in front of the other we are going in the right direction. And hey, there are no medals for finishing first in a clinic.

Along those lines, I want to say "thank you" to all of the runners who have waved, nodded, said hi or even wished me a "good morning" while we passed each other on the streets and trails about town. I want to thank the ladies who took time out of their race to pick me up off of the pavement when I fell during a race. I want to thank the tons of volunteers that clap for us, block traffic for us, hand us food and drinks, and generally make every race I have been a part of go off without a hitch.  I want to thank the professionals who pat each other on the back and offer words of encouragement to one another during a pass because you show us what sport is really all about.

When we were kids we shook hands at the end of a game because we were told to.  Now I shake hands along the way because it is the right thing to do.  I try to help out when I can and hope to inspire and motivate others as much as they do me.

You see, I truly believe that there is room to be nice in sport, and it starts with each and every one of us.