Finishing with a Smile

Nina had her first cross-country meet on Tuesday.  They had been practising three times a week at the school for about a month.  She would trot at her own pace and manage to do several laps without stopping.  Slow and steady.

Leading up to the race day she was saying that she was nervous.  It was a beautiful autumn day for the race.  There were separate races for boys and girls and for different grades.  At her school there were nine girls in her grade going for the run.

The principal gathered the girls and told them what to expect.  One of the girls said "You have to go and follow the rabbit".  The principal snapped "No. You don't go out there and follow the rabbit - you go out there and catch the rabbit!".  It was a good pep talk.

At the starting line, the girls from the different schools lined up together.  Her school was allowed four spots, so they lined up four - four - one, with Nina being the one at the back.

When they took off from the starting line, Silvina said that she saw Nina leaving at the end of the pack and was worried about the outcome.

I was at the finish line watching all the girls come in.  The first girl was pretty tiny with red checks and was smiling as she sprinted in far ahead of the others.  Like a Poisson distribution the other girls filed in. A couple of Nina's classmates finished near the front, but no sign of Nina.

I looked towards the end of the pack, but before I got there I saw her running spiritedly across the hill.  As she rounded the bend I saw the  determination in her face to get to the finish line.  She was running hard, and passing some girls who had lost their steam.

Although many of the girls had crossed the finish line before her, she crossed it running, and I was proud of her.  She even beat a couple of her classmates.